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Feb 18, 2008

Trevor rated it:

I’m assuming Obama will be the next President of the USA. That will probably be a good thing. Recently I did an online quiz to pick which candidate I would be most likely to vote for – as an Australian this was purely an academic exercise – but it said I should support Obama. Naturally, my politics and his are quite different – I’m to his extreme left, but I thought I should find out more about him just the same.

It is an odd thing how different Australians are from Americans. We are More...

59 comments like (61 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

V. rated it:

It is a good thing that these days, if a Democratic candidate wants to continue war and occupation in Iraq, he has to call it "phased redeployment" a la Obama, rather than "20,000 more troops," a la Kerry. People are fed up with the old policies, and they're looking towards candidates who talk left. I think that's a sign of a real shift among regular people, and we shouldn't dismiss anyone who wants to see real change but still has hopes in the Democratic Party. This is true More...

3 comments like (27 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2010

Manny rated it:

I've now finished this book, which I've been reviewing a chapter at a time. Before starting, I was concerned that it might lower my opinion of him. Many people have been rather dismissive, and perhaps that's why I didn't read it earlier. In fact, it has had the opposite effect. It's well thought out and convincing, and I respect him more. The one major criticism I have is that it's stylistically unimpressive; you can see that it would have benefited from another revision pass. He is however so i More...

5 comments like (17 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2010

Anne rated it:

One reviewer said he'd read this whole book and was left not knowing what Barack Obama was for...in a way, I see his point--readers expecting a manifesto of voting positions will be sorely disappointed. For that, read the congressional record. Readers expecting a standard-bearer for the left will also be disappointed, as Obama's focus is not a solid 'Yes' check in all the predictable party line talking points. For instance, neither pro nor anti-war, he wholeheartedly supported the war in Afghani More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Linda rated it:

Barack Obama fills me with hope.

Hope for the United States, and hope for America's standing on the world stage.

This book shows the human side of a man who is running for president. He tackles many different issues from faith, race, family life, war, international relations, and politics.

All are done in a thoughtful manner.

I get the sense that when he attempts to address an issue that he truly wants to hear from all interested parties, and work to c More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2009

Beth F. rated it:

I pay as little attention as possible to the political arena in the hope that I can find a healthy balance between being peripherally aware of what’s going on without being sucked into the madness. I never intended to read this book and the only reason I picked it up in the first place was because it counted for a reading challenge I’m participating in through a group on this site.

Before starting the book, I had read some reviews written by other users and without fail, every single More...

14 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 16, 2008

Krenzel rated it:

In "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," Senator Barack Obama offers a message of hope to the cynics that would claim that our country is hopelessly divided and politics has devolved into a power game of little interest to ordinary Americans. Senator Obama believes there are, in fact, ordinary Americans out there that do care about our country, are engaged in politics, and can manage to find common ground with neighbors and friends whose politics or value More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2008

Ryan rated it:

Often, I like to read books outloud. It helps me to stay attentive and be an active reader. Rarely is a book so pleasing to hear in my own voice as The Audacity of Hope was. Most political or historical writing can be cumbersome and difficult to explore in this manner. Barack Obama's writing, instead, is strong, clear, and easy to read, with a cadence and strong diction that many writers do not succeed to develop.

Part memoir, part declaration and history of liberal wisdom, this book More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Sara rated it:

Obama is not a writer nor a storyteller; good thing neither are required to be a good leader. I like Obama, but this book was a seriously disappointment. I don't know if I can honestly classify it as "read," as I had to keep skimming and skimming to get to anything interesting. Lots of meandering reminiscences and obseravations in politics in general.

I was hoping more for clear and strong political essays, with personal experiences to solidify them. It is all well and More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Jan 09, 2009

Cheryl rated it:

Wow, this man is really going to be our President? I imagine most politicians except Dubya and Sarah Palin could recite some of the political and economic and foreign history that Obama talks about in this book, but they could never frame it so well or so inspirationally. Not only does he know the history, he thinks about it and clarifies it. He thinks! This president-elect loves America and Americans, what we are and what we can be. Fascinating book, and I loved getting a little glimpses in More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 13, 2008

Jason rated it:

Piss poor. I'm trying to read this to get a balanced view for the election but this man is full of himself. If he wins, God help us all.

5 comments like (21 people liked it)

Dec 07, 2008

Jan rated it:

Is it possible to think clearly if you can't speak and write clearly? It must be, because Bush and Palin can't be stupid and have made it as far as they have. Oh, but what a pleasure it will be to have a President whose writing can compare with some of the Federalist Papers by Madison or the speeches of Lincoln.

There are a few clichés in the book, and a few typos and grammatical or style errors that led me to think the editor, not the author, was asleep at the switch. There are seve More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 21, 2008

Andrea rated it:

I bought this book in April during an unexpectedly long layover at the Houston airport, read half of it, then forced myself to put it down as I was becoming too emotionally invested in the prospect of an Obama presidency and felt that I needed to pace myself, since it was only April and I am frankly still recovering from the political PTSD of November 2004. I picked it up again during another transcontinental trip this past week and determined to finish it this time, hoping to educate myself ab More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 04, 2008

Martin rated it:

I just finished Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” which I started what feels like a year ago, but completing it at this point nicely dovetails in with all the unavoidable political coverage of late. While there’s certainly no way I would have started this book in the MIDST of all the conventions and coverage, I have to say it has come to a conclusion at a fitting time. I find Obama such a compelling, captivating figure, but I’m often frustrated at only being able to learn so much (of a su More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 07, 2008

Emily rated it:

Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with Obama's politics is of course the greatest factor in his or her enjoyment of the book. As an Obama supporter, I was a biased reader and indeed very impressed by his writing and reasoning. However, this book represents the core of his politics and is not simply the icing on the cake.

First of all, it must be noted that I was rather worried that he would disappoint as an author. Having read several politicians' books, I was used to that ex More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2008

Andrew rated it:

I used to think that a liberal was simply someone whose background and education was deficient of the facts needed to understand the full ramifications of their left-leaning policies. For example, in a debate I once heard Maxine Waters (D-CA) incredulously ask "Why not?!" when told that the government can't afford free healthcare, free college, free daycare, etc. Because apart from the land of fairies and puppy-dog tails where the Congresswoman, if not grew up, at least spent most of More...

1 comment like (12 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2008

Denise rated it:

Lines that made me ponder -- not that I necessarily agreed with them:

There is a gap between the politics we have and the politics we need.

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 prepackaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have t More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2007

Richard rated it:

I picked up a copy of The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama in February 2007, about six months after it had been released. Prior to even opening the book, however, I was besieged by the breathless reactions of those around me: the best book ever; or shameless propaganda announcing his bid for presidency. It seemed that despite all his efforts to temper partisan hysteria—to see the proverbial other side—Senator Obama's own undertaking had become part of that vitriolic game of tit-for-tat, good ver More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2009

Worthless rated it:

A somewhat interesting and fairly well written account of the backround and political views of current president Barack Obama. The autobiographical aspects of this book were interesting, hearing about what it was like growing up for Obama, about his Kenyan father and white mother, about the values his mother instilled in him. He goes on to mention how he came to meet his wife and start a family with her, and some of the political work he's undertaken throughout his short career as a politician. More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2009

Tatiana rated it:

I enjoyed this book, though it has less narrative and more public policy discussion than his first. It still has plenty of engaging narrative. Every policy opinion he states is illustrated with stories that show why he feels that way. I really like our president now. It's a delightful experience for me. I feel so good about the direction the country is headed, and also the world. I heard something from the BBC that summed it up perfectly. "... now that the United States is under adul More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2008

Jessica rated it:

He really is a great writer! And he's fricking brilliant. I enjoyed this immensely and can't wait to see him put these plans into action.

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Nov 08, 2008

Louis rated it:

The Audacity of Hope is not a biography, it is a discussion of politics in the United States. It is not a denunciation of the current political system, but a description of it and how and why it developed the way it has.

Obama walks through a number of topics, the two-party system, values, the constitution, politics, opportunity, faith, and race, and writes about how each is related to the political process. He discusses the actual issues that are involved, how various groups within More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2008

Jack added it

I'm not going to rate this book in terms of stars because it doesn't seem fair. First of all, one's political position is going to be a stronger influence than usual in how one takes the author's sentiments. Second, there are several elements - particularly the occasional self-servingly glib statements (such as his dicussion of flying on private jets), and a general tendency to be marketing oneself - that I would usually call an author out on, but that for a campaign driven memoir are virtually More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2008

Sparrow rated it:

I could not help but think to myself, “Get a room,” as I finished the section titled “Our Constitution” in Senator Barack Obama’s most recently published book, The Audacity of Hope. I’ll admit that by the time I finished the first chapter, “Republicans and Democrats” I had a little crush on Senator Obama (sorry Michelle), so his love letter to the American Constitution felt a little like I had gone through his desk looking for a pen and come upon something I was never meant to see. I got the f More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jun 10, 2008

Bryce rated it:

I initially approached this book with a fairly open mind, but soon enough found myself filled not with hope but boredom. Obama certainly is a smart and likable guy, but his autobiographical meanderings and relatively trite, feel-good messages (e.g. that an advocate of abortion rights and a pro-life doctor can both be basically decent people) did not engage my mind at all. This is not to say that I think Senator Obama has not brought something positive to the public sphere - I think he has had a More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 30, 2007

Brandie added it

The first thing I will say to anyone thinking of "reading" this book is to pick up an audio copy. It's read by the author, so you truly get the meaning of every word in the sense the author intends.
That said - I really enjoyed it. Not being someone huge on history, there were some moments where I was out of the loop in regard to what Obama was referencing (and these were the moments when actually reading the copy may have proved more beneficial than hearing it read aloud) - but t More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 04, 2008

Reid rated it:

Though this book was well-written, articulate, and hopeful, I nonetheless ended up feeling a bit managed, if you know what I mean. Although he tells us a great deal about himself, he actually says very little about what he stands for or what he would do if elected to higher office. I know, he's a politician, what can I expect? I guess from him I was expecting a bit more. As a committed leftist, I also was a bit disturbed that, whereas he opposed the second Iraq war, he pretty staunchly defends t More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 18, 2008

Kirt rated it:

Superb rhetorician. Polished delivery. (I listened to this as an audio book.) Consummate politician. (His words worked well with varying positions he may or may not take.) Would make a great friend and neighbor. (Genuine and endearing family anecdotes -- courtship, diapers, daughters with wardrobe issues, wife with absentee-husband issues.) But overall, it was clear that he and I see things through very different lenses, and that through his lens he sees himself being somewhat bigger than life More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

May 26, 2008

Nova... added it

kompleks banget!! tapi sayangnya terjemahannya rada2 ribet. jadi klo baca niy buku bener2 harus konsen.
coz hampir sluruh masalah internasional yang di hadapi dunia saat ini (pada umumnya) dan masalah nasional amerika (pada khususnya) dibahas disini. dari sejak sejarah sampe solusi yang mungkin bisa dijalanin. gile bener deh...
rasanya bangga juga ngeliat kata "Indonesia", "Jakarta", "Soekarno"dan "Soeharto" terpampang jelas di lembar2 kertas buk More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 14, 2008

David rated it:

What kind of bozo writes his memoirs before having achieved anything of merit (Read my review of Harry Potter). He is simply a classic socialist/marxist redistribution of wealth liberal. "From each, according to their ability, to each, according to their need." Would you give your 'A' to the most struggling student in the class? What good would it do anyways? The same goes for money! I really thought people weren't making these moronic arguments anymore, I guess I was wrong.

3 comments like (6 people liked it)