After nearly a term in office, do you think you know Barack Obama? Well, think again.
In his new biography, David Maraniss goes into exhaustive detail about Obama’s life. But he doesn’t stop there. He also delves deep into the President’s familial roots, paying close attention to the life of his great-grandmother and members of his Kenyan family. By employing this multigenerational approach, the author highlights the way Obama’s identity has been forged by his past.
Drawing upon four years of research, numerous documents and over 300 interviews, including with the President himself, Maraniss provides a realistic and authentic account of the key events and people in Obama’s life who made him who he is today. In the process, Maraniss dispels myths and illuminates aspects of Obama’s history that have never been known before.
What moments in Obama’s life helped lead him to become the nation’s president? Who are and were the major players in his life? What did Maraniss find particularly scintillating or informative during his research?
Guest:
David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story (Simon & Schuster); journalist and author, currently serving as an associate-editor for The Washington Post. He received a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1993 for his coverage of then-candidate Bill Clinton during the 1992 United States presidential election.