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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) |  | Author: Barack Obama
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.99 (EUR 6.82)
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Rating:  793 reviews
Sales Rank: 4180
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 464
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0307455874
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.04960730092
EAN: 9780307455871
ASIN: 0307455874
Publication Date: July 15, 2008
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Amazon.com Review
Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. We had the opportunity to ask Senator Obama a few questions about writing, reading, and politics--see his responses below. --Daphne Durham
20 Second Interview: A Few Words with Barack Obama
 Q: How did writing a book that you knew would be read so closely by so many compare to writing your first book, when few people knew who you were?
A: In many ways, Dreams from My Father was harder to write. At that point, I wasn't even sure that I could write a book. And writing the first book really was a process of self-discovery, since it touched on my family and my childhood in a much more intimate way. On the other hand, writing The Audacity of Hope paralleled the work that I do every day--trying to give shape to all the issues that we face as a country, and providing my own personal stamp on them.
Q: What is your writing process like? You have such a busy schedule, how did you find time to write?
A: I'm a night owl, so I usually wrote at night after my Senate day was over, and after my family was asleep--from 9:30 p.m. or so until 1 a.m. I would work off an outline--certain themes or stories that I wanted to tell--and get them down in longhand on a yellow pad. Then I'd edit while typing in what I'd written.
Q: If readers are to come away from The Audacity of Hope with one action item (a New Year's Resolution for 2007, perhaps?), what should it be?
A: Get involved in an issue that you're passionate about. It almost doesnt matter what it is--improving the school system, developing strategies to wean ourselves off foreign oil, expanding health care for kids. We give too much of our power away, to the professional politicians, to the lobbyists, to cynicism. And our democracy suffers as a result.
Q: You're known for being able to work with people across ideological lines. Is that possible in today's polarized Washington?
A: It is possible. There are a lot of well-meaning people in both political parties. Unfortunately, the political culture tends to emphasize conflict, the media emphasizes conflict, and the structure of our campaigns rewards the negative. I write about these obstacles in chapter 4 of my book, "Politics." When you focus on solving problems instead of scoring political points, and emphasize common sense over ideology, you'd be surprised what can be accomplished. It also helps if you're willing to give other people credit--something politicians have a hard time doing sometimes.
Q: How do you make people passionate about moderate and complex ideas?
A: I think the country recognizes that the challenges we face aren't amenable to sound-bite solutions. People are looking for serious solutions to complex problems. I don't think we need more moderation per se--I think we should be bolder in promoting universal health care, or dealing with global warming. We just need to understand that actually solving these problems won't be easy, and that whatever solutions we come up with will require consensus among groups with divergent interests. That means everybody has to listen, and everybody has to give a little. That's not easy to do.
Q: What has surprised you most about the way Washington works?
A: How little serious debate and deliberation takes place on the floor of the House or the Senate.
Q: You talk about how we have a personal responsibility to educate our children. What small thing can the average parent (or person) do to help improve the educational system in America? What small thing can make a big impact?
A: Nothing has a bigger impact than reading to children early in life. Obviously we all have a personal obligation to turn off the TV and read to our own children; but beyond that, participating in a literacy program, working with parents who themselves may have difficulty reading, helping their children with their literacy skills, can make a huge difference in a child's life.
Q: Do you ever find time to read? What kinds of books do you try to make time for? What is on your nightstand now?
A: Unfortunately, I had very little time to read while I was writing. I'm trying to make up for lost time now. My tastes are pretty eclectic. I just finished Marilynne Robinsons Gilead, a wonderful book. The language just shimmers. I've started Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which is a great study of Lincoln as a political strategist. I read just about anything by Toni Morrison, E.L. Doctorow, or Philip Roth. And I've got a soft spot for John le Carre.
Q: What inspires you? How do you stay motivated?
A: I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency. I'm inspired by the love people have for their children. And I'm inspired by my own children, how full they make my heart. They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. And they make me want to be a better man.
Product Description
The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politicsâa politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's place in the world, refreshingly candid about his family life and his time in the Senate, Obama here sets out his political convictions and inspires us to trust in the dogged optimism that has long defined us and that is our best hope going forward.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 793
 Great Book July 21, 2010
Kevin Johnston
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Audacity of Hope is a really great book. It inspires you as a person and truly displays the value of politics, particularly at a time when politics seems useless to many people. It is also rewarding to get inside the president's head and see that he really is just like all of us and he truly cares.
As a certified nurse aide, a job that requires a person to be sincerely empathetic, it is refreshing for me to read the words of a man who understands empathy better than many people. It is even more inspiring to consider that hard work, determination, and an eagerness to work with (and for) others can land a humble American into the oval office.
I highly recommend this book. It should be read by any politically-engaged American. If you have any reason to doubt Barack Obama's sincerity, read this book. If you are like me (a liberal democrat), you will probably be biased to like the book anyway, but it's nice to know more about the guy we voted for, right?
WE NEED A LIBRARY COLLECTION! June 29, 2010
Lawrence F. Lihosit
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dear Mr. President:
As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Honduras, 1975-1977), I request your help to create a new Special Collection at the Library of Congress, the Peace Corps Experience Collection. This would include published memoirs, letters, essays, novels, short stories and poetry inspired by service. By creating such a repository, the Library of Congress would become a historical guardian for the Peace Corps' collective memory and promote understanding (the Peace Corps' third goal).
Currently, there is no such treasure. The Kennedy Library only accepts original material. Tragically, even the Peace Corps Resource Library in Washington D.C. does not keep published work written by its own volunteers, the salt of the earth. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps' inception approaches, let us correct this.
As you know, hundreds of thousands of Americans have heard the call and hundreds have returned to fulfill that pledge to share their experience through literature. Since commercial publishers have historically shown little interest in Peace Corps Volunteer's literature, ninety percent of these books are self-published. The Library of Congress currently will not accept any book unless at least 500 copies were printed. In today's Print-On-Demand publishing world, this excludes almost all Peace Corps' books.
Popular government sponsored programs are rare. During the first half of the twentieth century only the W.P.A. and the C.C.C. caught America's imagination. During the second half of the twentieth century, only N.A.S.A. and the Peace Corps have been equally popular. Yet, like the W.P.A. and the C.C.C., first-hand experience books about the Peace Corps are hard to find and our collective memory fades.
The Library of Congress has a great set of special collections, several of which include twentieth century work. There is even a collection of "Amateur Publications" by early twentieth century journalists! The addition Peace Corps literature will serve our nation well at no cost to the tax payer. The books will be donated. Web sites related to the Peace Corps are numerous.
Most wise leaders are remembered for supporting the arts and learning. This is an opportunity for President Obama. The fiftieth anniversary is the perfect time to announce the creation of a Peace Corps Experience Collection within the Library of Congress. Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration,
A Must for Every Voter in a Democratic Society June 16, 2010
Discerning Reader
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The second work by Barack Obama shows how the politician has matured, but is still learning and developing his ideals and strategies. It is as well written as the first book, Dreams of My Father, and is difficult to put down, although it is clearly aimed at American citizens and is, therefore, not always as interesting for non-American readers.
There is some imbalance in the book. For instance, The World beyond Our Borders has more emphasis on certain parts of the world such as Indonesia and Vietnam, rather than others. On the other hand the chapters that deal with issues such as values are thought provoking.
Despite the shortcomings, I rate this as a 5 star book because it has the potential to be a great asset to readers.
The chapter on race is particularly interesting to the reviewer who is from a diverse background, and is conscious of the debates in Britain about issues of race and culture. As is typical of the book, this chapter is not a systematic analysis of Obama's views on race. But it is even more significant because he analyses where and why debates on multicultural issues are where they are. There is a lot that British politicians and activists on racial issues can learn from that.
This is a very honest account of how Obama, before he took over the office of the President, experienced and understood how the political system in the USA works. In many ways it reminds us of The Prince, by Machiavelli. The first few chapters contain descriptions and observations that begin to give a voter, in any democratic country in the world, an insight into how the system is operated for the interests of a few, supported by the majority. One can read about how the media is a great manipulator, how political parties can become rigid and almost autocratic, and how politicians make decisions about how to vote, not in a chamber for debates, but behind the scenes.
Some writer can make a study guide for a democratic political system out of this book.
 Optimistic and Pessimistic at the same time June 6, 2010
webbed
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Before I read the book, I thought the book The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama was basically a very well written advertisement for Barack Obama. I thought its sole purpose was to portray him as 'the good guy' and appeal to the average American's values, and boost his popularity within the political world of America. I was party right and party wrong. Now that I've finished the book, I believe the goal was right. however, the intended audience isn't the average American. Some of the political detail he talks about is beyond the grasp of the average American. 'Left Wing', 'Right Wing', Democrats, and their expected baviours. Despite that, the book was an interesting read.
Overall, there were good points and bad points in the book. The personal stories were the most interesting parts of the book. Everyone loves hearing stories about other people's lives. Maybe because its the gossiper in everyone at work.
The political sections of the book were boring, and didn't add much value. If the purpose of the book was to communicate Obama's hopes for the future, the details of politics dindn't seem entirely relevant, except to give background information.
The sections about what can be done to improve America was quite average, and seemed reused. But Obama's reflections from the perspective of a black American was refreshing.
Obama can sure talk the talk. He's smooth, passionate, and honest. And all this is accurately portrayed in the book.
 according to my style analyzer, he didn't write this May 29, 2010
John Brookes (Silicon Valley)
3 out of 13 found this review helpful
He's a great looking guy, and no fault to use a ghost writer. Unfortunately, he's getting a good reaming from his own party, due to the oil spill mess he created. (didn't clean up.) I don't really fault him on that either, because lawyers don't know how to handle engineering problems. But we need a few practical people in government, and shouldn't have lawyers on the Supreme Court. I always had the feeling there was something wrong with America, some rotten mess at the core of America, some superficial flaw at its heart. That's a big subject, but America has turned into a mess, I feel. And I don't mean the usual liberal breast-beating about racism and other tired subjects.
I did read this book, but its smooth words did not stick in my head. And I don't remember his previous book, although I was impressed at the time and voted for him.
I think he's acting to America like his father did to him: rejecting, distant, absent, ultimately self-defeating. As the most disliked President in history, I predict he will retire to France.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 793
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