The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama (4 of 5 Hanging Chads)

I feel I should preface this review by stating that I in no way consider myself an expert on politics. Only recently in the past couple of years have I become concerned about the subject. In light of the upcoming election, I feel the need to make an informed decision. I've never been one to make decisions based solely on the opinions of others. I've always had to do my own research.

I am reminded of several conversations I had with investigators as a missionary. I remember telling many of them that it was always best to ask the defendant his or her side of the story, rather than make a decision based on only the criticism of the opponent. Essentially, I was telling them, "let us tell our side of the story before you give your final answer."

That is what I am determined to do here. I firmly believe that every man and woman has the power to affect the course of history in significant ways. We shouldn't let someone else vote for us. The future of this nation is too important. We should investigate both sides and then decide. McCain and Obama have both written books. I have put holds on books by both authors. The Obama books just showed up first.

That was a rather lengthy introduction, wasn't it? Sorry. You probably came here to get my opinion on the book, not the history of my interest in politics. Oh well, it can't be helped. No book review is completely objective. Every reader experiences a book within the context of his or her own life. If you can't remove or isolate the context, you might as well understand it.

I enjoyed the book, but I was a little disappointed. I was hoping to get a detailed picture of Obama's stance on the issues. There was some of that, but that wasn't the main focus. I believe the "hope" that Obama was referring to in the title, describes his belief that there are countless Americans who have been disoriented by the current state of politics, but who are just waiting for a change, a new spark to become revitalized. He wants to awaken the American spirit once again. While this may be a very exciting idea, I'm still not quite sure if he has all the details worked out. Based on his current success though, we cannot completely doubt his theory.

Ok...this is too long and I need to get to bed. He starts the book talking about the beginning of his political career. He guides us through his elections to state and national offices. He talks about his initial challenges and successes. He eventually turns to policies halfway through. Barack Obama wants universal healthcare. He wants to devote more resources to education. He believes that discussions about race should not center on white vs. black; the discussions should always focus on achieving equality for all races. He believes that religion is a critical part of America's history and it should stay that way. He talks a lot about his own religious awakening. He believes that the family is the core of American society. If the family fails, the nation fails. Obama talks about how he met his wife during a summer law internship, marriage and the births of his two girls.

It was a good experience. It felt a little empty at times, but I'm still excited to read his other book, Dreams of My Father.