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The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama
by
Gwen Ifill
In The Breakthrough, veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential victory and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.
Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is gi
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
January 20th 2009
by Doubleday
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Glen Demers
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This is the book that got Ms. Ifill in trouble as she prepared to moderate the Vice presidential debate. All in all, it's less about Barack Obama and more about the new "Joshua generation" of African-American leaders. Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ, Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts, Artur Davis, Alabama congressman in the House of Representatives and many others are profiled. This new group of politicians has not necessarily made the marches, fought to be served at lunch coun...more
Gwen Ifill gives a cursory overview of several "breakthrough" black politicians across the United States. By breakthrough she means those African Americans in positions across the country that we wouldn't expect to find black politicians (mayors, governors, and in some instances congressmen). Ifill mentions quite a few names that we would expect (Deval, Booker, Franklin and Sellars). She talks about how these politicians rose to power against the established Civil Rights politicians...more
The introduction was fairly scattered and stream-of-consciousness, but once Ifill settled in to tell the stories she found, I was completely absorbed and interested. Her style is conversational, casual yet controlled, and detached, as a journalist should be, but with enough occasional passing personal commentary to remind the reader of Ifill's unique vantage point to the phenomenon she is exploring.
The two most interesting points she elaborated on, in my mind, had to do with a) the g...more
The two most interesting points she elaborated on, in my mind, had to do with a) the g...more
Julia Pheifer
added it
I like the way Gwen Ifill writes--it's very straightforward, news-reporting writing and there aren't hidden meanings that are lost on me. This book isn't so much a blueprint of the breakthrough, as it is a reportage of all the breakthroughs that have occurred of late.
This book highlights the big division between the old guard black politicos and the new. It reminds me a lot of articles I read a couple years ago that older women were pissed that younger women weren't saying "tha...more
This book highlights the big division between the old guard black politicos and the new. It reminds me a lot of articles I read a couple years ago that older women were pissed that younger women weren't saying "tha...more
Gwen Ifill examines both old members and young members of politics who have made breakthroughs in their own right, and she leaves the reader thinking about how race will continue to play out as a factor in politics. Without pressing a singular opinion throughout the book, she presents both quotes and interviews from others establishing ground for us to form our own opinions and ideas.
Breakthrough is insightful and interesting, capturing a topic that would surely intrigue anyone living ...more
Breakthrough is insightful and interesting, capturing a topic that would surely intrigue anyone living ...more
I found this to be a very well researched & unbiased book on modern politics by this journalist. I learned a lot, esp. about some of the new upcoming figures, and particularly one who may be running for governor in AL. where I live. Written shortly before Obama was elected, it gives one a better understanding of the fine line that politicans and voters face when it comes to race/gender issues and differences between the civil rights generation and current one. Leaves the reader with questions o...more
John
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
African-American interest and political junkies
The first part likely meets expectations better - how the presidential race was seen in the black community, with the strongest chapter being the race vs. gender "quandry" of the primary season among African-American women. Second half consists of a sort of "Who's Who in Black Politics", almost entirely male, which Ifill admits in the brief audio postscript interview she found disturbing.
She does better than many authors in reading her own work (admitting in the intervi...more
She does better than many authors in reading her own work (admitting in the intervi...more
I read this book from time to time when things settle down with my writing. I love it that I can look back from today's political scene and see what Gwen Ifill predicts in this book for the future of politics. What caught her off guard was the election of Barack Obama as President of the U.S.A. I have to say she wasn't the only one. And some folks are still trying to "get over it." IMO, politics is a stage play of comedy and tragedy and all politicians the actors. I think she captures ...more
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T
How far along have we come in regard to race and politics and how does one measure success?
A poll done in 1958, more than half of Americans said they would not vote for a black candidate. Ifill gives us the history of how we got from 1958 to electing our first African American president.
During the last presidential campaign Obama went to the Boston Commons in Massachusetts and stood there with the governor of the state. They raised their hands in the air a...more
How far along have we come in regard to race and politics and how does one measure success?
A poll done in 1958, more than half of Americans said they would not vote for a black candidate. Ifill gives us the history of how we got from 1958 to electing our first African American president.
During the last presidential campaign Obama went to the Boston Commons in Massachusetts and stood there with the governor of the state. They raised their hands in the air a...more
This book was a great disappointment. It failed to teach me much of any utility or freshness. Written almost entirely from journalistic sources, and based on a lot of interviews, it is a staid, standard, static analysis of racial politics, lacking originality and courage, as well as solid prose. Just to give you an example of what awaits you as a reader--her great analytic insight is "sandpaper politics". What's that? The friction that arises when one generation gives up power to ...more
Long a favorite new commentator of mine, Gwen Ifill is as sharp in print as she is on television. She uses the backdrop of the election of the first African American president to explore the dichotomy between the previous generation of civil rights activists (Jesse Jackson, Jr., Al Sharpton, Andrew Young, et al) and the current and up-and-coming generation of black activists and politicians (Harold Ford, Jr, Corey Booker, et al). She draws distinctions between the outlook of those steeped in t...more
This was a very insightful book. It breaks down the difference between black leaders during the civil rights era and leaders today. Many during the time of martin Luther King and others have a extremely different view of where our country is and are resistance to a new paradigm. This book highlights the differing opinions of both eras
If you are interested in the politics of Black America this is a good book to read
If you are interested in the politics of Black America this is a good book to read
PBS's Gwen Ifill brings her razor-sharp intellect to Obama's contemporaries, the post-Civil Rights era black politicians whose appeal extends beyond black and white. She profiles Artur Davis, Cory Booker and Deval Patrick, focusing on legacy politics, generational divides, and the race-gender clash. Along the way, we also learn about key black women politicians such as Shirley Chisholm, Carrie Meek, Donna Brazile, Kamala Harris and Karen Bass.
I waited for my turn to get this book from the library for months...it was worth the wait. A very quick read. Ifill did interviews with a lot of up and coming African American politicians in addition to President Obama and tracks their paths to leadership in a very interesting way. I only wish she had featured--or even mentioned--Keith Ellison. The chapter on how these new young leaders deal with the continual question of whether they are "black enough" or "too black" is wort...more
Gwen Ifill's book is a very well written look at the current state of African-American politics. It highlights the current crop of black leaders and shows how they view themselves and their place in American politics. The most interesting aspect of the book is the apparent division between the civil rights era leaders and the current leaders, who view their roles differently. While Obama's election is a pivotal moment in race relations in America, the book doesn't really focus on him alone, but ...more
A fascinating portrait of AfroAmericans in politics and the "new way" they see their core mission. The first person to "nail" my conflict between Clinton and Obama during the campaign(I'm sixty and female)and ended up supporting Obama. I liked the decoding of many events that I only partially understood but emotionally felt at the time.
I really enjoyed this book. I think Ifill captured this new generation of politicians' quandary between serving the black community and the larger population quite well. She also did well describing the ambivalence the Civil Rights generation towards these new leaders. I wish she would've delved more into Kwame Kilpatrick, though. As the exception to the perceived rule of this new generation, I think his plight could've been far more illuminating than this book gives it credit.
Excellent read of the many African American persons who have contributed to the place in history we are now experiencing - an African American President. Gwen is a journalist on PBS and hosts the show - Washington Week in Review - weekly. Very knowledgeable - she hosted one of the debates during the primary campaigns.
Interesting discussion of the changing role of African Americans in the U.S. political system. Ifill interviewed many of the current and former heavy weights in politics and governance and sketches the careers and focus of many of the "new" players.
If you want to brush up on the who's up and coming in the world of black politicians, this is the book for you. Ms. Ifill gives a background on politicians form the civil righst movement on up to today, highlighting today's new leaders. The book was published around election time 2008. She also gives some information on the conficts between the old guard politicians/civil rights leaders and the new jacks (Obama, Fenty, Booker and Jealous).
Great book. Ifill explores the issues clearly and explains cogently. She responds to a lot of the wonderings I've had in the past year or so about race and politics and where we are now. Excellent book, very well written.
Ann loaned me this, probably wouldn't have picked it myself. The generation difference between the Civil Rights leaders and current leaders (preachers vs. lawyers/busines men/women) was interesting.
Very interesting narrative based on interviews and research about the changes in the political landscape for African Americans, including the generational shift.
I thought Ifill had a lot of insight in the first several chapters, but her momentum kind of slowed down by the end. She also overused the metaphor of "sandpaper politics" in my opinion. But I enjoyed reading especially her account of the 2008 presidential campaign. Read as a campaign book or a book about Obama, this is quite satisfying.
Quick read with some interesting insights into how Obama's election impacted politics.
Stories of the new generation of black leaders, with ivy league educations, creating new relationships among the races.
The introduction was better than the book. Despite that, it's an interesting exposition on the old guard v the new guard in black leadership. It would have been better as a NYT Sunday Magazine piece.
Gwen did an excellent job with this book. It was a compelling and interesting read. Though many of the issues may not be all that new, she provided a more in-depth review of the many perspectives of race in politics than I have seen in a single piece elsewhere. I loved the chapter on race and gender, and I thought that the profiles of the new generation of government leaders were really interesting. I appreciated learning about some of the inspiring people in state and local government that don'...more
Definitely a great read. Still, I was more interested in the chapters on race, gender, and legacy politics over the profiles of prominent African-American politicians.
Chris
added it
Good overview of politics.
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