Steven E. Schier is Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science at Carleton College. He is the author or editor of eleven books, most recently Panorama of a Presidency: How George W. Bush Acquired and Spent His Political Capital and numerous scholarly and media articles.

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Obama's "Big Bang" PresidencyChapter 2 Historical and Electoral PerspectivesChapter 3 From Reconstruction to Recession: The First Phase of the Obama Presidency in Historical ContextChapter 4 Caught Between Hope and History: Obama, Public Opinion, and the 2010 ElectionsChapter 5 Parties as a Resource for Presidential Leadership: The Case of Barack ObamaChapter 6 Obama, Religious Politics, and the Culture WarsChapter 7 Washington GovernanceChapter 8 Accomplishments and Miscalculations of the Obama PresidencyChapter 9 Asymmetric Warfare: Supporters and Opponents of President ObamaChapter 10 Small Ball in the Long Game: Barack Obama and CongressChapter 11 A Transformative Politics of Judicial Selection? President Obama and the Federal JudiciaryChapter 12 Policy LegaciesChapter 13 Obama and Social Policy: Acclamation or Alienation among Women, Minorities, and Gays?Chapter 14 The Obama Administration and the Great RecessionChapter 15 The Obama Presidency: A Foreign Policy of Change?Chapter 16 Conclusion: How Transformative a Presidency?

This is a marvelous collection of first-rate essays by some of the top scholars in their fields. It clears away a great deal of the underbrush and helps us understand the core strengths and weaknesses of President Obama's efforts to be a transformative president amid enormous challenges.