About 16 years ago, I received a manuscript by a young man whose mother was white and from Kansas, and whose father was black and from Kenya. He had met his father only once in his life, and the story of his search to determine who his father was – and ultimately to discover himself – became a book called Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama. So when our new President burst onto the national stage in 2004, his name was not new to me; I had been the editor of his first book. It was great fun to join in as Obama-mania swept across the country, the clear result of a shift not only in our country’s politics but in our culture as well. Something amazing was happening – and it needed to be measured.

That’s when I was introduced to Jabari Asim, and the proposal for what has become What Obama Means. Jabari had been regularly contributing essays to The Washington Post Book World and has developed an engaging and penetrating way of looking at our culture, economics, and race relations. He is also the editor of The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP. His previous book, The N Word, examined the usage and meaning of that horrid word from a historical and societal point-of-view. I knew he was the perfect writer who would pull together everything – the history, the cultural implications, the political analysis – about Obama’s election and could make the significance of this moment more profound and meaningful for those who would read his book.

What impresses me most about Jabari’s book, aside from his wonderful gifts as a writer and thinker, is his ability to bring together things we usually keep far apart. He does this because he recognizes that in today’s world everything affects everything else. For instance, he knows how important Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass were in preparing our country for an Obama Presidency, but at the same time he recognizes there could be no Obama without such pop figures as Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson, who in their own ways broke down barriers that in the past would have prevented a black person from reaching the White House. And only Jabari could take us back from this moment to a time when one of America’s top box office stars was Sidney Poitier, a man whose portrayals on screen were a forerunner of Obama’s own journey to wooing white voters. And if you want to understand what Barack Obama’s parents faced when they decided to marry, all you need to do is read Jabari’s take on the classic film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Much is made of President Obama’s talents as a speaker – rightly so – but again he follows in a grand tradition and Jabari places him within the context of great speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan. The first chapter of What Obama Means is called aptly, “Convergence,” and it alone is the reason everyone should read this book. How was Obama elected – it was a convergence of many, disparate things. And Jabari Asim brings them all together.

My relationship with Jabari during the writing of What Obama Means has unfortunately gone by too quickly because of the importance of making this book available at the time of the new president’s inauguration. As he was writing the chapters, Jabari sent them to me, and I’m honored that he responded to my suggestions and notes. However, he is such a gifted writer and commentator that he didn’t need dramatic input. I think of this book as a unique jewel – a bold and reflective piece of writing that captures an extraordinary moment in time, enlivening its significance.

Henry Ferris is executive editor at William Morrow. Jabari Asim will be speaking and signing copies of his book, What Obama Means, at 57th Street Books on Wednesday, February 2nd.