Book review: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
:: Jul 16, 02:33 PM

Continuing my crusade to know the next president better, I immediately started reading “The Audacity of Hope” after finishing “Dreams from my Father.” These books differ in tone and content by a great margin. In “Dreams from my Father” I got to know Obama’s formless self, struggling to identify. In “The Audacity of Hope” I got to know him as his “formed” self, identifying himself as a senator and family man. In his first book, he is searching, and by the second he claims to have reached something. However, he does not go as far as to come to absolute conclusions, although, there’s a slight suspicion that he is trying to. It is almost as if he wants to, but he’s learned the game of politics and knows it’s not a smart move to box yourself in.

So he describes situations as unjust or un-American or unfair but rarely prescribes a definite solution. He is sensitive to the tendency for political issues to mutate severely from start to finish. Even so, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by the murkiness that surrounded many of his passages. It was as if he presented the problem very well, pointed out all that was not working and then moved onto describe another problem.

One thread throughout is the idea of common sense, which sustains my faith in him. We so often want to take sides, and to decide on the “right” solutions. Just like you were taught in preschool – actions speak louder than words. The politicians of today are so quick to spew words. I suspect that Obama is tired of this, evaluating the situation carefully before rambling to match trends. Exercising this kind of caution will be very good for America’s future.

This much I can say from reading both books: He’s alert. He’s curious. He’s intelligent.

1. D9YASA AFAIC that’s the best anwesr so far!

   — Krystal    Apr 14, 10:31