We read how Obama's famous composure was hard-won, how he constructed his personality in opposition to his father's grandiose self-regard, his transformation from 'Barry' to 'Barack,' the drug use, the burgeoning racial and political consciousness-rehashing events that the subject himself has covered in his frank memoirs. Remnick is in deeply respectful court scribe mode, but he does shine in his treatment of more peripheral characters such as Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton, both of whom emerge as figures of Shakespearian psychological complexity. A well-researched biography that pulls many trends of Obama-ology under its umbrella but stints on fresh interpretations.
我们读到奥巴马是如何努力养成了著名的冷静，如何培养了同自私自利的父亲不一样的性格，如何从“巴里”转变为“贝拉克”，还有他吸毒的故事，以及风起云涌的种族与政治观念改变活动，后者奥巴马也曾经在其回忆录里写过。雷姆尼克像是一个法庭速记员，但他对待杰西?杰克逊和希拉里?克林顿等配角的描写令人眼前一亮，这两人有着像莎士比亚笔下的人物那样复杂的心理。这是一部研究深入的传记，涵盖了当下许多对奥巴马的研究成果，但又有全新的解读。