The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Release date: 2008 / 5 CDs
Synopsis (from back cover): …in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics — a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the ‘endless clash of armies’ we see in Congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of ‘our improbable experiement in democracy.’ At the heart of this audiobook is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, and even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus. A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature…
Review: I imagine a whole host of emotions greeted the title of this review — from “oh no” to “oh yes” — and I wish I could present a review of this work simply based on its merits as a memoir, rather than a political treatise. However, that would not be possible since it is a memoir about a politician — and not just any politician, but our current president.
And I have to add a bit of context to my reading of it, as well. My husband and I listened to it on CD on our way to a college reunion with his friends — wonderful, fun hunters who I imagine all voted for McCain. I say “I imagine” because as a group we really do not discuss politics that often. As I’ve written before, I’m fortunate to have friends of all political persuasions — which I hope keeps me less emotional and more analytical when it comes to my beliefs.
I try to always see the person behind the politics, and usually am able to do this fairly well. However, in some cases, that means NOT discussing politics with the person, if any sort of well-reasoned or inquisitive debate isn’t possible. My friends are welcome to simply follow the party line, but any sort of interesting discussion becomes moot at that point.
Which is why I was excited to listen to Obama’s memoir it with my husband, who is remarkably (blessedly) analytical and the best critical thinker I know. So I knew an interesting discussion was guaranteed!
Finally, this is an interesting book to review since I’m pretty late in reading it. As everyone knows, Obama wrote it while still a senator, and since I had done my homework pretty well for the last election, his views and positions were not new territory.
However, as far as memoirs go — I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed listening to him state not only his beliefs and positions on many issues, but especially how he came to hold these ideals — and how he translates them in his public and private lives. I especially appreciated his candor with regard to how difficult it can be to maintain a healthy, balanced marriage and his journey of becoming a father, despite not having a model for this role.
Honestly, I was a willing and receptive audience — I felt better about this vote than I had in years. In fact, with Obama I finally felt as if I was voting FOR a candidate, rather than AGAINST another, as I have in other elections. And this conviction was only reconfirmed by reading this.
He recognizes that he had become a symbol, long before running for president, and articulated that this iconography results in many different people projecting many different ideals and beliefs onto who he is and what he represents. So, I think that was part of his motivation for writing this — to have a record of who HE says he is:
I am angry about politics that consistently favor the wealthy and powerful over the average American and insist that government has an important role in opening opportunities for all. I believe in evolution and scientific inquiry and global warming. I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or politically incorrect, and I’m suspicious of using government to impose anybodies religious beliefs, including my own, on non-believers.
None of the above is terribly surprising, coming from a Democrat. However, what has resonated with so many, including myself, was articulated in an early chapter: his frustration with “the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics, the ease with which we’re distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of making tough decisions, our seeming inability to create a working consensus to tackle any big problem.” Hearing a politician express my great irritations and fears regarding the leaders of our country was gratifying — and reassuring.
So, while I would like to recommend this memoir simply as that — an interesting example of the genre — I realize that it would be impossible to separate the man from his politics, nor would he want this.
On the other hand, we would most likely have a lot less vitriol in this country if both sides took the time to read the actual words of our leaders, rather than accept the partisan interpretation of them as filtered by those who are paid to take words out of context with the intent to mock and anger.
I’m glad I went to the source!
I read this book before the inauguration and very much enjoyed it.
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