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Renegade (Abridged): The Making of a President Audiobook
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(3.03) - 654 listener ratings
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Before the White House and Air Force One, before the TV ads and the enormous rallies, there was the real Barack Obama: a man wrestling with the momentous decision to run for the presidency, feeling torn about leaving behind a young family, and figuring out how to win the biggest prize in politics. This book is the previously untold and epic story of how a political newcomer with no money and an alien name grew into the world’s most powerful leader. But it is also a uniquely intimate portrait of the person behind the iconic posters and the Secret Service code name Renegade. Drawing on a dozen unplugged interviews with the candidate and president, as well as twenty-one months covering his campaign as it traveled from coast to coast, Richard Wolffe answers the simple yet enduring question about Barack Obama: Who is he? Based on Wolffe’s unprecedented access to Obama, Renegade reveals the making of a president, both on the campaign trail and before he ran for high office. It explains how the politician who emerged in an extraordinary election learned the personal and political skills to succeed during his youth and early career. With cool self-discipline, calculated risk taking, and simple storytelling, Obama developed the strategies he would need to survive the onslaught of the Clintons and John McCain, and build a multimillion-dollar machine to win a historic contest. In Renegade, Richard Wolffe shares with us his front-row seat at Obama’s announcement to run for president on a frigid day in Springfield, and his victory speech on a warm night in Chicago. We fly on the candidate’s plane and ride in his bus on an odyssey across a country in crisis; stand next to him at a bar on the night he secures the nomination; and are backstage as he delivers his convention speech to a stadium crowd and a transfixed national audience. From a teacher’s office in Iowa to the Oval Office in Washington, we see and hear Barack Obama with an immediacy and honesty never witnessed before. Renegade provides not only an account of Obama’s triumphs, but also examines his many personal and political trials. We see Obama wrestling with race and politics, as well as his former pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright. We see him struggling with life as a presidential candidate, a campaign that falters for most of its first year, and his reaction to a surprise defeat in the New Hampshire primary. And we see him relying on his personal experience, as well as meticulous polling, to pass the presidential test in foreign and economic affairs. Renegade is an essential guide to understanding President Barack Obama and his trusted inner circle of aides and friends. It is also a riveting and enlightening first draft of history and political psychology.
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"This is the first book I've read of the last presidential campaign. I voted and continue to support Barack Obama, and I'm a fan of the author. So, while biased, I'll assert this is a fascinating book to read, giving insight into the events so many of us followed so closely."
— Stephen (5 out of 5 stars)
Renegade Listener Reviews
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" Finally read this book (during the 2012 election). "
— Ann, 2/20/2014 -
" Wolffe is such an engaging writer and he gives you a true behind-the-scenes look at the campaign. "
— Jodi, 2/4/2014 -
" I think R. Wolffe is an engaging writer, and the issues he shared with his readership, exemplify a president with true leadership skills. Bravo! "
— Dayla, 1/31/2014 -
" I loved this book! It was awesome to read about of one of the most exciting campaigns in history. Gotta love politics. "
— Lisa, 1/26/2014 -
" Very well written. Insightful. Well balanced (at times). Wolffe has clearly drunk from the Obama keg of Kool-Aid, but he's not afraid to call the man out when he effs up. "
— Yeti, 1/25/2014 -
" This book focuses basically on Barack Obama's campaign efforts. I found it really informative and fascinating to see how a campaign works. The book is very detailed, starting with Barack Obama's decision to run through his victory. "
— Julia, 1/23/2014 -
" It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. The Audacity to Win was much better. I thought it was going to offer more details about Obama but it just skimmed the surface of his personality. "
— Bhavana, 1/20/2014 -
" This is a bit of a love sonnet to Obama. For those of us who followed the campaign and tried to understand the man before voting for or against him, there's not much new information in the book. But, as an Obama supporter, I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. "
— Steven, 1/10/2014 -
" Good inside scoop on the behind-the-scenes strategies and conversations of the Obama campaign. It did get a little wonky at times, however- and the narrative was a bit choppy and all over the place. "
— Lara, 1/2/2014 -
" Interesting behind the scenes look at the Obama campaign from conception to primary campaign to general election to the start of his presidency. Nothing really ground-breaking, but a good history book. "
— Joel, 12/27/2013 -
" A meandering retelling of Obama's 2008 campaign that tries too hard to also be a mini biography. "
— Heath, 11/19/2013 -
" Pres. Obama changed the game on people. He figured out a new way to win and beat the political cynics. Wolffe is by no mean unbiased, but his version of the stories is engaging. "
— Declan, 10/19/2013 -
" A political campaign is a little like an opera. Sometimes its best not to know what's happening back stage. "
— Cadenza, 10/19/2013 -
" Awesome amount of insight into the Obama campaign for president, takes you from the start to the end, and gives unprecedented access to Obama the candidate and Obama the man..It can be both dense and slow at parts, but def worth the read if your a fan. "
— William, 6/9/2013 -
" Read this in a politics class in 2009. My students actually hated it. They felt it was little more than a propaganda piece and in the end, I agreed with them. "
— Devawo, 5/21/2013 -
" An uneven and sometimes scattered story, but so fun to read the behind the scenes tidbits. "
— Jeanie, 9/30/2012 -
" Glad I read this book by Richard Wolffe. We appreciate his views which we frequently see on Keith Olberman. "
— Ellie, 8/7/2012 -
" Intelligent, insightful, articulate; fills in the 'bones' of what we already know about Barack Obama and what it takes to campaign for and win the presidency. "
— Bonita, 3/13/2012 -
" A meandering retelling of Obama's 2008 campaign that tries too hard to also be a mini biography. "
— Heath, 1/26/2011 -
" Read this in a politics class in 2009. My students actually hated it. They felt it was little more than a propaganda piece and in the end, I agreed with them. "
— Devawo, 10/6/2010 -
" I loved this book! It was awesome to read about of one of the most exciting campaigns in history. Gotta love politics. "
— Lisa, 9/7/2010 -
" Interesting look at the best run presidential campaign in history. Told with a very positive view of Obama, but also an interesting study of what it takes to win the presidency. Boy is politics a messy business. "
— Sean, 9/5/2010 -
" Awesome amount of insight into the Obama campaign for president, takes you from the start to the end, and gives unprecedented access to Obama the candidate and Obama the man..It can be both dense and slow at parts, but def worth the read if your a fan. "
— William, 7/31/2010 -
" Interesting behind the scenes look at the Obama campaign from conception to primary campaign to general election to the start of his presidency. Nothing really ground-breaking, but a good history book. "
— Joel, 6/1/2010 -
" I had already read about many of these events following the election over 2007-2008, but I none-the-less enjoyed reading about the inner workings of the campaign. A fairly average read. "
— Chris, 3/17/2010 -
" This book about the election was an interesting and insightful look at Barack Obama and the campaign that he ran. I learned a lot of new things due in large part to Wolffe's access to Obama and his innner circle. "
— Delight, 2/28/2010 -
" Good look at" the Obama political machine" behind the curtain. I'm very proud of his Team! <br/> "
— Vincent, 2/14/2010 -
" Intelligent, insightful, articulate; fills in the 'bones' of what we already know about Barack Obama and what it takes to campaign for and win the presidency. "
— Bonita, 2/8/2010
About Richard Wolffe
Richard Wolffe is an award-winning journalist and political analyst for MSNBC television, appearing frequently on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Hardball. He covered the entire length of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for Newsweek. Before Newsweek, he was a senior journalist at the Financial Times, serving as its deputy bureau chief and US diplomatic correspondent. He lives with his wife and their three children in Washington, DC.