Black President: Hope and Fury in the Age of Obama

The Black President is a comprehensive history of Barack Obama's presidency, exploring his political context, historical environment, impact, and meaning for African Americans. It is based on an expansive archive of materials and examines his upbringing, early political ambitions, race, policies, symbolism, and allies and enemies. The book argues that the successes and aspirations of the Obama era are connected to our current racist, toxic political discourse and will be required reading for historians, politics junkies, and Obama fans.

Format: Hardback
Length: 672 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2021
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

The Black President is a groundbreaking and comprehensive history of the entire Barack Obama presidency, written by Claude A. Clegg III. This book is a finalist for the PROSE Award for Best Book in Biography & Autobiography by the Association of American Publishers.

In The Black President, Clegg offers a unique and insightful perspective on the presidency of Barack Obama, placing him within the dynamic, inspirational, and contentious political context of his time. He explores the America that made Obama's White House years possible, while also illuminating the America that resisted the idea of a Black chief executive. This book is not only a sweeping exploration of the Obama presidency's historical environment, impact, and meaning for African Americans, but also a deep dive into the president's complex upbringing, early political ambitions, and his delicate navigation of matters of race.

Clegg draws on an expansive archive of materials, including government records and reports, interviews, speeches, memoirs, and insider accounts, to examine Obama's complicated upbringing and early political ambitions. He delves into the president's journey from his humble beginnings in Hawaii to his rise to the White House, highlighting his education, community activism, and political career.

One of the key themes of The Black President is the nature and impacts of Obama's presidency on African Americans. Clegg explores the euphoric triumphs and dispiriting shortcomings of Obama's years in office, examining how the president engaged the aspirations, struggles, and disappointments of his most loyal constituency. He also examines how representative segments of Black America engaged, experienced, and interpreted his historic presidency.

Clegg is particularly concerned with the veracity of Obama's claim that his White House years were the best of times and worst of times for Black America. He examines how Obama's policies and actions impacted African Americans, both positively and negatively, and how the president's leadership style and messaging resonated with different communities.

The Black President is a thought-provoking and deeply researched book that offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the Obama presidency. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American politics, history, and the African American experience.

Weight: 1148g
Dimension: 165 x 304 x 49 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421441887