255 reviews
Sales Rank: 67

Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464

Dewey Decimal Number: 973.04960730092
ASIN: B000N2HCM4

Publication Date: January 9, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews: Read 250 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

A Must Read July 7, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is a wonderfully written description of Barack Obama's life in his own words. It offers insight into the man who is now the democratic candidate for the president of the United States. It provides the chance to know Barack before he entered politics, as he was just returning to Chicago after finishing Harvard Law School, in a way that generally only old friends or family do. It is a must read for anyone who will be voting in this presidential election or is just looking for a great summer book to read.

2 out of 5 stars

All About Him July 5, 2008
2 out of 7 found this review helpful

And, unfortunately, he's not that interesting. If he weren't running for president, I would have chucked the book after Indonesia. Black, white, black, white...whine, whine...yawn.

This man has no acomplishments to justify anyone voting for him.

5 out of 5 stars

Who Is He? This book Answered the Question! July 4, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

When I first heard the name Obama, I thought where did he come from, and I did not take him too seriously at first. I do not know if it is proper to mention politics here, but I am a staunch Democrat. Now, I have friends and relatives who are just as stauch Republicans, and that does not matter the least bit to me. I am just so thankful that we live in a country where we can vote according to the dictates of our own hearts and minds. Leaving that thought, I voted for Hillary in the primary and believed she would get the nomination. Well, the rest is history. After a few weeks, I soon realized with the coverage on the medica that Obama was not going away any time soon. Therefore, I went to Amazon to see what I could get to learn who he is. I bought this book and the Audacity of Hope from Amazon.
I was amazed at how well written and interesting this book is by such a young man. He is so diversified in various cultures, and has a deep understanding of human nature with regard to expressing themselves in these cultures.
He speaks of the difficulty of his youth with living in a white family while his grandfather taking him to the black bars for entertainment. He lives in Indonesia, and one gets an incite to the Asian customs which are quite different from us as Americans.
He later goes to Kenya and gives us detail into the people and customs of that land. The struggles that face his people whom he has not known. He only saw his father once when he was ten years old.
But the way he meets his siter Auma after they are both grown, and yet he connects with her is amazing.
It appears to me that he is trying to be truthful and candid about such important matters. He gives us an insight into the deep feelings of people who are affected by proverty and race. It would be unkind of me to say I understand those feelings because as a white American, I have not experienced them. However, I have great empathy for those who must endure this life. Yet, I am seeing that today we have many white people who are living in the area of poverty and uneducated. I am now old and see a trend that I do not like.
Obama chose willingly to serve in the Chicago area where he could see firsthand the poverty and see if he could make change. He did. He was persevering, tolerant, patient, a man on a mission to accomplish, and he did with much success.
He has the leadership skills to lead our great country. He has a charismatic way, his speeches inspire and uplift. I think he is the most highly intelligent and educated person to be in the office of President since President Kennedy. President Kennedy came on the scene to give hope to the young and old with his speeches challenging the people to do something. President Kennedy was opposed by many evangelicals because he was Catholic, we have never had a Catholic in office before; however, the bias did not prevail.
This race is a challenge we in America like to pride ourselves in the fact of being equal for all and past the racial crisis. However, I think we are seeing that America is in denial on this issue, and now many are having to deal with this issue head-on.
Yes, this book answered my question as to who is he. I will be voting for him, and after reading this book, it is with great confidence I do so. I have not begun the Audacity of Hope yet but am looking forward to it if it is written with the same honesty and thought.
I highly recommend.

5 out of 5 stars

Reversal of my opinion! July 4, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

I would not have had any intention of reading this book or any by Barack Obama as I viewed him with both distaste and a bit of fear feeding into the slanderous campaign being run against him and being a die-hard Republican. So why did I read this book? Well my boss has his Kindle on a business trip and knowing I wanted a Kindle he lent me his to read one night. He had this book in his Kindle, so out of curiousity I started to read it. I can honestly say I was blown away and determined to read the rest of the book. I wanted to know more.

I finally purchased my Kindle(love it)and as soon as it came yesterday I ordered this book first and have been reading it since. My opinion has pretty much reversed on what I thought about this man, and I can say I am impressed and want to know more. I am not quite done with the book but decided to write this as a possible encouragement to someone who like me thinks ill of this man. Am I a total convert, not yet, but I will now listen more closely as to what he is saying and think long and hard about what to do in November. And those e-mails that were pure poison, I'll just delete them unread and make my own decision.

4 out of 5 stars

Interesting July 2, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

Was educational as to Barack's life. Just started another one of his books, "The Audacity of Hope".