Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance |
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Barack Obama
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Pages: 442 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1847670911
Pub: Canongate Books
Pub date: 2007-06-03
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 715
Reader Reviews:
Highly insightful, compassionate, and moving (0/1 people found this helpful)
Whether in his account of his childhood, or of his work as community organizer, or of his journey to Kenya to meet his father's family, every page of this book reveals a mind gifted with deep insight, and a mix of extreme intelligence steeped in compassion and sensitivity. It is beautifully written and moving, with lines that would cause goose-bumps and hearty laughs alternatively.
Obama's words reveal a man who seeks to penetrate into the heart of things in search of that place beyond differences- whether in opinion, race, class or even nation- of common humanity. His mixed heritage, his sharp intellect, and his sensitivity, all equip him to cross boundaries and access that place of common heritage. It is a rare combination of philosophical insight and heartfelt compassion, along with a practical sense, whereby all these faculties are constantly mobilized towards problem-solving, whether those problems of trying to understand his own personal history, of which some parts were missing for many years of his life, or that of trying to bring about changes in the community of Chicago in which he worked as an organizer.
More than ever before, reading what he wrote some 14 years ago and before he started his political career, I am convinced that that is the type of man that is capable of bringing about the change that is desperately needed at this moment in history. His is an extraordinary mind, coupled with a capacity for understanding the other side and speaking to it in the common language of humanity, a combination of qualities not commonly found in presidential candidates (or politicians for that matter). After 8 disastrous years of an "you're-either-with-us-or-against-us" administration, that sought to resolve conflicts by disrespect to civil liberties at home, and blind force abroad, in short, all manners of bullying in the name of security, the only chance of veering off the pit that such an approach inevitably leads to, is by the agency of someone with such a vision and political talent as Obama.
Should he get the job, however, I hope that Obama would still find time to write, for, as a writer, he is a veritable treat!
Excellent book by an extraordinary man. (0/1 people found this helpful)
This is an excellent book by Barack Obama. It is intelligent, honestly written and very thoughtful - it's possibly the most interesting book ever written by a politician. Obama is an extraordinary person. The world will be a better place should he become the next president of the USA.
Brilliant - a must for the modern age (0/0 people found this helpful)
Forgetting for a moment who wrote this book; this is an engaging, thoughtful, intelligent, perceptive read. This is a real meditation on race and specifically, on what it means to grow up and search for one's racial identity in modern America. And yet, it is beautifully written. Rich in descriptive detail and almost novelistic vignettes, it is also pacey and hard to put down.
Returning to the author, it is truly hard to believe that this was written by a politician (although he wasn't at the time of writing). It is such a good read and provides such a thoughtful and open account of Obama's views and experiences, that it is truly breathtaking in this age of political posturing.
Read this to learn more about Obama. Read this to learn more about the divisions of America. Read this to learn about the black experience both in the US and in Kenya. Read this for the beauty of its writing, but above all, read it, you won't be disappointed.
We are all more alike than different (1/1 people found this helpful)
This is a superb chronicle of self-discovery, and I can understand why Barack Obama now seems both comfortable with himself, and with others, however "different" they may be. I'm not used to politicians (he wasn't one when he wrote this) being so honest, and illustrating how we all make mistakes and can learn from them. Inspiring from beginning to end.
An outstanding read (11/11 people found this helpful)
I have never before read a politician's memoirs - but then, Barack Obama is no ordinary politician. This is a searingly honest account of the growing up pains of a mixed race, highly intelligent young man, searching for identity and meaning. I thoroughly recommend it - both to people who want to know more about this very inspiring man, and to those who simply want an absorbing read.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Historical -> United States
Books -> Subjects -> Society, Politics & Philosophy -> Social Sciences -> Multicultural Studies -> Black Studies
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Condition (condition-type)