Black Presidency - by Michael Eric Dyson (Paperback)

About the Book

A provocative, lively deep-dive into the meaning of America's first black president and first black presidency, from "one of the most graceful and lucid intellectuals writing on race and politics today" (Vanity Fair)

Book Synopsis

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

"A brilliant and complicated portrait of a brilliant and complicated president."--Salon

Michael Eric Dyson dives deep into the true meaning of Barack Obama's historic presidency and its effects on the changing landscape of race and blackness in America. How has race shaped Obama's identity, career, and presidency? What can we learn from his major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?

Dyson was granted an exclusive interview with the president for this book, and Obama's own voice shines through. Along with interviews with Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and others, this intimate access provides a unique depth to this engrossing analysis of the nation's first black president, and how race shapes and will shape our understanding of his achievements and failures alike.

"Readers will recognize Dyson's practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech. . . [The Black Presidency] might well be considered an interpretive miracle."--New York Times Book Review

"Immensely engaging, unflinchingly honest, and appropriately provocative, Michael Eric Dyson proves, once again, that he is without peer when it comes to contextualizing race in twenty-first-century America. . . a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand America's racial past, present, and future."--Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove

From the Back Cover

A New York Times Book Review Editor s Choice

"Rich and nuanced. . . Dyson succeeds admirably in creating a base line for future interpretations of this historic presidency." Kirkus

A brilliant and complicated portrait of a brilliant and complicated president. Salon

Michael Eric Dyson dives deep into the true meaning of Barack Obama s historic presidency and its effects on the changing landscape of race and blackness in America. How has race shaped Obama s identity, career, and presidency? What can we learn from his major race speeches about his approach to racial conflict and the black criticism it provokes?

Dyson was granted an exclusive interview with the president for this book, and Obama s own voice shines through. Along with interviews with Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and others, this intimate access provides a unique depth to this engrossing analysis of the nation s first black president, and how race shapes and will shape our understanding of his achievements and failures alike.

Readers will recognize Dyson's practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech. . . [The Black Presidency] might well be considered an interpretive miracle. New York Times Book Review

Immensely engaging, unflinchingly honest, and appropriately provocative, Michael Eric Dyson proves, once again, that he is without peer when it comes to contextualizing race in twenty-first-century America. . . a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand America s racial past, present, and future. Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil in the Grove

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON is a New York Times op-ed contributor, a Georgetown University professor, an MSNBC political analyst, and best-selling author of seventeen books, including the American Book Award winning Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster."

Review Quotes

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice ?"It's a brilliant and complicated portrait of a brilliant and complicated president."--Salon "Readers will recognize Dyson's practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech...[T]he book ably maintains a sharp critical edge...[The Black Presidency] might well be considered an interpretive miracle." --New York Times Book Review "An enlightening work...incisive criticisms....Dyson reinterprets some soaring moments in the Obama race canon...Dyson reconsiders [the post racial debate] in memorable terms and points to the pitfalls inherent in the concept. [Dyson offers] as sharp a distillation of white privilege as you'll ever read." --Washington Post "For a fuller explanation of the relationship between Obama and black America, Michael Eric Dyson's The Black Presidency is indispensable." --The New Statesman "Driven by the hopes Obama raised with his historical rise to power, Dyson delivers a provocative scrutiny of a presidency as complex as the ongoing issues of race, and he does so with grace and wary empathy." --BookPage "Michael Eric Dyson once again proves his intellectual heft, critical thinking depth and finesse with words and messages. . . .[T]his is a must-read."--Essence "Dyson offers harsh assessment of Obama presidency." --The Boston Globe "Dyson is one of black America's most influential figures...Dyson's criticisms are accurate...The Black Presidency is far from a gloomy read...[Dyson] is always insightful, and entertaining." --Macleans Magazine "The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America by Michael Eric Dyson is a thorough analysis of the historical significance and legacy of Obama's presidency, as well as his often surprising approach to racial issues." --Tampa Bay Times "The Black Presidency is complicated. It's not that it's a dense read (quite the opposite, actually), but its thesis patently refuses to put forward a simplified narrative about Barack Obama's presidency...Dyson is critical of Obama -- specifically, he is critical of Obama's treatment of race -- but he simultaneously recognizes the ways in which the president has been successful." --fnewsmagazine "Dyson offers high praise and admiration for Obama, but also a searing critique." --Chicago Sun-Times "[The Black Presidency is a] fine, very well-written and thought-out [book that] dissects Obama from a decidedly black perspective, analyzing his complicated relationship to his identity as a black presiden...[Dyson is] sympathetic to Obama...althought that doesn't stop him...from juming on Obama with both intellectual boots...Dyson fights to redeem his subject at his book's intellectually dramatic close." --The Root "Georgetown professor and New York Times op-ed contributor Dyson...turns his full critical (and often angry) attention to the president. It's an early take, as Obama has a little under a year left in office, but a smart one." --Brooklyn Magazine "Dyson succeeds admirably in creating a base line for future interpretations of this historic presidency. His well-written book thoroughly illuminates the challenges facing a black man elected to govern a society that is far from post-racial. --

About the Author

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON is a New York Times op-ed contributor, a Georgetown University professor, an MSNBC political analyst, and best-selling author of seventeen books, including the American Book Award-winning Come Hell or High Water.