Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama

By David J. Garrow

The definitive account of Barack Obama’s life before he became the 44th president of the United States – the formative years, confluence of forces, and influential figures who helped shaped an extraordinary leader and his rise – from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing the Cross.

‘Impressive … deeply reported’ New York Times Book Review

‘Engages, absorbs and mesmerises’ Library Journal

Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly catapulted the little-known state senator from Illinois into the national spotlight. Three months later, Obama would win election to the U.S. Senate; four years after that he would make history as America’s first black president.

Moving around the globe, from Hawaii to Indonesia to the American Northeast and Midwest, Rising Star meticulously unpacks Obama’s life, from his tumultuous upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, to his formative time as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side, working in some of the roughest neighborhoods, to Cambridge, where he excelled at Harvard Law School, and finally back to Chicago, where he pursued his political destiny.

In voluminous detail, drawn from more than 1,000 interviews and encyclopedic documentary research, Garrow delivers the most authoritative account of the ambition, the dreams and the all-too-human struggles of an iconic president.

Format: Paperback
Release Date: 05 Jun 2018
Pages: 1472
ISBN: 978-0-00-822941-2
David J. Garrow is Professor of Law & History and Distinguished Faculty Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is the author of four books, including ‘Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. He is a regular contributor to the Washington Post, New York Times, and The American Prospect. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

”'Phenomenal … one of the most impressive and important books of the year. It’s a masterwork of historical and journalistic research, Robert Caro-like in its exhaustiveness, and easily the most authoritative account of Obama’s pre-presidential life we’ve seen or are likely ever to see. It’s also a terrific read” - Politico

'Revealing … Probing … [Garrow] tells us how Obama lived, and explores the calculations he made in the decades leading up to his winning the presidency' Washington Post -

'The authoritative biography of Barack Obama’s pre-presidential years … Illuminating … Impressively researched … Readers will be richly rewarded' Library Journal -

'A convincing and exceptionally detailed portrait … Political history buffs will be fascinated' Publishers Weekly -

'Garrow is a demon for research … Eminently solid … Consistently readable - an impressive work' Kirkus Reviews -