Redemption Song received a generally positive critical reception upon its release , being described as " extraordinary ... superbly written " by '' The Irish News '' , " terrific ... . a real insider 's account " by the '' Evening Herald '' 3 and " sharp , incisive " by The Sunday Business Post . 4 Pat Rabbitte , the former leader of the Irish Labour Party reviewed Redemption Song for the Irish edition of the '' Mail on Sunday '' on December 21 , 2008 . Awarding the book four stars out of five , he said of the author , " He has written a very fine book , culminating in that magic night in Chicago when the world watched men and women cry as the results came in and hope and history seemed to rhyme . " ( The last phrase is a reference to a famous poem by Seamus Heaney called ' The Cure at Troy ' . ) '' Redemption Song '' is broadly sympathetic to Obama . Although it includes some detail about the president-elect 's early life , its focus is on the period between Obama 's landmark speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and his election as president on November 4 , 2008 . It draws heavily on Stanage 's eye-witness campaign trail reporting , including interviews with key Obama advisers , old friends and grassroots volunteers
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
Redemption Song (book)