Photo: J Muckle/Studio D

The Promise
By Jonathan Alter

A Newsweek columnist with unique access and connections, Alter focuses on the first 16 months of Obama's presidency, from the November 2008 election to the passage of the healthcare bill in March. "Years from now, relatively quick turnaround works, like this one, will be hugely valuable," says Williams. "This book contains startling oversharing by people. I was surprised as someone who's been around this crowd for the last couple of years that they didn't seem to mind the level of detail in the telling of the story. I got a kick out of the fact that there was a complaint in there about us. When we finally descended on the West Wing for a daylong taping at the White House, Alter notes that Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, was proud to have kicked us out of his office eight times that day."

Brian's next pick: The Great Bridge