Renegade: The Making of a President

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Wolffe's detailed analysis of President Obama's two year journey to becoming President. This is a magnificent story and I know this book will stay in my personal library for years to come.

"Renegade" was an excellent inside view of a campaign that was riveting. Wolffe's insights and in-depth interviewing really added another dimension to those of us following the campaign. Richard Wolffe is emerging as one of the more objective, reasonable reporters. He doesn't attempt to stir up news--he reports it.

Super Read! Read this continually from the day I bought it. While television news gave us great visuals of nearly everyone in the book, it is Mr. Wolffe's observations and recollections of each of them and this historic campaign that linger in my mind. His narrative and quotes made me feel as if I were standing in the room with him as he listened and observed. His style is clear and straightforward. No pretensions! If you are looking for a numbers read, get Chuck Todd's book. If you are interested in knowing more about how 44 processes information and makes decisions, get Renegade.

If you followed the presidential election closely you will not find a "previously untold story". You may spot a few new tidbits here and there. Yes, Obama ran an "extraordinary election" to emerge as President. The troubling thing about that is that you could say the same thing about Jimmy Carter's election. Remember? Who is he? Where did he come from? How did he get into the White House?

While covering the Obama campaign from it's very beginnings, Wolffe does a brilliant job of making you feel like you are there with him, Obama and the entire campaign team. His written narrative is more like have a conversation, rather than reading. It includes many stories that you have already heard and seen (if you followed any of the campaign) but Wolffe brings a new voice and perspective to the information. I highly recommend this book...and have done so to many of my friends (Democrat and Republican alike). Hopefully, he will follow this up with a book tour and local readings!

This delicious book is a wonderful encapsulation of how Barack Obama's combination of self-confidence, humility, risk-taking, and understatement got strengthened - mostly in the eighteen month travail of the primary season. Notwithstanding other reviews, this book complements Obama's own autobiography with telling anecdotes and insights. Anyone interested in finding out who the 'real' Barack Obama is, read this book. Wolffe combines on-the-ground reportage of selected turning-point events with thoughtful insights on the candidate and his team. It helps, of course, that Wolffe himself has something of Obama's background: son of a Briton and a Moroccan, and Jewish to boot - he brings the sensibility of an individual both inside and outside his own culture, much as Obama's own experience. This book is destined to be a classic in the political literature. I finished it off in two nights - it was a 'page turner.'

Richard Wolffe's Renegade is a wonderful insider account of the Obama campaign. But it's more than a Ted White like campaign memoir, it's the first really fully fleshed out biography of our President (aside from his own memoirs). Despite the round the clock coverage of Barack Obama's every move, this is absolute must reading for anyone who wants to know the man behind the public persona.

This book promotes itself as the story of the "making of a President" and that's precisely what it is. It's not a blow-by-blow, primary-by-primary account of the two year campaign, but rather an examination of Barack Obama, the man and the candidate, during those two years. And Wolffe does a brilliant job of answering the question "who is Barack Obama?". Filled with erudite observations, keen reportage and amusing gossip, Renegade begs to be read in one big dollop, but it's long and detailed enough that you have the pleasure of reading it over the course of a few days.

Highly recommended.

This book completely captures all of the behind-the-scenes moments of the 2+ year Obama journey to the Presidency. No one could have captured this as well as Wolffe. He gets right in there with the candidate and his team. We learn very quickly about the most pivotal moments in the campaign and see once again, how it could have fallen apart at various moments. The book is an exciting read and even quite emotional at times. I highly recommend the read.

This is an excellent book with great insight into the political process. Mr. Wolffe's writing allows the reader to know and understand Barack Obama and those around him. Hard to put down. Highly recommended.

Written with a reporter's keen eye for observation, a commentator's penchant for analysis, and the affinity and fondness for humor of an anchorman of late night shows, "Renegade: The Making of a President", a biographical book on President Obama, is a joy to read. Even though this book is based mostly on information gathered by the author during Mr. Obama's campaign for President, it reads like a biography of President Obama because the author has chosen to include a lot of biographical information also.

Interspersed with humor and witty comments throughout the book, the book is a joy to read. For example, when Obama decides to offer the job of Secretary of State to Mrs. Clinton, one of Obama's senior aids says: "There was a lot of encouragement from inside the Senate to get her into this job. They wanted her out of there."

Unlike several of his former colleagues in the senate, Obama holds no grudges and he tends to forgive people: "His staff opposed the idea for the most part, arguing that Clinton would never be truly loyal. But Obama was willing to leave the primaries behind, including his own strong feelings at the time. "I don't hold grudges," he told his aides. "I don't worry about the past. I'm concerned about what happens now. If she can help me and Bill Clinton isn't too much of a liability, we should seriously look at this."

The word "Renegade" refers to the code word the Secret service used for candidate Obama. I have no doubt that the code has now been changed. Those who have read President Obama's two autobiographical books, "Dreams from my Father" and "The audacity of Hope" will get a deeper insight into the President's life, beliefs, philosophy and character. How his work as a community organizer has influenced his thoughts, ideals and beliefs is explained here very lucidly.

"Renegade: The Making of a President" is a complex, marvelously written, deep, humorous and thought-provoking book.

Everyone is so upset about the Kindle price for this book and are giving it a one star review even though they say they will not buy the book, and therefore, I can only assume, have not read the book. J/C, get over it. Either pay the extra $2.88 and read the book, then review it. Or buy the hardcover, read the book, then review it. If you don't want to pay close to the hardcover price for the digital version, then just do what people have been doing for hundreds of years and buy the freaking book.

I for one, finished the book yesterday and found it to be detailed insightful and full of good information.

Great book - lots if interesting info from behind the scenes of the campaign. More insightful and personal than the drivel spewing incessantly from the talking heads on TV. Richard Wolffe is a great writer (as well as commentator). He makes accessible to the reader an emotional connection to his subject and to politics in general. Great read.

You are charging too much for many recent books; I cannot see paying as much for kindle books as for hardbacks. You won't keep getting customers if they hear that the cost of books doesn't justify the price of the Kindle.

This delicious book is a wonderful encapsulation of how Barack Obama's combination of self-confidence, humility, risk-taking, and understatement got strengthened - mostly in the eighteen month travail of the primary season. Notwithstanding other reviews, this book complements Obama's own autobiography with telling anecdotes and insights. Anyone interested in finding out who the 'real' Barack Obama is, read this book. Wolffe combines on-the-ground reportage of selected turning-point events with thoughtful insights on the candidate and his team. It helps, of course, that Wolffe himself has something of Obama's background: son of a Briton and a Moroccan, and Jewish to boot - he brings the sensibility of an individual both inside and outside his own culture, much as Obama's own experience. This book is destined to be a classic in the political literature. I finished it off in two nights - it was a 'page turner.'

The book was great, but could the store set up separate review pages for the rich people who can afford a Kindle and us poor folks that purchase the hardcover edition or check it out of a library? Review the actual book!

As a fan of Richard Wolffe, I was looking forward to reading this account - what a total disappointment. It was nothing more than regurgitated interviews with this "Renegade" President and woefully one-sided. It's hard to take this book seriously when it is nothing more than a flagrant puff piece. It could have just as easily been written by any other Obamatot. When the editor of Newsweek was on TV last week with Richard Wolffe to commend him on his "reporting" and then compared Obama to God, that's when I put the book away, cancelled my subscription to Newsweek and returned to the real world. If you're an Obama "fan" and don't want to read anything even remotely critical of the man, then this is certainly a great read for you. If you're looking for an unbiased account of the campaign and eventual President, then save your money and wait for a real writer to publish an account.

This book reads like a pack of blah blah nonsense.Was my title too mean? I dont think so.We get the same talking heads in the corporate media over and over adnauseam.And they continue to lie about 911 and the so called War on terror which is really a War of Terror.Renegade??? I am sorry,as in Outlaw??? I dont think so.This Obama has chosen to continue the Cheney,Bush 911 LIE and the War of Terror.He is afraid to get out of Iraq.Is he really in charge? Whoever is,these people just dont learn.You just dont invade countries on the other side of the Earth and stay there.The brainwashed boys who go there will just continue to be picked off here and there.Its the way things work.Why cant someone in power finally actually learn something from Vietnam? The new code name for Obama should be Bottle.Because he is just a new Bottle.Same wine as Cheney and Clinton but just a new,more attractive looking and speaking bottle.

After paying $350 for the Kindle, my understanding was the books would be $9.99 or less. I'm considering selling my Kindle now because who knows how often they'll reneg on their promise. I like Richard Wolffe but won't buy this book. Maybe his publisher will catch on...they're losing customers. (brilliant business plan you guys)

While "Renegade" contains some insider information, most of us will find this familiar ground. After all, the elections -- both the primaries and the general -- are nothing if not recent vintage.

But my main problem with this book is Wolffe's almost complete lack of objectivity. He comes across (not surprisingly, because that's what he is) as just another starry-eyed, thoughtless Obama-worshiper. As a result, "Renegade" is little more than a love letter to God, uh, Obama.

Not recommended.

Wolffe's book is pure hyperbole. Such biased writing confirms that the Obama "brand" is continuing to be shamelessly marketed. Obama first marketed himself via his two books, and he was then "packaged" for American voters' consumption by Axelrod. What Americans know about Obama has been carefully controlled, and this book is a prime example of that continuing fiction.

Richard Woolfe is a prissy elitist who understands virtually nothing about the United States, sucks up to the behinds of the liberal extablishment and hasn't a clue about the greatness of our nation.

It is rather significant that no one is buyint this book....what is it, 247 on the the store List.

I cringe every time I see him on the mainstream media, he's is so very liberal; one knows what he's going to say; and he's so fu__ing superior. He isnot very bright, and had gotten a long way on his fake accent.

No one should waste his or her time on this terminally silly book.

WalterB. Funk, PhD
Charleston, WV

I thought the title Renagade The making of a president would speak about how the media and the political powers that be thrusted this community organizer on to America and covered up his associations, drug use, and real economic agenda. Well it doesn't, I shouldn't be surprised from the magazine that procliamed now we are all socialists. Pass on this book and just turn on MSNBC and save a couple of bucks, the way Obama is running the economy your going to need it.

C'mon the store! The Kindle price is ridiculous. Why alienate those of us who can make your product successful? I desperately want to read this book, but I'll get it from the library. No way am I paying this price.

Publisher price gouging. They have no printing costs, no distribution costs, and we've spent hundreds on a reader to save them that money, but they want to reap the full benefit at our expense. Not happening!