Race, politics and the Obamas: Valerie Jarrett's new book traces her steps from Iran to Chicago to the White House
CHICAGO - In her free moments between working with law students at the University of Chicago, serving on corporate boards and making speaking appearances, Obama family friend Valerie Jarrett interviewed her mother, daughter and other close relatives about her childhood memories and pivotal moments in her life and career.
It was through those conversations and reflections that Jarrett was able to focus in on what lessons from her past led her to success and happiness, she said.
"I was in information-gathering mode to see what stories would resonate broadly. I spent a lot of time by myself," she said. "It would be too much to do an exhaustive history. I wanted to tell stories I thought had broader meaning and were most profound to me."
More than two years after she left the White House and
