Barack and Michelle

Background

Andersen previously wrote 28 popular biographies about Princess Diana, Barbra Streisand, the Kennedys, and the Bush family, among others. Barack and Michelle describes the Obamas' marriage as being difficult for several years, as Barack left his accomplished wife, Michelle, to care for children and household, himself turning away from a lucrative legal career to pursue his political ambitions with little success or income. The couple grew closer, according to the book, beginning in 2001 after the sickness of their daughter, Sasha, and Obama's growing political success. The book draws in part on previously published accounts and Obama's own memoirs. It has been described as a "glowing" portrait of the Obamas, and characterizing their marriage as "solid". Andersen interviewed 200 friends and relatives of the Obamas in Chicago, Hawaii, and Indonesia, many of whom are identified in the book's chapter and source notes, but not the Obamas themselves. The book also contains a number of claims, some but not all based on anonymous sources, about the private lives of Barack and Michelle Obama, many not widely known as of the date of publication.

Strangely on page number 17, by no means a small mistake, the date of marriage of the Obamas has been stated as 18 October 1992, which is not correct as per reliable sources, who claim 3 October 1992 as the right date.