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The Breakthrough
- Politics and Race in the Age of Obama
- Narrated by: Gwen Ifill
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
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Publisher's summary
Gwen Ifill began her journalism career at the Boston Herald in 1977, covering race riots by telephone. It was too risky for a young black reporter to venture onto the grounds of South Boston High School. Thirty years later, a black man announced his candidacy for president of the United States.
Obama is the leading edge of a sea change in American politics, but his is by no means the only story. Ifill offers incisive, detailed profiles of other prominent black leaders, including Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama. She also covers up-and-coming figures from across the nation.
Drawing on interviews with such power brokers as Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis, Ifill shows why now is a pivotal moment in American history.
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What listeners say about The Breakthrough
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Overall
- Batgirl8999
- 02-28-09
Very Interesting
This is a fascinating account of the modern incarnation of African American politics. I enjoyed hearing about the tensions between old and new generation politics, the interviews with African American political families, and Ms Ifill's thorough analysis of it all. Who knew there were so many trailblazers all around the country?
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