Obama advisor's memoir to Bodley Head

The Bodley Head is publishing a "behind-the-scenes account" of the Obama administration from a former deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes.

Stuart Williams bought UK & Commonwealth rights from Natasha Fairweather at RCW on behalf of Elyse Cheney at The Cheney Agency. The book will be published on 28th June.

The World As It Is has been described by Rhodes as his "personal story" of being at the centre of the Obama administration and by The Bodley Head as "the full story of what it means to work alongside a radical leader; of how idealism can confront reality and survive; of how the White House really functions; and of what it is to have a partnership, and ultimately a friendship, with a historic president".

Rhodes worked for Obama for 10 years, starting out as a 29-year-old speechwriter on his campaign and ending up as one of the former president’s closest advisors. He oversaw the administration's national security communications, speechwriting, public diplomacy and global engagement programming.

Those heavily featured in Rhodes' memoir include figures such as Joe Biden, Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Hillary Clinton, John Brennan and Bob Gates - as well, of course, as Obama himself. 

Rhodes' narrative will also put readers in the same room as "tense and poignant moments in recent history", chronicling the waiting out of the bin Laden raid in the Situation Room, reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, leading secret negotiations with the Cuban government and "confronting the resurgence of nationalism that led to the election of Donald Trump".

“This is, above all, a personal story,” Rhodes commented. “As someone who was anonymous at the beginning of my experience, I wanted to give readers a real sense of what it’s like to experience 10 years at the centre of American politics and foreign policy.”

Williams said: “The World As It Is will be required reading for anyone interested in world politics in the last decade. The extraordinary level of access, the originality of Ben Rhodes’ perspective, and the quality of his writing combine to make it a memoir of exceptional immediacy and significance. But it is unlike any other political memoir I have read; and its message about the power of words to shape our world will resonate with all kinds of readers. It’s inspiring to witness great power used in the service of the highest ideals.”

The memoir joins other political "behind-the-scenes" accounts on the market such as Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury (Little, Brown), an exposé of the administration of incumbent US president Donald Trump.

Obama himself and his wife, Michelle Obama, signed a global book deal with Penguin Random House; details as to the release date of the books has yet to be confirmed.