Power Forward - by Reggie Love (Paperback)

About the Book

"Every path to adulthood is strewn with missteps, epiphanies, and hard-earned lessons. Only Reggie Love's, however, went through the White House by way of Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mentored by both Coach Krzyzewski and President Obama, Love shares universal insights learned in unique circumstances, an education in how sports, politics, and life can define who you are, what you believe in, and what it takes to make a difference. Power Forward tells the story of the five years Love worked as a personal assistant to Senator Obama as a candidate for president, and President Obama, and it is a professional coming of age story like no other. What the public knows was well put by Time magazine in 2008: "[Love's] official duties don't come close to capturing Reggie's close bond with Obama, who plays a role that is part boss and part big brother." What the public doesn't know are the innumerable private moments during which that bond was forged and the President mentored a malleable young man. Accountability and serving with pride and honor were learned during unsought moments: from co-coaching grade school girls basketball with the president; lending Obama his tie ahead of a presidential debate; managing a personal life when no hour is truly his own; being tasked with getting the candidate up in the morning on time for long days of campaigning. From his first interview with Senator Obama, to his near-decision not to follow the president-elect to the White House, to eventually bringing LeBron, Melo, D-Wade, and Kobe to play with the President on his forty-ninth birthday, Love drew on Coach K's teachings as he learned to navigate Washington. But it was while owning up to losing (briefly) the President's briefcase, figuring out how to compete effectively in pick-up games in New Hampshire during the primary to secure support and votes, babysitting the children of visiting heads of state, and keeping the President company at every major turning point of his historic first campaign and administration, that Love learned how persistence and passion can lead not only to success, but to a broader concept of responsibility"--

Book Synopsis

A Washington Post bestseller, Power Forward is a compelling professional coming-of-age story from the man who spent more time with Barack Obama during his historic first presidential campaign and term than anyone else.

Reggie Love is a unique witness to history, whose introduction to Washington was working in Junior Senator Barack Obama's mailroom. As President Obama's personal aide during that momentous first term, Love sat yards from the Oval Office and often spent more time with the President than anyone else.

In this professional coming-of-age story like no other, Love details the unique and universal lessons learned during his tenure with the President: persistence, responsibility, passion for a cause greater than yourself. In short, maturity.

Power Forward tells how Love's experiences growing up, from being Obama's "body man" to playing as captain on the beloved Duke basketball team under Coach Kryzewski.

Review Quotes

"[A] well-written and entertaining account." --St. Louis Dispatch

"[Love] ably reflects the human dimension of the president whose former aide plainly still admires him, and [Power Forward] also suggests what a tumultuous transition it can be for an outsider to find himself immersed in Washington, D.C., without much sense of the responsibilities or expectations accompanying his new job.... [T]he mentorship he received from coach MikeKrzyzewski prepared him well for the responsibilities of being a team playerfor Obama... Though Love admits to his share of mistakes, both he and thepresident he served emerge from this memoir as admirable and likable." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[Power Forward] is kind of a political coming-of-age tale, and it's by far the most fun political memoir to come from the Obama administration. . . . Love's book is the bro-iest portrait of the president yet, but maybe also the most humanizing." --New York

"If you still marathon 'The West Wing, ' you'll be into this one." --The Skimm

"These stories are worth telling, and this book is worth reading. . . . What Love knows is more interesting than what he thinks, and the small moments he shares can be charming and memorable. . . . Its real value is showing Obama up close, watching him react in those fleeting moments that never make headlines." --The Washington Post

"This is a behind-the-scenes look at apolitical campaign, a presidency, and a young man's coming-of-age as he learnsthe value of persistence and responsibility." --Booklist