9 fascinating books about the greatest friendships in politics
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Tuesday night, US President Barack Obama will say goodbye to the American public during his Farewell Address in Chicago.
Come Inauguration Day, the US won't just be bidding the 44th president adieu. We'll also be saying au revoir to the incredible friendship between Obama and US Vice President Joe Biden.
So, if you want to beat the Obama/Biden bromance memes withdrawal, make sure to check out these books.
Amazon Books senior editor Erin Kodicek created this list of the best books about surprising, strange, and often heartwarming political friendships.
Here are her picks, listed in no particular order, with descriptions in her own words:
'Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage' by Barney Frank
Amazon"When former congressman Barney Frank's book, 'Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage' was released in 2015, he visited the Amazon offices and a colleague asked him what I thought was a fascinating question: Publicly, politicians seem to constantly be at each other's throats, but is a lot of this for show? Privately, are some of the same people we see tearing into each other on our television screens actually friends? The answer, remarkably, was yes.
"Dubious? These eight books provide further proof of this phenomenon, one that has been in evidence since the Founding Fathers bickered, and yet somehow birthed a nation."
'Lafayette in the Somewhat United States' by Sarah Vowell
Amazon"Why would a young French aristocrat venture to our shores to join George Washington's army and fight in the Revolutionary War? He came for the glory! He came because he believed in American ideals! He came to escape his in-laws! But, mainly it was for the Enlightenment ideas that were unevenly embraced by many of his fellow comrades.
"Sarah Vowell employs her signature acerbic wit in examining this contentious time in American history. But mainly 'Lafayette in the Somewhat United States' is a story of friendships: between Washington and Lafayette, between the Americans and their French allies, and between Lafayette and the American people."
'Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America' by Stephen F Knott and Tony Williams
Amazon"Speaking of Washington, the guy had a lot of friends. But his relationship to Alexander Hamilton was decidedly cooler than it was with Lafayette, though arguably more monumental.
"You probably wouldn't find these two throwing back a few pints at the local pub; Washington was too busy being virtuous, Hamilton too busy preening. But together they defied opposition from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, foiled attempts to squander hard-won freedoms, and set the stage for a new world superpower."
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