The Center Holds

Obama and His Enemies

By: Jonathan Alter

Narrated by: Jonathan Alter

From the bestselling author of The Promise, the thrilling story of one of the most momentous contests in American history, the Battle Royale between Obama and his enemies from the 2010 midterms through the 2013 inauguration.

In The Center Holds, Jonathan Alter provides the first full account of America at the crossroads. With exclusive reporting and rare historical insight, he pierces the bubble of the White House and the presidential campaigns in a landmark election that marked the return of big money and the rise of big data. He tells the epic story of an embattled president fighting back with the first campaign of the Digital Age.

Alter relates the untold story behind Obama’s highs and lows, from the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound to the frustration of the debt ceiling fiasco to his unexpected run-ins with black and Latino activists. Alter takes us inside Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s Boston campaign as well as Obama’s disastrous preparation for the first debate. We meet Obama’s analytics geeks working out of “The Cave” and the man who secretly videotaped Romney’s infamous comments on the “47 percent.”

The Center Holds deepens our understanding of the Obama presidency and the future of the country.

Very entertaining and informative

This is a a great book to read after The Audacity to Win. It gives you a great foundation for this book. Both are a must read for political geeks!

Enthralling political autopsy, a must listen!

The overall content of this book is spectacular if not an entirely unprecedented dissection of the most important election of our times to date. I agree with another reviewer who says that authors should seldom narrate their own material and even though I think Jonathan Alter is in the top five political commentators of the past twenty years, his narration was the weakest part of this audio. And yet, at the end of it, I was so pleased with what I had just listened to, I just shrug and say, "well done sir," but that still does not mean I think he should have done the narration.

Good book, even if it wanders a bit

What did you love best about The Center Holds?

It put me in the middle of the drama that was the 2012 election. Whew, what a ride!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The book tended to wander a bit, and it was tough to know what the central point of the story was, as he seemed to stray from that often.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.

This is a great book! Could not put it down. The battle going on between two ideologies in America today is comparable to a war, with al that that implies. Jonathan Alter's description of the battle between the center and the right is riveting! There is as yet, no clear winner. Only history will tell.

Highly recommended.

Masterful book for the curious and tacticians

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book give such a datil e account of the trials and triampus that brought Presidident Obama to the White House. Gives a detailed plan fo a successful campaign--but only campaigns that can see a passionate; driven ground force.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Center Holds?

Last page left me feeling a happ nostalgia.

What about Jonathan Alter’s performance did you like?

This you can get a hit or miss, but Jonathan has a good voice and delivered at his performance.