The Obamians by James Mann
8.0
Subtitled The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power, The Obamians is an inside look at the backgrounds and experiences of the inner members of President Obama's foreign policy team. Mr. Mann wrote a similar book—The Rise of the Vulcans—about President George W. Bush's own foreign policy team.
Social Science / Viking Adult / June 14, 2012
Buy from: IndieBound | Amazon | Read Excerpt
Critic's Reviews
Reviewer: Bob Drogin
"There are no great squabbles or juicy scandals here, but valuable insights of how foreign policy really is made. The result is an indispensable account of an unexplored realm deep in Obama's White House."
Reviewer: Jacob Heilbrunn
"Mann offers compelling portraits of officials like Hillary Clinton, the late Richard Holbrooke, Samantha Power, and Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes."
Reviewer: Leslie H. Gelb
"Like the best reporters, Mann lets his subjects speak for themselves, then checks their fancies against the facts. He has given us a very good first cut at history."
Reviewer: Michiko Kakutani
"All in all, though, “The Obamians” provides the reader with a succinct and serious-minded overview of Mr. Obama’s foreign policy so far..."
Reviewer: Gideon Rose
"Mann is a good reporter. He writes clearly and accessibly, often with insight and sound judgment. There are gaps in the new book’s coverage, but the subjects he does treat are handled accurately and without ideological bias."
Reviewer: Amy Rowland
"One of the virtues of “The Obamians” is its inside look at the president’s relationship to his foreign policy team....The reader, however, is left without a strong sense of whether there is an Obama doctrine."