"The Audacity of Hope" is a Breath of Fresh Air

by Barack Obama
(New York: Vintage Books, 2008)
Paperback, 448 Pages, Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780307455871, US$7.99

"Barack Obama is that rare politician who can actually write-and write movingly and genuinely about himself." -The New York Times

From the Cover:The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics-a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's place in the world, refreshingly candid about his family life and his time in the Senate, Obama here sets out his political convictions and inspires us to trust in the dogged optimism that has long defined us and that is our best hope going forward.

My Review: To anyone who has had a pulse and visited either this blog or my other, it should come as no surprise that I would read and review this book. Now, I certainly didn't mean to finish it the day of the election (I started the darn thing back in August while in California for my sister's wedding) but between starting school and reading books for my classes (ahh, the life of a literature major) Audacity got shifted to the back burner. Now, though, with the election winding down, I figured I better finish it while the book was still relevant (even if I am not posting this review to make it even the least bit helpful to people still making up their mind).

So with that in mind, let me tell you that this is one of the most inspiring books that I have read in a long while. I am not even sure where I should begin talking about this book. Senator Obama's eloquence and clarity are refreshing; his vision of what America should and can be is nothing short of inspiring. It is a breath of fresh air to have a politician that recognizes that America is no longer the world leader that it once was, and then have that same politician talk about how America can be great again.

In this campaign there has been a lot of rhetoric about how America is the "Greatest Nation on the Planet," and the past eight years have fostered the feeling that anyone who points out America's warts is not a true American or a true patriot, whatever that means. Senator Obama confronts that sentiment, shows how dangerous and risky that that sentiment can really be, and then shows how we can once again be proud to call ourselves Americans on the world stage.

The Senator lays out his ideas for "hope" in nine areas, each comprising a chapter of the book: Republicans and Democrats, Values, Our Constitution, Politics, Opportunity, Faith, Race, The World Beyond Our Borders, and Family. In each of these chapters, Senator Obama weaves personal anecdotes and experiences with those of his constituents and then frames them in a national and world view, showing how the plight of average Americans has an effect on all of us.

There is nothing more refreshing than a politician who appears to actually be listening when Americans talk, and then acting on what he hears. This is the image that Senator Obama projects in his book, and one that I hope he does not lose if he succeeds in gaining the Presidency.

Now, I know that there is a possibility that some of my Readers out there will accuse me of having jumped in line to take a big ol' drink of the Obama Kool Aid, but nothing could be further from the truth. I came to support Obama from a position of extreme conservatism. Up until the current administrations utter failure in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, I was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican who kowtowed to the party line and swallowed all the invective, vitriol, and jingoism. (I wasn't a FOX News Conservative ... I did have some decency, but I was pretty darn close-I did vote for George W. Bush ... twice, much to my eternal shame).

It was only after I really began looking at what our government was doing and really began thinking critically and thinking for myself that I realized that what the current administration and the GOP were doing to the country were not what I wanted for myself and my country. It was then that Senator Obama, through his keynote speech that he delivered at the 2004 DNC in Boston, came to my attention. I subscribed to Senator Obama's official podcast, and as I listened I realized that this was a leader that I could get behind.

The greatest pride in my political adventures so far has been supporting Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency, and donating to that campaign. Reading The Audacity of Hope has, if anything, solidified the reasons why I voted for Barack Obama. (Because of my schedule with work and school, getting to the polls on November 4^th is hard, so I vote by absentee ballot). It cleared up the concerns I had with some of his past stances on the issues, and it made me hopeful for the future of not only America, but Connor and Deirdre as well.

I wish I had finished this book earlier so that I could have posted this review at a time when it would have been relevant to anyone who was still deciding, but c'est la vie. The best I can do is say that this is a book that will instill hope in the Reader who comes to it with an open mind and that's not just a cliché or a regurgitation of campaign slogans. It is the honest truth.

So, if you get this review in time, get out and vote. I really don't care who you vote for as long as you can do it with a clear conscious, having researched the issues and finding that candidate that best fits with what you want for America. I can respect someone who votes that way. What I can't respect is someone who votes party lines just because or votes based on fear or someone who hasn't done the research. Don't be a single issue voter. Don't be a straight-party ticket voter. Please. There's so much more to this election than just gay marriage or abortion or the War in Iraq or the economy. Surely they are all important issues, but as a package along with a host of other issues. As stand-alones, that's not what democracy is about.

The Audacity of Hope is a good place to look for Barack Obama's stances on the issues. I don't agree with everything he has stated (in particular his position on primary education and vouchers, etc. is not something I agree with) but for the most part I like what he has to say about a host of issues. Reading The Audacity of Hope has help me put a final, firm finger on why I voted for Senator Obama.

Anyway, I did not mean to get off on a political tirade, but this election has brought out that particular aspect of my personality that has been heretofore dormant, and it has been raging like Edward Hyde set free. (All one has to do is take a look at my The View from Utah blog HERE and HERE and HERE to see what I mean.)

The bottom line here, then, is that this is, to paraphrase The New York Times, a rare book from a "rare politician." A book that actually inspires and a book that actually delivers on its promise: It has given me the Audacity of Hope in the future.