Ben Rhodes, "The World As It Is"

Ben Rhodes discusses his book, "The World As It Is", with The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg at Politics and Prose on 6/15/18.

Rhodes started working with Obama in 2007 as a senior speechwriter and foreign policy advisor, and from 2009 to 2017 served as his Deputy National Security Advisor. Over the course of those ten years, Rhodes came to know Obama as a friend, and his rich memoir is an unparalleled inside look at the Obama White House. A gifted writer with a novelist’s eye for detail and a flair for drawing character, Rhodes vividly conveys the atmosphere of the Presidential Daily Briefing as well as major events such as the bin Laden raid, the Arab Spring, the nuclear agreement with Iran, the normalization of relations with Cuba, and the final hours of Obama’s presidency. He also gives us fresh perspectives on figures as familiar as Samantha Power, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, and, yes, Barack Obama.

Rhodes is in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic and a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Reporting.

Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at

Produced by Tom Warren