Stanford alumnus Marcus Mabry will author a biography of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for Rodale Publishers entitled “Twice as Good: The Souls of Condoleezza Rice.”

Mabry told The Daily his intent is to “give readers insight into one of the most interesting and least known figures in Washington.”

The book will span Rice’s life thus far, beginning with her childhood in segregated Birmingham and continuing through her recent appointment to secretary of state. It will also include a segment on Rice’s term as Stanford’s provost.

While Rice is still relatively young, Mabry said that now is an especially opportune time to publish her biography.

“The interest in Condoleezza Rice is greater than it has ever been before,” he added. “Not only is she the first African American to be the secretary of state, but she is also the most powerful African American in the history of the U.S. government.”

Mabry said that he hopes writing the book will help him better understand Rice’s mentality and perspective and allow him to gain insight into a number of related issues, including race, class, identity and partisan politics.

Mabry, also a senior editor at Newsweek, has written a previous book focusing on the role of race and class in America entitled “White Bucks and Black Eyed Peas.”

He plans to finish the biography in roughly 18 months, and release it shortly after its completion. Though he expects to be stretched thin between his day job and the biography, Mabry said that Newsweek is one of the easier places to manage the two tasks simultaneously.

“Newsweek encourages its journalists to write books, especially on topics of interest to Newsweek readers,” he added.

Both Rice and Mabry spent their time at Stanford studying the Soviet Union. The shared Stanford experience has helped him understand and explain Rice’s character, Mabry said.

“Stanford is a family, a very strong community with many shared values,” he added.