The Audacity of Hope

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Aside from Barack Obama’s recognisably authoritative and warm voice, The Audacity of Hope is different from his other books as its purpose seems to be to present his vision for America - unsurprisingly, as it was published just a couple years before his ascendancy to the Oval Office - which is made more obvious as you come across the not-so-subtle digs at the Bush Administration and the ‘I love this county’ narrative. Naturally, the individual ideas are not entirely relevant almost two decades later (where did the time go?), particularly given the deteriorating state of things, but the vision is still important in my opinion. And although I won’t remember all of his individual policy and political recommendations, I will remember his ability to be reflexive and open in his efforts towards bipartisanship. In this respect, I think the book promotes values that everybody will appreciate (humility, self-awareness…) although I will put 4* down as the intentions in this book have not always translated to his positions while in office.



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