The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama
Encyclopedia
The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama is a 2010 biography of Barack Obama
, written by journalist David Remnick
. More than 600 pages long, it concentrates particularly on Obama's rise to power and the presidency of the United States. In its first week of release it placed at number 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list
for hardcover nonfiction.
of 1965, on the eve of Obama's presidential inauguration, referring to the police attack on demonstrators at the Edmund Pettus Bridge
: "Barack Obama is what comes at the end of that bridge in Selma". Some reviewers have noted that the title refers more figuratively to a bridging of people of different races, and a span across time.
The book, approximately 600 pages, is based on interviews with many who were close to Obama, and with Obama himself. It places Obama's career in the context of the American civil rights movement, Obama's family, and influential figures from the political establishment in Chicago, Illinois, covering Remnick's assessment of Obama's poise, charisma, negotiation skills, ambition, and political calculations made during his formative years. It also describes Obama's efforts at self-creation, and of understanding his relationship with his estranged father.
, described the book as "studious and encyclopedic" while John R. MacArthur
, writing in The Spectator
, accused Remnick of "mythmaking", saying the book has "all the tell-tale signs of an authorised biography".
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, written by journalist David Remnick
David Remnick
David Remnick is an American journalist, writer, and magazine editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He was named "Editor of the Year" by Advertising Age in 2000...
. More than 600 pages long, it concentrates particularly on Obama's rise to power and the presidency of the United States. In its first week of release it placed at number 3 on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for hardcover nonfiction.
Content
The book's title is a literal reference to a comment made by John Lewis, one of the leaders of the Selma to Montgomery marchesSelma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League...
of 1965, on the eve of Obama's presidential inauguration, referring to the police attack on demonstrators at the Edmund Pettus Bridge
Edmund Pettus Bridge
The Edmund Pettus Bridge is a bridge that carries U.S. Highway 80 across the Alabama River in Selma, Alabama. Built in 1940, it is named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier general and U.S. Senator from Alabama. The bridge is a steel through arch bridge with a central span of...
: "Barack Obama is what comes at the end of that bridge in Selma". Some reviewers have noted that the title refers more figuratively to a bridging of people of different races, and a span across time.
The book, approximately 600 pages, is based on interviews with many who were close to Obama, and with Obama himself. It places Obama's career in the context of the American civil rights movement, Obama's family, and influential figures from the political establishment in Chicago, Illinois, covering Remnick's assessment of Obama's poise, charisma, negotiation skills, ambition, and political calculations made during his formative years. It also describes Obama's efforts at self-creation, and of understanding his relationship with his estranged father.
Reception
Patricia Williams, in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, described the book as "studious and encyclopedic" while John R. MacArthur
John R. MacArthur
John R. "Rick" MacArthur is an American journalist and author of books about US politics. He is the president of Harper's Magazine.- Biography :...
, writing in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, accused Remnick of "mythmaking", saying the book has "all the tell-tale signs of an authorised biography".
External links
- Authors@Google: David Remnick, Google, YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, April 29, 2010.