Safe Internet Shopping - The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 973.04960730092 EAN: 9780307237705 ISBN: 0307237702 Label: Three Rivers Press Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 384 Publication Date: 2007-11-06 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Release Date: 2007-11-06 Studio: Three Rivers Press
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Simply Brilliant! Comment: The title says it all! Barack Obama reveals his policy ideas for the nation and the sub-text makes it readily evident why he was elected president of the United States. In typical Obama fashion, his ideas are well-considered and thoughtfully crafted. Given the historical nature of his presidency, this would make an excellent gift for anyone who does not own it. I've given several. Customer Rating: Summary: Presidential Comment: An Enlightening insight into our new president. Agree or disagree, the throngs who claimed during his campaign that he offed no specifics simply needed to crack a book. Showcasing his unusual ability to fairly and accurately include other opinions in defining his own, Obama's comprehention of contrary philosophies shines forth in a distinguished and diplomatic prose. Well grounded in common sense, candor and hard work, Mr. Obama brings us into his world and his thought processes. One comes away with the distict feeling that even if you don't agree with the author's conclusion, you can trust his reasonable and measured approach to problem solving to rule the day. I find it a rare privilege to have such a window to a newly elected president. No other sitting president duing my adult life had ever authored a book. Obama not only wrote this alone, he gave us his very policies, in advance. The availability of such a text should not be taken lightly. Customer Rating: Summary: The real Barack Obama? Comment: For anyone out there wondering who the real Barack Obama is, "The Audacity of Hope" will give you one clear idea. It is part memoir, part political manifesto, encompassing his comprehensive vision for America. The book reveals him to be very smart, well read, compassionate, and sometimes quite funny. I think few people reading the book will agree with him on every policy issue, and no one is really prepared to take on the problems facing our country. But, reading this book gave me faith that the American people have elected a very capable public servant. Chapters are essays arranged around a single theme (eg "Faith" "Family") and some are better than others. I particularly liked what he had to say about his conversion to Christianity and some of the values he learned being raised in a multi-ethnic family. Obama can be quite funny at times, such as when he describes the disdain he felt for his 2004 Senate competitor, Alan Keyes: "Mr. Keyes made no effort to conceal what he clearly considered to be his moral and intellectual superiority. With his erect bearing, almost theatrically formal manner, and a hooded gaze that made him appear perpetually bored, he came off as a cross between a Pentacostal preacher and William F. Buckley." He goes on to say, "That self-assuredness disabled in him the instincts for self-censorship that allow most people to navigate the world without getting into constant fistfights." I was not expecting to laugh out loud when I read this book. Those lines had me slapping my knees. Other parts of the book are non-apologetically wonky. He goes on a little too long in some chapters (do we need to hear every idea he has?) and others strain to make symmetry out of unalike things. Overall though, this is a really engaging and well written book. I enjoyed it very much. As I close, I'm left with the constant problem with memoirs, can you trust the author to know himself? What good are all these ideals if the president is hypocritical, insincere, or lacking in self-awareness? The ability to inspire people can only go so far. So we'll see. In the meantime, we've just elected a youthful president with new ideas, a comprehensive understanding of US political history, experience with all types of Americans, and a multi-faceted approach to leading the country. Count me among the impressed. Customer Rating: Summary: Good Read Comment: Though not as good as "Dreams from my Father", a well written book. The book talks deeply about Barack's ideals and issues with the current state of politics. Though you may not agree with his political views, Barack is an undeniably intellegent person who is not afraid to express his political views. The message was powerful; it is now just a matter of executing. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Book! Comment: After reading this book, all I can say is, "I'm so glad I voted for him. "This book is inspiring, thoughtful and hopeful." Read it. I would also recommend highly his other book: Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: “A government that truly represents these Americans–that truly serves these Americans–will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.” –from The Audacity of Hope In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.” Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics–a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment. At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy–where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus. A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes–“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.” From the Hardcover edition.