Henry Russell is a London-based writer. The author of more than 15 books, including The Sayings of Oscar Wilde (Duckworth), he has also contributed to several magazines and newspapers including The New Statesman, The Literary Review, The Europa Times and Resident Abroad, The Financial Times' magazine for expatriates. In this book, he analyses the linguistic features, content and context of Obama's speeches, revealing the rhetorical skill behind the inspirational words.

Introduction; In The Beginning; Intimations of Immortality; A Certain Presumptuousness, A Certain Audacity; The Race to the White House; Others on Obama; Timeline; Further Reading; Provisional list of speeches:; Election Night Victory / Presidential Acceptance Speech - Nov 4 2008; Night Before the Election: the Last Rally - Manassas Virginia - Nov 3 2008; Democratic Nominee Acceptance Speech - 2008 National Democratic Convention; 'A World that Stands as One' - Berlin Germany - July 2008; Final Primary Night: Presumptive Nominee Speech; North Carolina Primary Night; Pennsylvania Primary Night; AP Annual Luncheon; A More Perfect Union: 'The Race Speech'; Texas and Ohio Primary Night; Potomac Primary Night; Super Tuesday; Iowa Caucus Night; California Democratic Convention - April 28, 2007; Announcement For President - Feb 10 2007; Floor Statement on Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007; 'The Time Has Come for Universal Health Care'; Floor Statement on President's Decision to Increase Troops in Iraq; 'Race Against Time' - World AIDS Day Speech; 'A Way Forward in Iraq'; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Groundbreaking Ceremony; Military Commission Legislation; Floor Statement on the Habeas Corpus Amendment; Energy Independence: a Call for Leadership; 'An Honest Government, A Hopeful Future'; Xavier University Commencement Address; AFSCME National Convention; Vote against the Gulf of Mexico Energy Bill; Support of H.R. 9, the Voting Rights Act; Statement of Support for Stem Cell Research; Campus Progress Annual Conference; Call to Renewal' Keynote Address; Iraq Debate; Northwestern University Commencement Address; Katrina Reconstruction; 'Take Back America'; Network Neutrality; Federal Marriage Amendment; University of Massachusetts at Boston Commencement Address; General Michael Hayden Nomination; Opposition to the Amendment Requiring a Photo ID to Vote; Employment Verification Amendment for the Immigration Bill; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Commencement Address; 'Honoring Our Commitment to Veterans'; EMILY's List Annual Luncheon; 'A Real Solution for High Gas Prices'; Immigration Rallies; Amendment to Stop No-Bid Contracts for Gulf Coast Recovery and Reconstruction; Updates on Darfur, Immigration, Gas Prices; Immigration Reform; 'Energy Independence and the Safety of Our Planet'; Immigration Reform; 'Improving Chemical Plant Security'; '21st Century Schools for a 21st Century Economy'; Meals Amendment; Debate on Lobbying and Ethics Reform; 'Energy Security is National Security' - Governor's Ethanol Coalition; Floor Statement S.2271 - PATRIOT Act Reauthorization; Darfur: 'Current Policy Not Enough'; Foreign Relations Committee regarding Lugar-Obama legislation S.1949; Hurricane Katrina Child Assistance Amendment; Supreme Court Nomination of Samuel Alito - Podcast; Confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr.; Lobbying Reform Summit National Press Club; Meeting on Iraq with President Bush; Remarks: Honest Leadership and Open Government; 'From the Road': Israel and the Palestinian territories; 'From the Road': Speaking with American Troops in Iraq; The PATRIOT Act; 'Moving Forward in Iraq' - Chicago Council on Foreign Relations; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Ceremony; National Women's Law Center; 'Sex on TV 4' Report; Non-Proliferation and Russia: The Challenges Ahead; Chicago White Sox; Death of Rosa Parks; Teaching Our Kids in a 21st Century Economy; Avian Flu; Confirmation of Judge John Roberts; Resources for the Future; Statement on Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts; AFL-CIO National Convention; Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and the Avian Flu; American Legion Conference; Literacy and Education in a 21st-Century Economy; Pritzker School of Medicine Commencement; Nomination of Justice Janice Rogers Brown; Knox College Commencement; Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery; America's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy Remarks; Rockford Register Star Young American Awards; NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner; National Press Club; SIUC College of Agriculture's 50th Anniversary; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; Amendment for Meals/Phone Service to Wounded Veterans; 'The Nuclear Option'; Confirmation Hearing of John Bolton; Herblock Foundation Annual Lecture; American Legion Legislative Rally; CURE Keynote Address; Remarks of TechNet; S256, the Bankruptcy Abuse & Prevention Act of 2005; John Lewis's 65th Birthday Gala; Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention; 2002 Speech Against the Iraq War.