While I’m on the topic of politics (must be that it’s November), I figured I’d mention my thoughts on one book by a political candidate that was compelling enough for me to pick up. I was very glad that I read Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama before tackling the Audacity of Hope (I later listened to the Audacity of Hope on CD and it didn’t have the same impact).
One might argue that Obama might have been contemplating a run for the presidency back when he wrote Dreams from My Father. (Surely we all know that many of our presidential candidates started contemplating their future the day they were pulled out of the womb.) However, this book does not seem calculated in any respect. What it does do is introduce us to an individual who has had quite an unusual life, and how he’s faced race and poverty issues both in the U.S. and abroad. His description of life in Hawaii and Indonesia are as compelling as the details of the work he tried to do in the slums of Chicago. And, of course, I have a fondness for any son raised by a single mom who turns out better than OK. Whatever your politics, it’s important to get to know the people who may be leading your country, so if there are books authored by them, it may help you form your own opinion on them.
The Top Shelf Bottom Line: No matter what your politics, we all should know a little bit about the individuals who may sit in the Oval Office. While I’ve only read/listened to the two Obama books, I intend to pick up most of the rest as the candidates are narrowed down.
- Barack Obama – Dreams From My Father; Audacity of Hope
- Rudy Giuliani – Leadership
-
John Edwards – Four Trials
-
John McCain – Faith of My Fathers
-
Hillary Clinton – Living History; It Takes a Village
-
Mitt Romney – Turnaround: Crises, Leadership, and the Olympic Games
In the meantime, if any of you have read any of the above, please give us your review below!
This entry was posted on Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 3:30 pm and is filed under Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Leave a Reply
