The World as It Is
A Memoir of the Obama White House
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4.8 • 25 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From one of Barack Obama’s most trusted aides comes a revelatory behind-the-scenes account of his presidency—and how idealism can confront harsh reality and still survive.
“The closest view of Obama we’re likely to get until he publishes his own memoir.”—George Packer, The New Yorker
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN
For nearly ten years, Ben Rhodes saw almost everything that happened at the center of the Obama administration—first as a speechwriter, then as deputy national security advisor, and finally as a multipurpose aide and close collaborator. He started every morning in the Oval Office with the President’s Daily Briefing, traveled the world with Obama, and was at the center of some of the most consequential and controversial moments of the presidency. Now he tells the full story of his partnership—and, ultimately, friendship—with a man who also happened to be a historic president of the United States.
Rhodes was not your typical presidential confidant, and this is not your typical White House memoir. Rendered in vivid, novelistic detail by someone who was a writer before he was a staffer, this is a rare look inside the most poignant, tense, and consequential moments of the Obama presidency—waiting out the bin Laden raid in the Situation Room, responding to the Arab Spring, reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, leading secret negotiations with the Cuban government to normalize relations, and confronting the resurgence of nationalism and nativism that culminated in the election of Donald Trump.
In The World as It Is, Rhodes shows what it was like to be there—from the early days of the Obama campaign to the final hours of the presidency. It is a story populated by such characters as Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, and—above all—Barack Obama, who comes to life on the page in moments of great urgency and disarming intimacy. This is the most vivid portrayal yet of Obama’s worldview and presidency, a chronicle of a political education by a writer of enormous talent, and an essential record of the forces that shaped the last decade.
Praise for The World as It Is
“A book that reflects the president [Rhodes] served—intelligent, amiable, compelling and principled . . . a classic coming-of-age story, about the journey from idealism to realism, told with candor and immediacy . . . His achievement is rare for a political memoir: He has written a humane and honorable book.”—Joe Klein, The New York Times Book Review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Many frustrations and a few victories emerge in this sometimes hopeful, often disillusioned memoir of foreign policy in the Obama administration. Rhodes (Without Precedent) was deputy national security adviser to Barack Obama, tasked with speech-writing, some diplomacy, and frequently giving advice to the president. His narrative is a study in the limits of American power: he advocated strong U.S. support for democratic reform after the Arab Spring uprisings, as well as military intervention in Libya and Syria, only to see U.S. initiatives flounder amid the region's intractable political dysfunctions, Republican obstructionism, and media hysteria. (His emails concerning the assault on the American consulate in Benghazi, he notes, provoked right-wing conspiracy-mongering.) Rhodes records triumphs as well, including the thawing of relations with Cuba, which he helped negotiate, and the nuclear agreement with Iran. Much of the book is an insider's perspective on Obama as he strategizes in the Situation Room, fences with Putin on the hotline, and broods on Air Force One; the president is rational, thoughtful, exasperated when the world doesn't follow suit, and grimly realistic. (The "Obama doctrine," per the president, is "Don't do stupid shit.") Rhodes's analyses of problems in foreign countries can be superficial, but his account of policy sausage-making is well-observed and riveting. Photos.
Customer Reviews
Stories of true Service
Ben Rhodes' book confirms what many of us already knew: true service in the White House precedes family life, leisure and personal time. The business of keeping a country relevant and safe is relentless. This personal perspective describes the toll of coordinating an effective administration. Pictures archives show how vast responsibilities have affected the White House staff's health and appearances due to their dedication over eight years' time.
In well-written and concise anecdotes, the reader is able to see the humanity of President Obama, the teamwork required to ease into diplomatic agreements in order to ensure longevity of agreements as well the unrelenting work required to unite people of the world. To meet everyone's expectations of this President, would mean another ten terms of service - which he could not have survived. The book presents the reader with a realistic view of just what Mr. Rhodes was responsible for besides speech-writing. We see how a President and his staff have stood in their truth despite detractions, others' twisted facts and obstructionism. It is small comfort at this time, however, history will be kind to the Obama years and the work accomplished in those eight years. The last sentence shows the vision of eight yeas' service and hope for the future of the world as it 'ought to be'. We all share that hope with you, Mr. Rhodes.