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The Obamas Audiobook
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(3.01) - 921 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Award-winning reporter Jodi Kantor takes readers deep inside the White House in an "insightful and evocative" portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama (Chicago Tribune) that will surprise even readers who thought they knew the two icons.
When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible.
Then they moved in.
In the Obamas, Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they try to grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. The Obamas is filled with riveting detail and insight into their partnership, emotions and personalities, and written with a keen eye for the ironies of public life.
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"It is a very engaging book although at times it does feel as though it is trying too hard to be sensational and popular. Jodi Kantor is a very talented writer who makes objective observations about what the Obama's might be thinking regarding their scepticism regarding politics and the life that they have found themselves to be living. It is very entertaining however it also an air of untruth about it that makes the book that more delicious."
— Nancy (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“In lesser hands The Obamas would be an act of astonishing overreach, but Ms. Kantor, who covered the Obamas for The New York Times during the 2008 presidential campaign, and is currently a Washington correspondent for the paper, has earned the voice of authority.”
— New York Times -
“Energetically reported.”
— New Yorker -
“[Kantor’s] writing is insightful and evocative, [and] rich with detail.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Jodi Kantor offers a glimpse into the tensions of a culture that expects our women to achieve as highly as our men but our first ladies to take a back seat to their presidents. The result is a sympathetic portrait of both Obamas that could help to humanize an administration criticized as being aloof and inaccessible.”
— Nation -
“The stories are titillating, and you’ll gulp them down like salted peanuts.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“[Kantor’s] thoughtful new book is fluidly written, with a canny sense for the way political marriages can be useful prisms to see into ambition, power, gender and the contradictions of public life.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“Kantor’s book reveals many unknown stories and revelations about the connection between the personal and political in this presidency, and how the first couple’s partnership affect us all.”
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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One of the 2012 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
The Obamas Listener Reviews
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" I enjoyed this inside look at the White House and the Obamas. I think I would have liked more details about their life, relationship and Michelle. The politics slowed things down a bit for me, but overall a good read. "
— Jodi, 2/13/2014 -
" Jodi Kantor probably thought she was being objective but she paints a very unsympathetic picture of the Obamas. Michelle is shown as being controlling, defensive, uncooperative and an overprotective parent. The President is characterized as an extreme introvert, socially awkward and overconfident about his abilities. None of it rings true to me. I have seen the President and the First Lady electrify a crowd of listeners and I will never forget it. Kantor says that he is an uninspiring speaker. She seems to blame the President for the failure to accomplish many things which have deliberately been sabotaged by an energized and at times, unethical opposition. When I look at the President I see a man that towers above other politicians, ethically and intellectually . Yes, he still inspires me, but I don't claim to be objective. "
— Florence, 2/13/2014 -
" This was a gossipy little book full of insider tidbits. Not a particularly flattering picture of Michelle. She comes off as a bit of a harpy. I think Ms. Kantor wanted us to know that the Obamas have warts. I guess that makes them as human as we are. "
— Louise, 2/6/2014 -
" I am really into Michelle Obama. I'm pleased for the opportunity I got to learn more about her and the work that she's done; however, I don't think the book was particularly well written. I found this annoying at times. Kantor's portrait of the Obamas was difficult to believe at times and odd. "
— Rachel, 2/3/2014 -
" Worth reading, really humanizes the Obama family with special emphasis on Michelle - however, last couple of chapters didn't say much, were repetitive and seemed to swing from Michelle being uncertain and finding her footing, and then the President became "weak" - I don't think the book shows any depth of understanding of either the President or the First Lady, but certainly has plenty of interesting vignettes to tell. "
— Nmdb22, 1/29/2014 -
" I enjoyed reading about the Obamas--I love Michelle and I like Barack a lot--but was less impressed by Kantor, who doesn't seem to realize that most political 'crises' are manufactured and maybe shouldn't be taken so seriously by the press. "
— BetsyD, 1/21/2014 -
" Could not put this down. It's deftly written and very well sourced. Does a great job of giving the reader a glove into the dynamics of their relationship. It also opens your eyes to how things actually work in the white house and how naive and idealistic Obama had initially been. Extremely well-written. "
— BlackOlive, 12/31/2013 -
" 3.5 I was so thrilled to see Jodi Kantor knew enough not to put an apostrophe in front of the "s". She's a good writer - not a Kitty Kelley - so there's more than "what was she wearing", though there's plenty of that too. "
— Lynn, 12/28/2013 -
" Obama being a Democrat, this book must have been written by a republican. The way the Obamas were represented was completly opposite of what I have heard of him. "
— Carolin, 12/20/2013 -
" It's a gossipy book about the POTUS and FLOTUS. I'm taking the stuff in there with a grain of salt. Three stars because it was easy to read. "
— Maya, 12/19/2013 -
" I don't usually read political books (sorry Mr President) but I really enjoyed this one. It is a very readable book and gives insight into the East vs West wing. I still think Michelle Obama is amazing. And I have always loved the President. "
— Sara, 12/15/2013 -
" Good to understand and maybe justify the erratic presidential behavior on his 2 first years in White House. Less polemical than announced and less focused on the political side than I expected (sometimes it felt like written for Vanity Fair) it was at all an enjoyable reading. "
— Leandro, 12/5/2013 -
" Peak behind the doors of any marriage and tell me what you see. Of course you will see tension, disagreements and misunderstandings. But you can also see affection, deep abiding love and a forever friendship. "
— Sabrina, 2/21/2013 -
" Too bad the president wouldn't talk to her. "
— Cynthia, 2/12/2013 -
" Interesting perspectives on the Obama's first term - a lot about Michelle Obama. "
— Aly, 12/12/2012 -
" Loved it !! It's not so much about politics as it is about The Obamas -their struggles, their difficulties, their challenges in getting the laws passed and ease into the White House. Wealth of insight!! "
— Kpgarlapati, 6/24/2012 -
" Much more armchair psychiatry (conjecture about the psyche's of the Obamas) than one would have guessed, but the juxtaposition of the internal lives of the administration with the external happenings in the world was fascinating. "
— shaz, 6/23/2012 -
" I thought it was an interesting read about the Obama Whitehouse that offered a personal glimpse into the life of the first family. "
— Marselle, 5/4/2012 -
" Fascinating look at the personal nature of the lives of the Obama family. And like him or hate him, you've got to wonder how you'd fare in his role. "
— Albert, 3/29/2012 -
" Well-researched but, in the end, pretty gossipy. It's called the Obamas, but it's really about Mrs. Obama. She comes off as very likeable but a bit wary of the position she is in. I recommend. "
— Frédérique, 3/6/2012
About Jodi Kantor
Jodi Kantor began her journalism career at Slate.com in 1998, and four years later she became the arts and leisure editor of the New York Times. For six years she wrote about Barack and Michelle Obama, covering the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. Her bestselling book The Obamas was published in 2012. She is a contributor to “This Morning” on CBS.
Megan Twohey is a prize-winning investigative reporter for the New York Times who has focused much of her attention on the treatment of women and children. As a reporter with Reuters, she uncovered an underground network in which parents gave away adopted children they no longer wanted to strangers met on the Internet, and the series was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting. While reporting at the Chicago Tribune, she exposed how police were shelving DNA evidence collected after sex crimes, the result of which was that Illinois passed the first state law mandating the testing of every rape kit. She is a contributor to NBC and MSNBC
About Robin Miles
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors’ unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.