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.