In terms of groundwork, Asim presents a fascinating analysis of how artistic and athletic figures -- e.g. Prince, Michael Jordan, Sidney Poitier, President David Palmer in the tv show 24 -- laid the psychological foundation for the first African-American President. For by raising to the top of their respective professions, and in the process becoming a hero to millions, these cultural icons opened the imagination of the U.S. public to the possibility that the country could be led by an African-American.
Asim also discusses how the millennial generation, normally defined as being born between the early-1980s and early 2000's, is a harbinger of radical changes currently taking place in the United States. This group, who overwelmingly support Obama, is more ethnically diverse, more tolerant and more technologically astute than their elders. All of this indicates that the future United States, which will be led by President Obama, will be a dramatically different place from the U.S. of the last few decades, with its seemingly never ending loop of baby boomer culture wars and Vietnam-era grievances.
With this in mind, if I had one complaint about this book, it is that sometimes the narrative comes across as an undergraduate essay, in which a bright student tries to impress his professor by cramming as many sources as possible. This fault, however, is more than made up by Asim's deep insight into the cultural forces that helped to elect Obama, and the future that his election will usher in.
3 out of 5 stars
