David Axelrod will publish a memoir in 2014
The man behind President Obama鈥檚 rise to the presidency is telling all.
That鈥檚 right, David Axelrod, Obama鈥檚 former senior advisor and campaign strategist, is writing a memoir.
Penguin Press announced Tuesday that it鈥檚 closed a deal with the mustachioed political strategist for a memoir set to be released in the fall of 2014. According to news , the book had bids as high as $1.5 million.
鈥淢r. Axelrod will write a personal biography of his professional life, from his years as a young newspaperman in Chicago, through his decades as a political strategist 鈥� working with figures ranging from path-breakers Obama, Hillary Clinton and Deval Patrick to the more notorious John Edwards and Rod Blagojevich 鈥� and finally through his 20-year friendship with Barack Obama and his years as the president鈥檚 senior adviser,鈥� a Penguin Press statement read.
Now, let鈥檚 be honest 鈥� memoirs are a dime a dozen these days and this is the umpteenth political book or memoir we鈥檝e reported on in the last several weeks. (Remember Hillary Clinton鈥檚, Condi Rice鈥檚, and Jeb Bush鈥檚?)
But we鈥檙e putting our money on this one. That鈥檚 because, whatever one鈥檚 political affiliation, Axelrod is a brilliant strategist with a fascinating set of experiences and a reputation for straight-talking candor 鈥� three ingredients that should make for a great read.
Expect to hear about his early days as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and his work as a political strategist for a number of notable politicians. Of course, readers will be most interested in his years of work for and friendship with Obama. Axelrod and the President actually go further back than the presidency. The strategist was a key advisor to Obama during his successful 2004 Senate run and his 2008 White House victory. He worked for a few years as a senior advisor in the Obama White House before joining Obama鈥檚 re-election effort in 2012.
鈥淚 have taken an extraordinary journey, filled with rich history and unforgettable characters,鈥� Axelrod said in a statement. 鈥淚n this book, I look forward to sharing them, and reflecting on the enormous change I've seen over a lifetime in journalism and politics.鈥�
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
