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Obama Photographer Throws Shade in His New Book

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Elizabeth Allen

Staff Writer

Lifelong book lover, Elizabeth Allen managed to get a degree in something completely unrelated that she never intends to use. She’s a proud Connecticut native who lives in a picturesque small town with her black olive-obsessed toddler daughter, her prom date-turned-husband, and her two dim-witted cats Penny Lane and Gretchen Wieners. She spends her days trying to find a way to be paid to read while drinking copious amounts of coffee, watching episodes of Gilmore girls until the DVDs fail, waiting for her husband to feed her, and being obnoxiously vain about her hair. Elizabeth’s work can be found at www.blackwhitereadbooks.com, where she is currently reading and reviewing all of the books referenced in Gilmore girls. She is also the cohost of two podcasts discussing the work of Amy Sherman-Palladino (“Under the Floorboards” and “Stumbling Ballerinas”). Basically, her entire goal in life is to be a bookish Lorelai Gilmore. She clearly dreams big. Twitter: @BWRBooks

Some unlikely heroes have come out of the Obama White House. Valerie Jarrett may as well be Wonder Woman. His speechwriters, spokesperson, and communications director arrive to boy band-level screams when they walk onto the stage to record live episodes of their wildly successful podcast, Pod Save America. Alyssa Mastromonaco has quickly become the big-sister-in-our-heads for liberal women everywhere.

But no one has seen the kind of widespread love and accolades as the presidential photographer… one Mr. Pete Souza. During the Obama administration, he was well known for his touching everyday images of a young man from the southside of Chicago, running the free world with grace, humor, and competence. In November 2017, the world was gifted with his beautiful coffee table book, Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Pre-orders rolled in and it quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller.

However, my favorite contribution of Pete Souza is the playful-yet-biting way in which he manages to throw shade at Donald Trump. Using his Instagram page as a tool, he puts on display the stark differences between the 44th and 45th presidents. He posts old photos of Obama complete with witty captions, as commentary on Trump’s current antics and to remind us what a president CAN be.

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How a sitting President of the United States, left, usually relates to a former President of the United States, right.

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

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(Another reason) why elections matter.

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Listening during a bipartisan Congressional meeting on immigration. He didn’t send out a nonsensical tweet whose premise is against the law.

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

So I was giddy when Little Brown announced this morning that we could look forward to Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents, scheduled to be released on October 16, 2018.

shade a tale of two presidents by pete souza book coverAs described on their site:

What began with Souza’s Instagram posts soon after President Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 has become a potent commentary on the state of the Presidency, and our country. Some call this “throwing shade.” Souza calls it telling the truth. This collection of photographs is more than a rejoinder to the chaos, abuses of power, and destructive policies that now define our nation’s highest office. They are a reminder of a President we could believe in, and a courageous defense of American values.

Shade is now available for pre-order!