On sales discount shop, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $5.00
Your Save: $ 9.95 ( 67% )
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.04960730092
EAN: 9780307237705
ISBN: 0307237702
Label: Three Rivers Press
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2007-11-06
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Release Date: 2007-11-06
Studio: Three Rivers Press
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Editorial Reviews:
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“A government that truly represents these Americans–that truly serves these Americans–will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.”
–from The Audacity of Hope
In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.”
Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics–a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.
At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy–where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.
A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes–“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”
From the Hardcover edition.
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customer reviews: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very well-written
Comment: Written in a style that is easy to read, I found The Audacity of Hope to be very insightful. The author has a simple, but not simplistic, perspective on the world. Since he is our next president, everyone should read this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Obama, the man for 2009!
Comment: This is a must read or at least every household should have one of Barack Obama's book in their library.
Customer Rating:
Summary: No wonder he is the President now
Comment: this is wonderful audiobook, Barack has a great voice and delivery that made the overall experience thoroughly enjoyable.
This is an inspiring political biography (with human element to it!!)
Provides an insight into a man and a politician of collaboration - who clearly has made history!
absolutely loved it - i actually heard the first copy from the library but then ended up buying a copy for my collection.
I look forward to his presidency.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Same old, same old
Comment: Tried reading the book, but there is nothing new here. Just the same old bromides and banalities without any real analysis or opinions; cookie-cutter platitudes designed to gratify the masses. Am unsure how this new president-elect has stirred up such enthusiasm from reading this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Insight to the New President's Mind
Comment: Ok, he's not president ... yet. We still have 14 more days. However, I bought this book before the election, wanting to read more about the man's state of mind and his thoughts on the American dream. It has taken me this long to read it, not because the words are too hard (I read that somewhere that someone was daunted by the "big" words he used), but because it is very thought-provoking and it is not a book to rush through. I rarely if ever underline anything in my books but this book broke that rule of mine. I was underlining so many different thoughts in there to remind myself that it is what I agree with too. That doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with everything he has said, but he does provide fodder for thought.
It is a very well-written book. It makes me wish that I could attend his classes on Constitutional Law, which is saying something since I find law boring. He provides examples after examples to back up his thoughts. He has obviously done his research especially in foreign policy (which is my least favorite chapter of all the chapters. It was also one that I disagreed with the most.) and he is passionate about his beliefs. He is passionate about the American people. I've seen it in his speeches and during the debates. He is passionate about the American Dream. And it's about time there is someone at the helm who is passionate about the Dream and how we can work together to bring it about.
I don't expect Obama to bring about all the changes that he'd like to see because, let's be honest here, politicans in Congress will not agree and they will fight everything they can to push their own agenda through. Hopefully, Obama will be able to override that but that remains to be seen. However, he does have a good plan in mind and hopefully, he will be able to implement it.
The one thing I got from this book is the strong sense of hope. The strong sense of hope and change that his presidency will bring about, hopefully. For the first time in 8 years, there is a feeling of hope among the people and among different readers. This book has generated a lot of talk among people. Hopefully, these talks will bring about the necessary change that is needed desperately for this country to thrive.
It doesn't matter which side of the aisle you are on, this book is a much read. It is also a relief that for a change, there is an intelligent man at the helm of this country.
1/4/09
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