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sksrenninger's review against another edition
3.0
Because of the title, I expected this book to be a lot more about the actual relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Obama, but for me it turned out to be more of a behind-the-scenes look at Obama's first term. While that may be interesting, it's not why I picked up the book and thus I found it a little disappointing.
dsbressette's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good look into the Obama White House. I am not sure why there was such a media furor over it. This was an honest portrayal of the President and First Lady, good and bad. It showed them as people, just like we all are, with good days and bad days. I enjoyed the book.
cherircohen's review against another edition
4.0
Really fascinating. Not a very flattering portrait of Michelle (and the Pres, to some extent).
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
I'll start by saying that I voted for Obama twice, but this isn't going to be a political review.
After reading this book I can't believe that Obama was elected again, the picture the book paints is just so terrible and depressing that it seems to make his reelection seem like a fantasy. I have no doubt that Obama has struggled as president, it's a fairly impossible position, but this book just is just so depressing I found it difficult to read.
The story started out great, I knew the Obama's background story prior to reading this, but there was some additional information thrown in that I wasn't familiar with and I would say the first 100 pages were great. Then it just depressing. Obama is so much smarter than everyone else, Congress hates him, everyone in America hates him, he can't get anything done, no one appreciates all the amazing things he has by some miracle managed to get done, Michelle hates being first lady, the West Wing and East Wing fight nonstop, there is so much infighting between Obama's staff, and on and on and on. It was 200 pages of defeat, sadness, and angst. And that wasn't fun to read. And perhaps it is all true, I just wish the author had found a different way of relaying that truth.
Also, I don't think there was a lot of particularly new or insightful information in the book. And a lot of it felt repeated, yes, we get it, Obama is really good friends with a small group of people, you don't need to keep repeating that. Honestly maybe that's why much of the book seemed so difficult to read, all of the (mostly depressing) repetition.
After reading this book I can't believe that Obama was elected again, the picture the book paints is just so terrible and depressing that it seems to make his reelection seem like a fantasy. I have no doubt that Obama has struggled as president, it's a fairly impossible position, but this book just is just so depressing I found it difficult to read.
The story started out great, I knew the Obama's background story prior to reading this, but there was some additional information thrown in that I wasn't familiar with and I would say the first 100 pages were great. Then it just depressing. Obama is so much smarter than everyone else, Congress hates him, everyone in America hates him, he can't get anything done, no one appreciates all the amazing things he has by some miracle managed to get done, Michelle hates being first lady, the West Wing and East Wing fight nonstop, there is so much infighting between Obama's staff, and on and on and on. It was 200 pages of defeat, sadness, and angst. And that wasn't fun to read. And perhaps it is all true, I just wish the author had found a different way of relaying that truth.
Also, I don't think there was a lot of particularly new or insightful information in the book. And a lot of it felt repeated, yes, we get it, Obama is really good friends with a small group of people, you don't need to keep repeating that. Honestly maybe that's why much of the book seemed so difficult to read, all of the (mostly depressing) repetition.
minsep's review against another edition
4.0
The pushback from the White House toward this book and its author perplexes me. I found it to be a very sympathetic account of the Obama’s experience in the White House. Michelle Obama comes across as a strong, intelligent woman and devoted mother not an “angry black woman” as has been portrayed by the press when describing the book. I found the whole thing fascinating and eye-opening.
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Highly readable account of the First Family. Michelle (yes, I call her Michelle) comes off better, having grown over the last three years. She started out disdainful and suspicious of the first lady role and has come around to figuring out how she can actually accomplish something. Meanwhile, the president is portrayed as a person stuck in exasperation over the stupidity of Congress - not that I blame him, but it's not a very useful approach. Take-away: introverted T's govern well but can be lousy at politics.
jaclynday's review against another edition
4.0
I admit that I’m struggling to write this review. I’ll nit-pick in a moment, but for now I’ll simply say that this book was like the ultimate Dessert Book. It was voyeuristic and fun—the book equivalent of picking up US Weekly or InTouch. There was mention of how Michelle Obama’s wardrobe has played into public perception, there was a section on their disastrous New York City date night, there were little political asides and well-written summaries of the President’s challenges and victories over the past several years. It’s such a far-reaching book that you assume it will be completely vapid and underdeveloped or confusing chronologically. It’s neither. Perhaps the worst you can say about it is that it’s entertaining—and to some, that might be a negative thing.
As someone who voted for Obama in 2008, I have to agree with other reviews I’ve read in that the most irritating thing about reading this book was how often Obama’s missteps are laid out. The book is not overly long, and the problems that he’s encountered throughout his first term seem to come back to back to back. Among a sea of challenges (some of which were overcome, others not so much), there are occasional wins for the Obama team, but you come away with a general sense that the administration was initially overwhelmed and disorganized and that set the President’s agenda back too far to fully recover.
Another interesting thing: I became really curious to read this book after seeing the White House’s swiftly negative reaction to the publication of The Obamas and a recent Politico article seemed to align with my suspicions. Why did they condemn the book so strongly? I think it touched a nerve, especially with Michelle Obama and her public relations team. Her portrayal in the book is actually quite a positive one, but there has been a concerted effort on the part of the administration to make her seem less opinionated and more passive since the inauguration and this book moves to defeat some of that image “repair.” (Personally, I prefer an outspoken, opinionated First Lady, but I guess the majority of the country doesn’t feel the same way.) She is shown to be just as opinionated in the book—the only exception to this being that she reserves her remarks for private settings within the administration instead of speaking to reporters or to crowds about them.
Anyway, if you’re looking for something entertaining to read or you are intrigued by this President and the First Lady (who isn’t?), I recommend giving this book a go.
As someone who voted for Obama in 2008, I have to agree with other reviews I’ve read in that the most irritating thing about reading this book was how often Obama’s missteps are laid out. The book is not overly long, and the problems that he’s encountered throughout his first term seem to come back to back to back. Among a sea of challenges (some of which were overcome, others not so much), there are occasional wins for the Obama team, but you come away with a general sense that the administration was initially overwhelmed and disorganized and that set the President’s agenda back too far to fully recover.
Another interesting thing: I became really curious to read this book after seeing the White House’s swiftly negative reaction to the publication of The Obamas and a recent Politico article seemed to align with my suspicions. Why did they condemn the book so strongly? I think it touched a nerve, especially with Michelle Obama and her public relations team. Her portrayal in the book is actually quite a positive one, but there has been a concerted effort on the part of the administration to make her seem less opinionated and more passive since the inauguration and this book moves to defeat some of that image “repair.” (Personally, I prefer an outspoken, opinionated First Lady, but I guess the majority of the country doesn’t feel the same way.) She is shown to be just as opinionated in the book—the only exception to this being that she reserves her remarks for private settings within the administration instead of speaking to reporters or to crowds about them.
Anyway, if you’re looking for something entertaining to read or you are intrigued by this President and the First Lady (who isn’t?), I recommend giving this book a go.
lizmart88's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting look, primarily at the Obama's marriage, during the first two years of his first term.
This is certainly a mostly positive viewpoint of a book. While she mentions Obama's detractors, she primarily interviewed his closest advisors and staff and friends.
Writing in a chronological order isn't the best format for this. It's also hard to read as Obama nears the end of his second term. Such a short period of time means the book is basically obsolete now. She also chooses to barely cover the Healthcare bull after its passed, even though massive issues occurred during implementation.
All in all, not a bad book. Particularly good if you're interested in reading about Michelle and her relationship with the white house and DC and politics (spoiler : it's a rough adjustment). However, there are more comprehensive, less biased books with similar material.
This is certainly a mostly positive viewpoint of a book. While she mentions Obama's detractors, she primarily interviewed his closest advisors and staff and friends.
Writing in a chronological order isn't the best format for this. It's also hard to read as Obama nears the end of his second term. Such a short period of time means the book is basically obsolete now. She also chooses to barely cover the Healthcare bull after its passed, even though massive issues occurred during implementation.
All in all, not a bad book. Particularly good if you're interested in reading about Michelle and her relationship with the white house and DC and politics (spoiler : it's a rough adjustment). However, there are more comprehensive, less biased books with similar material.
mrs_merdle's review against another edition
3.0
This was good. Very interesting inside look at the first term. Made me think a lot about the influence the First Lady has on the Presidency, which is often quite a bit and I think especially in this case where the marriage seems to be very much an equal partnership. Not always all that flattering of the President (although maybe just an honest look at his whole personality, not an Obama-bashing by any means, just not sycophantic), but definitely a sympathetic portrait of the First Lady who comes off well overall. The book was absorbingly written for the most part, but I feel like she lost the intensity a bit in the last few chapters, just as things were ramping up for the second campaign. I think she was trying to portray how comfortable they had become in the not always savory political world they inhabit, and which they had started out the first campaign and the Presidency by opposing, but she just somehow made things seem very bland and uninteresting. But overall a good and interesting read.