Before He Was Famous
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Barach Obama's first book would be well worth reading, even if he were not about to become the most powerful man in the world. The book comes in three parts, in chronological order. The first part covers his first 20 years or so: Hawaii, Indonesia, then back to Hawaii, then on to college. Then next part covers several years as a "community organizer" in Chicago. The final part covers just a month or so -- a trip to Kenya to meet for the first time with his father's family. Obama's story is interesting, different and readable, even if he had gone on to be, say a law professor of no particular note in Chicago.
Instead, of course, Obama went on to be elected President of the United States, whioh makes the book ineresting on an entirely different level. Clearly, Obama has grown tremendously in the 15 years since he wrote this book, so in an important sense, it is not written by the man who is now about to become President. On the other hand, it is fascinating to get this small glimse into his mind when he had no clue he would hold such a high and public office. There can be no doubt but that this is a bright and thoughtful man. Moreover, although he clearly had no way to know what the future would hold, Obama reveals (at least to my eyes) a certain calculated reserve. He observes everything around him in fine and insightful detail, yet never quite gives an express opinion. Perhaps I am reading too much into it.
In any event, this book is well worth reading on multiple levels. I highly recommmend it.
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The Early Life Of Barack Obama
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Long before he was a candidate to be President of the United States, or even a candidate for the state legislature, Barack Obama wrote "Dreams from My Father". He had been elected as the first African-American president of the "Harvard Law Review", and if that had been the end of his public career, this book would have long been out of print. But, with Obama running for the U.S. Senate, it was reprinted, and now his Presidential run has undoubtedly increased the interest in this work.
This is an interesting book, though certainly Obama's skill as a writer does not match that of his skill as an orator. The book is divided into three sections: "Origins", a look at his younger days; "Chicago", his decision to move to Chicago and work as a community organizer; and "Kenya", about his visit to see his extended family in the country where his father was born. The edition which I read also includes two introductions: one written for the original release of the book; and a second introduction written for the 2004 edition during his run for U.S. Senate. The book closes with a brief epilogue, and an excerpt from his second book "The Audacity of Hope".
"Origins" is an interesting look at some of the aspects of his growing up. This section is focused primarily on race, which is not surprising considering the reason he was asked to write the book. This section also contains key stories about his family, and most importantly his father, but I wish he had spent more time on that part of his life in this book. The section starts with the period prior to his realizing that race was important, and moves through a brief example of his being embarrassed by it, to a longer period of his taking on what is often considered the typical lifestyle of young black men. Finally he seems to break out of the trap he was falling into and embraces who he really is. The stories are rather a sparse collection from his childhood, so this is by no means a full biography, but one does get a glimpse of the road he took to get to where he is, including a detour into drugs, and touches on the death of his father. It is a story which takes him from Hawaii to Indonesia; to California and on to New York.
"Chicago" covers the period when he decided to become a community organizer. At the time he was in New York City, and initially he seems to be pulled away from his decision by corporate America. He then rededicates himself to his decision, and after some initial difficulties he meets Marty Kaufman, who offers him a position in Chicago, which he decides to take once he realizes that he has not connected with New York. His stories of his initial attempts and initial failures are interesting and insightful. It is in the last chapter of this section where he meets Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr., and is introduced to the workings of the Trinity United Church of Christ. This occurs after he has decided to attend Harvard, and it is clear that Reverend Wright had a huge impact on him. It is here that he talks about the "Audacity of Hope" sermon, after which he would title his second book. Reverend Wright has become a controversial figure, and there are some signs of his controversial views in Obama's description, but the real impact appears to be in helping Obama find a connection to his faith, and not a case of Wright's opinion's or views leading Obama away from who he is.
"Kenya" covers Obama's trip to Kenya to meet his relatives before he goes on to attend Harvard. For me this was the most interesting section of the book, as it gives the reader a look at Obama's extended family, and the interactions between the members. It is also a look inside life in Kenya, and Barack's search to get to know his father. It is also in this section where Barack Obama realizes exactly who he is. Barack forms a fairly strong relationship with his half sister Auma, in spite of the distance and the difficulties which it creates. Both of them seem to be searching to define themselves in the world in which they live.
Oddly enough, though it was his being the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review which caused this book to be written, there is very little mention of his time at Harvard included; just a couple paragraphs in the Epilogue cover that period. That is perhaps the weakness of this book, as there are many gaps in his story which are not covered or receive only passing mention. What are included, are undoubtedly the events which he considers the most significant in his search for who he is.
I would have liked to learn more about some other parts of his life as well. The strength of this book is that it was written before Barack had entered the political arena, so while it is certainly possible that he had already decided to pursue such a career, he could not possibly have known how successful he would be, or how far he would go. Thus I believe he was very honest in the telling of his story. Overall, this is not a literary masterpiece, but it is an interesting read and provides insight into a man who is very likely to become the first African-American U.S. President.
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A classic
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Dreams from My Father is a greatly inspiring memoir. Controversial, though it is, the story reflects the soul of a man who is open to his identity. In this book, Obama argues with himself and comes to terms with his identity. You will not regret getting into the pages of this page turner that bear the hallmarks of a classic. It is a recommendable read.I also liked The Color of Water, Union Moujik. I should also add Usurper and Other Stories as some of the books I enjoyed this year.
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Inspiring
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In Barack Obama's "Dreams from My Father" I discovered a fascinating brain and an accepting mind that came to terms with his dual inheritance. He provided us with an insight of the African-American experience, of the hopes and dreams of the people, of the realities they confronted and of their failures.
In his inspiring appearance at the Democratic convention, Obama emerges as a rising star in the American politically scene, a figure with a strong personality that is easy to relate to. The speech was very moving.
The fact that this book was written before Obama gained so much political popularity, is the reason why it is so authentic, unlike many of the autobiographies we read. And as a mulatto, this book reminded me of Disciples of Fortune. It is so amazing how the heroes in these books came to terms with their inheritances.Recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, LE MIRADOR, COLLIN POWELL, MY LIFE,LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
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Insightful
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Greatly insightful, and a wonderful memoir style of novel. Well worth the time to read. One day will be a classic. He argues with himself and the book is a politically based book, but I found it extremely interesting.
Other excellent books-NIGHTMARES ECHO,FATHER JOE,RUNNING WITH SCISSORS,PAPER LIFE
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