Book #29: The Audacity of Hope

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

What is this book about: The book examines policy challenges and how we as a country might start changing our politics for the better, according to Barack Obama.

Why did I read this book: To figure out whether to vote for Barack Obama.

What did I think of this book: As I mentioned when I reviewed Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama is a great writer with a strong command for language. It's too bad that you can't run for president by writing a book. I will say that sometimes my eyes glazed over, reading so much about policy, but overall, the anecdotes were illuminating, albeit, of course, most flattering to Barack Obama.

When this book came out, I read an article in Time Magazine that was sizing up Barack Obama's chances on the national scene. On the plus side, so the article went, Barack is really great at trying to see both sides of an issue, and he's willing to walk a mile in the other person's shoes. On the minus side, according to the article, at some point, we're going to need a guy who can make a decision and stand up for what he believes in, no matter who he might offend. This book pretty much holds up that claim. It seems that Barack Obama really believes that the other side might meet him halfway, and I just don't know if he could quickly build all the consensus he wants before moving forward on some tough issues. All the same, it's nice to see a politician not completely jaded about his political foes and how the system works. You can't fault a guy who truly does believe that we can use politics for good.

What was my favorite part of this book: I liked the anecdote of one of the first meetings between Barack Obama and George W. Bush. From page 46, after shaking Barack's hand:
"The President turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the President's hand. 'Want some?' the President asked. 'Good stuff. Keeps you from getting colds.' Not wanting to seem unhygenic, I took a squirt."

What did I learn from this book: Barack Obama is a guy who really seems to understand where this country has been, the challenges that it faces, and the middle ground that we need to achieve to move forward. He's an optimist who believes in the best of this country and in every person he meets. The downside is that he might not know exactly how to move forward with all his big ideas. The question is, is this decency enough to make one elect him the next president? I don't know.

What grade do I give this book: B-