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

Pros: Thoughtful, concise views of a politician who admits he doesn't know everything

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: This is a book that makes you think and gives you hope.

Review: It's as though he came out of nowhere. Barack Obama is now being mentioned as a possible candidate for president in 2008. I knew little about him except that I remember he gave an outstanding speech at the otherwise boring 2004 Democratic Convention ...

Pros: well written, thoughtful, no mud-slinging, something everyone can relate to

Cons: several points where it was tedious, many will dismiss him without reading

The Bottom Line: If only more politicians would focus on what binds us together rather than what tears us apart the country would be better off.

Review: Living in the state with the first in the nation primary means we are subjected to way more political ads and news before the rest of the country (with the exception of Tom ). I had actually made my decision who to vote for ...

Pros: Heartfelt and eloquent expression that brings back hope and provides political insight.

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: The "rock star" of the Democratic Party shares his thoughts on reclaiming the American Dream most eloquently. A must read before the 2008 campaign.

Review: Is it possible for a "skinny guy with a funny name", whose blood relatives range from some "who resemble Margaret Thatcher and others who could pass for Bernie Mac", to be elected President of the United States? If Americans are ready to judge a man on ...

Pros: In its best passages as profound and eloquent as the earlier DREAMS FROM MY FATHER.

Cons: At its worst, AUDACITY is merely flat, a bit tired and unfresh.

The Bottom Line: Both books by Barack Obama reward reading and re-reading. The later AUDACITY OF HOPE reveals how brilliantly the Senator's mind works and the core convictions propelling its deductions.

Review: Barack Obama's bestseller of 2006, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE is subtitled THOUGHTS ON RECLAIMING THE AMERICAN DREAM. By all accounts, the junior senator from Illinois now earns enough money from sales alone of this and his earlier DREAMS FROM MY FATHER to ...

Pros: Honest, self-aware and observant. A promotion of hope in a sea of shroud.

Cons: Apt to be dismissed for all the wrong reasons.

The Bottom Line: A clear and heartening exposition of current political realities from a point of view that promotes hopefulness and the need for and achievability of necessary change.

Review: It’s a lose-lose situation for even the legislators with honorable intentions – which, according to U.S. Senator Barak Obama, most of them actually are! The possibility of conceiving, developing, writing and passing ‘clean’ legislation ...

Pros: Easy to read. Shows how his life experiences have shaped his views.

Cons: Written before the mid-term elections.

The Bottom Line: If you want to find out whether this guy is for real, it's a must read. Even if you think you don't like him, his assertions make you think.

Review: For anyone trying to find out what Barack Obama is really all about, here it is. His plans for foreign and domestic issues are here, as well as a thoughtful look at how his ideals have been informed by his personal experiences. He uses a technique in ...

Pros: Obama's grand visions for America inspire the reader to hope for a better tomorrow.

Cons: Wordy.

The Bottom Line: Interesting ideas, good solutions to social problems - but too wordy to be truly a great book.

Review: In The Audacity of Hope, Barak Obama calls for meaningful debate on the important issues facing America. Debate requires the formulation of opinions and the gathering of facts, both of which are evident in the book. Obama offers solutions to many of ...

Pros: He told us where he stands.

Cons: People take him seriously.

The Bottom Line: Don't brainwash yourself.

Review: One time in high school, my English teacher assigned us to write a paper on a book we were reading in class. _The Great Gatsby_ I think it was. Yes. And me, being the procrastinator that I am, hadn't read the book and it was the night before it was ...