This is the second book that I've read on the 2008 presidential election, with the other being Game Change.

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This book focuses on Obama and is less sensational. The journalist who wrote the book had close access to Obama from the announcement of his campaign for president to his first days in the Oval office. If you want to find an intimate and nuanced portrait of Obama and his inner circle, this is an excellent book.

I thought the structure was interesting, in that it's not strictly in chronological order. The writer jumps back and forth between the democratic primary versus Clinton and the general election versus McCain. I liked this structure during the book because the discussion on certain issues was more complete. However, there was no coverage of the voting on election night, only a brief section on Obama's acceptance speech. As a result, the tension in the book dies toward the end.

That said, amazing detail and some quotes and insights that you won't see anyplace else.