TPR Recommends... Barack Obama

Every politico will remember their intuitive interest in the election of Barack Obama. For some, his status was near-messianic whilst for others he was a politician who would soon come to regret his verbosity (I'll leave it for you decide whether many of the former group have since joined the latter). Either way, his election was monumental in almost every respect, so here TPR recommends the key books for understanding the man, his Presidency and consequently... at what odds his re-election in 2012?


What are the requirements of standing for the Presidency of the United States? Chief amongst them... write a book. This was Barack Obama's bestselling contribution to this Presidential rite of passage. The frankest tale you will ever read? I suspect not. The most analytical approach to his doctrine for government? Questionable also. But it will tell you how he views himself, what he wants you to think of him and most importantly, given its selling figures, how its millions of readers have come to know the man. Purchase here.


Described by Barack Obama as "a remarkable study in leadership," many have come to view this as the basis for Barack Obama's Presidential style. Goodwin focuses on Lincoln in this book in a way that some have deemed uncritical, but knowledge of the the no. 1 U.S. President (according to most surveys of citizens and former Presidents), who most current inhabitants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would give their left leg to be compared to, is essential in understanding the self-perceived benchmark in iconography and leadership. Purchase here.


If you want to understand the values behind Obama, and their application to contemporary political philosophy, this is the book for you. At its core, it is an attempt to put Obama in the most fascinating of contexts by relating him to traditional bodies of political theory. If you know, or want to know, something about political philosophy, this is an absolute must-read. One of the few books you can finish and feel genuinely more intelligent at the final page than you did on the first! Purchase here.


This book doesn't come out until September, but everything I've read about it suggests its one to look forward to. Renshon, a political psychologist, analysises the psychology of Obama, primarily in reference to the concept of redemption, to assess in a unique light the benefits and limitations of his time in the White House. Looks set to be a fascinating, if not a weighty, read. Pre-order here.

By this stage, you may be feeling a little bit cheated - after all, didn't I promise books with an insight into Obama's re-election chances? Well, after scraping through health reform and capturing bin Laden, yet with the country's ongoing economic woes and the tea-party might in some states, Obama's re-election is truly up-in-the-air. Will he win? Well, for that we need to not only look at the man, but at the Republican hopefuls and above all, the American people. Here, we make a start on learning to make the most qualified guess. Pretty soon, we'll delve further into achieving the qualifications of an education opinion.