Arun Chaudhary was the man behind the camera when Barack Obama officially made Joe Biden his vice presidential running mate, capturing something that ultimately would be shared with thousands of supporters and the online world.

That was just one moment of Chaudhary’s experience documenting on film the historic Obama campaign as a member of the new media team, and later, as the first-ever White House videographer. He outlines those experiences in First Cameraman, Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time, an inside look at what happens behind the scenes in the White House.

Dave Karpf’s exceptional book The MoveOn Effect examines and explains the rise of the Netroots, putting organizations like MoveOn.org, the PCCC, and DailyKos (and, I daresay, Firedoglake!) in historical and academic context. There is a rich study of political institutions and organizations that Karpf is able to tap into to better plumb the depths of what we have now, how it is different from what came before, and where we might be heading. Dave not only brings an academic and historical point of view, but he brings an activist point of view. For many years, he’s been a leader in the Sierra Club, serving on their National Board of Directors from 2004 to 2010.