PDF Dreams from My Father A Story of Race and Inheritance Audible Audio Edition Barack Obama Random House Audio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 7 hours and 8 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Abridged Publisher Random House Audio Audible.com Release Date June 10, 2005 Language English, English ASIN B0009XC6DM

Dreams from My Father A Story of Race and Inheritance Audible Audio Edition Barack Obama Random House Audio Books Reviews

• As Joe Scarborough has joked, Obama wrote his autobiography before he had really done anything. There are benefits
  to this. The Audacity of Hope was written when he was already a Senator and about to run for President, and by then
  his political skills had developed considerably. I expect that his next memoir will be extremely well written and polished.
  But Dreams From My Father is the book that most explains who Obama is. His strengths and weaknesses, which make
  him so admired by many and feared by his opponents, come out strongly. Opponents of Obama will find reasons to empathize
  with his experience and that of his family, but also will see how that experience shaped his worldview that was imposed on
  the American people. This book should also show why many people voted for him in the first place, not only because
  he is an eloquent speaker and skilled writer, but because he has a compelling personal story.
  
  Besides the trip to Kenya to search for his family roots, there is an extended reflection on his experience in Chicago as a
  community organizer. I think this reveals a lot about Obama's qualities as well. There is a true desire to help and improve,
  an intellectual talent, and yet there's always a geographical displacement and emotional detachment, an outsider's perspective
  looking in, that somehow distances him even as he tries to immerse in the milieu. (Contrast Bill Clinton's I feel your pain). He is
  sensitive, perhaps too sensitive and questioning, and yet somehow not empathetic enough for the opposing point of view (e.g.
  pro life). The end of the book has a reflection from a few years later on being a law student, on justifying the justice system for the
  powerless, making clear that he was not only liberal but radical. This shows how in his later political career, even when he tried
  to transcend partisanship and made a lot of intellectual deliberation, he almost always arrived at conclusions on the left end of
  the spectrum, because he was coming from the far left end. For instance, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, from whom he later had to
  distance himself, is just a regular normal character in the narrative but was in fact a radical liberationist in his theology.
  To me the book resembles, in some respects, even the gentle but dark humor, Dennis Kucinich's Courage to Survive, where
  he did in Cleveland what Obama did in Chicago. I can see why Kucinich eventually endorsed Obama even though by 2008 he
  had smoothed out his radicalism.
  
  Despite the conflict between Western liberalism and traditional African values, Obama is very much a feminist and the Western position
  won out despite his sympathy for Africa. And yet one of the more compelling passages of the book for me, not politically but personally,
  is at the end where he reflects on how even in a family where the women have held together, the men have often been plagued by
  doubts about their race and their masculinity and the cruelty that being male can bring with it. Regardless of politics, that is something
  that the Obama family seems to have modeled well and overcome in the next generation, with his daughters although he didn't have boys.
• It's clear how from Obama's life how he became such a eloquent, elegant, intellectual, disciplined, balanced and compassionate man. I am impressed at how fascinating his life has been and by that I mean before his presidency. I am a big fan of Obama and his family based on what he achieved as our 44th president but after reading the book I know he earned every bit of his soulful nature. Well written and enjoyably readable, he is candid about his achievements and failures. His humanness but yet his extraordinary perseverance make him a fascinating main character. I particularly liked reading about his family in Africa and the time he spent with them. I have no doubt how formative it was for him to be a biracial, half African, half midwestern American living his childhood largely with his grandparents in Oahu having also spent a few of his young years in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather. This is a treat to read!!!!
• It's a wonder I haven't read this book before. Since I first heard about it, I knew it would eventually drift my way and I am thankful it has. Barack's story, like so many others, is one of identity, affirmation, and of his profound sense of being present. Through eloquence and a seemingly poetic choice of words, we ride with him on a bumpy train of curiosity, loss, self exploration, personal development, persistence and joy. We visit each home and at each instance he brings it to life wrapping it in context and history and forcing readers to consider its impact on those involved.
  
  As an African American man who has gained some momentum in being authentically me, I appreciate how much of him is also an amalgamation of those closest to him. Thank you Barack for sitting down and taking the time to share your journey with me, it was a worthy venture to explore this chapter in your life. However, as it should be, I'm left wanting more.
• The best version of this is the audio version which Obama reads himself, even with different accents. This is a poignant book which describes his multi-cultural, biracial upbringing and thus explains his constant urge to help people understand each other, his desire to bridge divides. I had a paperback copy but I bought both the hardback version of the book, for enjoyment in the years to come, and the audio, which is captivating.
• I wanted to read this over the length of his presidency, but it never happened. It was a great read. Really helped me understand inner city life and the struggles of the black community. I appreciate his honesty and how hard he fought to make people's lives easier. Makes sense why he was such a great president. I was especially moved with how he explained the challenges of being both white and black. Such a great memoir. Fantastic.
• A well-written book with unique insight on the early thinking of our future President. Although it is not a traditional autobiography, it has an even-paced narrative that sounds genuine and non-political. The only downside from my perspective is the lack of closure with his experience as a community organizer in Chicago. It seems that he accomplished a lot in Chicago and he vowed to return after his time in Harvard. But I'm curious to know the progress of Altgeld Gardens. Did he pick up where he left off? Or did he simply moved on because there's not much else he could've done. All in all, it's a very good read.
• Reading this book gave me a look into the struggles of being black in America. It made me uncomfortable at times as it should have. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is willing to look into the soul of what it feels like to be black.