The Obamas

"'The strengths and challenges of our marriage don't change because we move to a different address,' Michelle Obama told Jodi Kantor early on. How though did those strengths and challenges evolve in the White House? What did they signal to the rest of the country and, how did they shape policy? An intimate, arresting view of a formidable couple and, especially, of a transformative First Lady, one who may have taught us more than we yet realize."

"A meticulous reporter, Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. She knows that every strong marriage, including the one now in the White House, has its complexities and disappointments. Kantor also--and this is a key--has a high regard for women, which is why hers is the first book about the Obama presidency to give Michelle Obama her due. In the process we learn a great deal about the talented and introverted loner who married her, and how his wife has influenced him as a president...Kantor retires wooden stereotypes of the political wife as prop or a problem and instead explores what it means to be a modern first lady, one with her own opinions and an expectation that she will be heard."

"The Obamas is among the very best books on this White House. It's a serious, thoughtful book on the modern presidency in general."

"Energetically reported.... Kantor nails her story.... We political gluttons will lick the spoon clean."

"A portrait of a remarkable marriage.... Kantor's writing is insightful and evocative, rich with detail...[and her] reporting rings true--and considering the administration's insistence on presenting a unified front, it is a considerable achievement."