Renegade: The Making of a President
by Richard Wolffe
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Book Reviews of Renegade: The Making of a President
Book Review: Well Documented, but Chop Suey Editing Drags Down Content
Summary: 3 Stars
I opened this book with anticipation. I admire the author, and I followed
this campaign day-by-day, as a pseudo wonk. I appreciate the author's extensive
reference documentation, and the fact that the footnoting appeared at the end
of the book, so as not to gum up the contents. Also, kudos to the author for
his access to the candidate. I assume the editor chopped up the contents of this
book, and succeeded in destroying the amazing narrative of the entire Obama
saga. What amazes me is that the oddball chapters are able to completely diffuse
one of the most incredible stories of our generation. If the author was forced
to accept this awful editing, with chapter headings that make no sense, then it
was his duty to insert new introductions and summaries for each chapter. From a reference
and historical point of view, no one will be able to figure out any meaningful timeline.
For future editions, the minimum that must be done is to provide a cronology of events to
help the reader stumble through. Maybe this book could be cleaned up before any sort
of international release.
Book Review: A smoothly written account of Obama's campaign.
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, Amazon should delete ALL the reviews (most of the one-star reviews) dealing solely with the pricing of this book by Kindle. They in no way address the writing in the book. It's totally unfair to Wolffe, who wrote an excellent book.
After Obama won the election, I basically decided not to waste my time reading accounts of his campaign. I wanted to read about Clinton's or McCain's campaigns - books brimming with "dirt" dished by campaign "insiders". But, I was so taken with Richard Wolffe's interviews about the book, mostly on MSNBC, that I waived my "rule" and bought the book. And, I'm glad I did. Wolffe writes a masterful account of a candidate - Barack Obama - certain he was going to win (and thankfully he did!) even though he knew he wasn't "conventional" American president "material".
Wolffe was given amazing access to Obama and his story reflects the insider access he was given. I cannot recommend any political junkie leaving Wolffe's book off their "need to read" list.
And, if you don't like Kindle, then buy the book or get it from the library!
Book Review: Details of a Moment
Summary: 5 Stars
Renegade by Richard Wolffe starts off fast -- and doesn't let go. Yes, I am partial to President Obama -- and having contributed, financially, to the President's winning campaign (far, far more than I would have ever thought possible), I was particularly interested in the focus of Renegade. And how it happened.
Wolffe is an excellent commentator on MSNBC: his views are often ironic but always on target and perceptive. Renegade reads the same way: it's clear and its offered intimacy is spell-binding.
Having lived in Indonesia (about the same time that President Obama was there), I felt Wolffe's writing of this particular period was reasonably accurate in terms of Obama's perceptions of the Indonesian peoples. And Wolffe's "coverage" of Palin -- and Obama's campaign team's take on it -- particularly riveting.
But mostly I find the intimate details, quotes from President Obama and Michelle, and the day-to-day goings-on of everyone involved, offers a clear glimpse of a President who has nothing to hide.
Seth J Hersh
NYC
Book Review: Good book, but the Kindle edition has many typos
Summary: 4 Stars
I just got the Kindle edition of this book yesterday. It is my first purchase on my new Kindle and I am really enjoying the book and the device. The story reads like a novel, and for those enjoy an insider's view of politics, it's very interesting as well as entertaining to read. I also love reading on the Kindle and am so happy I bought it.
My only complaint is the large number of typographical errors in the Kindle text. Most of these are missing punctuation marks. In less that what would be around 50 pages in the hard copy, there have been at least 20 to 30 instances of missing periods, commas, quote marks, etc. and one or two places where some of the words in a sentence are in the wrong order. I also own this book in hard copy so I was able to compare them, and these errors do not appear in the print edition. I hope this is not a typical problem in Kindle books because I find it distracting, although not a huge problem. I still find that I enjoy reading a lot more using the Kindle! Just please fix the typo problem!
Book Review: Enormous Disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
As a dedicated Democrat and huge fan of our President, I was really excited about the prospect of this book from this author.
What a huge letdown!
I concur with other critics who see the organization and time-jumping in the book as a big problem. This method detracts from the true dramatic meter of the election and I believe distorts the narrative to distraction. It also appears that the author was receiving a commission for the use of the word "renegade" throughout the text. I felt like I was getting a reminder on each and every page of what the book's title was, and it made me feel like I was reading a grammar school primer.
As a voracious reader of political non-fiction, this book ranks right at the bottom. In hindsight, I suppose that is quite an accomplishment. I mean, how many authors can make one of the most thrilling, dramatic, and consequential elections of our nation's history appear to have been so boring?