They exploded on the national political scene in 2004 and within four short years captured the ultimate political prize. In so doing, they became a First Couple like no other: He, the biracial son of a free-spirited Midwesterner and her brilliant but troubled Kenyan husband, raised in Hawaii and Indonesia and elected the first black President of the Harvard Law Review; She, raised on Chicago's hardscrabble South Side by working class African-American parents who sacrificed so she could achieve her own dreams of an Ivy League education.By the time they claimed the White House in one of the most hotly-contested presidential races in modern history, Barack and Michelle Obama were seen by millions around the world as the new Jack and Jackie Kennedybrilliant, attractive, elegant, youthful, exciting. Accompanied by their two young daughters Malia and Sasha, the Obamas would arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the promise of a new Camelot all but assured.
Given the obvious historic significance of what they accomplished together, the marriage of Barack and Michelle stands as one of the great personal and political partnerships in American history. Yet, incredibly, the true nature of that relationship remains a mystery.
Until now. In the manner of his newsmaking New York Times bestsellers about other presidential couples, Jack and Jackie: Portrait of an American Marriage, Bill and Hillary, and George and Laura, Christopher Andersen draws on those who know them best to examine in stirring detail the Obamas' unique partnership and the grace, courage, and humor that defines it. An inspiring, sympathetic, and compelling look at two remarkable individuals, Barack and Michelle is, above all else, a uniquely American love story.