I am an American feminist/political activist living in Berlin. My debut book, Dear Barack: The extraordinary partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel was published in both English and German in the fall of 2021.

Barack Obama and Angela Merkel, two of the most influential leaders of the twenty first century forged an unlikely and deep bond that captivated the world.

At times in the leaders’ own words, the book details such events as Merkel’s historic acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the 2013 NSA spying scandal, demonstrating the highs and lows of this extraordinary alliance.

Obama and Merkel often disagreed on important policy decisons, but in effort to uphold the promise of democracy, they placed their differences aside for the betterment of the western world. A lesson other leaders could learn in today's highly polarizing and dangerous times.