Dreams from My Father:
A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama
A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama
Length: 7 hrs 13 min
Format: Audiobook
Price: Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: After reading Elizabeth the Queen, I was on a world-leaders biography kick. Since I've always been a little fascinated by Barack Obama's dual status as politician and celebrity, this one seemed a good choice. Throw in the fact that it is READ BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE SWEET BUTTER, it was a no-brainer.
Basic Premise: This memoir begins with Barack's grandparents and follows through to his wedding to Michelle Obama. It does not, as I assumed it would, address his presidency, or even his senate seat. It was published in 2004, as you may notice, 5 years before Obama took office. (For the record, I did not notice and had to look it up.) It focuses on his father, the void his absence left in Barack's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and his journey to finding the role his father's legacy would eventually play in his larger life.
Price: Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: After reading Elizabeth the Queen, I was on a world-leaders biography kick. Since I've always been a little fascinated by Barack Obama's dual status as politician and celebrity, this one seemed a good choice. Throw in the fact that it is READ BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE SWEET BUTTER, it was a no-brainer.
Basic Premise: This memoir begins with Barack's grandparents and follows through to his wedding to Michelle Obama. It does not, as I assumed it would, address his presidency, or even his senate seat. It was published in 2004, as you may notice, 5 years before Obama took office. (For the record, I did not notice and had to look it up.) It focuses on his father, the void his absence left in Barack's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and his journey to finding the role his father's legacy would eventually play in his larger life.
My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
First of all, I don't care what the book is about - if Barack Obama is speaking, I'm listening. There were actually a few times I got caught up in the timbre of his silky smoothness that I realized I didn't know what was going on and had to go back.
Voice-appeal aside, this book was far more interesting that I had expected. I think I knew his mother was from Kansas, but I had never really thought much about it. When describing his parents, he drew on his mother's Kansas roots when he contrasted her to his Kenyan father. As his maternal grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing, it was neat to read about the role Kansas played in their lives. I also had no idea that he spent several years of his young life in Indonesia, a country I visited last year and to which I have some family ties. But I particularly enjoyed his early years struggling as a community planner in Chicago prior to the meteoric rise we all know about. He had to work closely with churches and church leaders, and his spiritual development, while not discussed at length in the book, is an object of fascination. The book's primary focus is on his father, and during this time in his life, he takes a trip to Kenya to meet his father's family, including brothers and sisters. This trip proved very formative in his journey to find a place for his father in his own life.
I was disappointed that it stopped so soon, but it did pique my interest about reading The Audacity of Hope. Unfortunately, it was not available on Overdrive, nor was Michelle's biography.
:(
Maybe some day!
First of all, I don't care what the book is about - if Barack Obama is speaking, I'm listening. There were actually a few times I got caught up in the timbre of his silky smoothness that I realized I didn't know what was going on and had to go back.
Voice-appeal aside, this book was far more interesting that I had expected. I think I knew his mother was from Kansas, but I had never really thought much about it. When describing his parents, he drew on his mother's Kansas roots when he contrasted her to his Kenyan father. As his maternal grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing, it was neat to read about the role Kansas played in their lives. I also had no idea that he spent several years of his young life in Indonesia, a country I visited last year and to which I have some family ties. But I particularly enjoyed his early years struggling as a community planner in Chicago prior to the meteoric rise we all know about. He had to work closely with churches and church leaders, and his spiritual development, while not discussed at length in the book, is an object of fascination. The book's primary focus is on his father, and during this time in his life, he takes a trip to Kenya to meet his father's family, including brothers and sisters. This trip proved very formative in his journey to find a place for his father in his own life.
I was disappointed that it stopped so soon, but it did pique my interest about reading The Audacity of Hope. Unfortunately, it was not available on Overdrive, nor was Michelle's biography.
:(
Maybe some day!
No comments:
Post a Comment