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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (精装)
by Barack Obama
| Category:
American Dream, American society, Non-fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 278.00
MSL price:
¥ 218.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Optimistic, refreshing and beautifully written, The Audacity of Hope is a very American introduction to Senator Obama and his stance on current issues. |
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AllReviews |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
It is refreshing to find a politician who offers more than the usual sound bite double-speak. Barack Obama's book covers the vision of America's Founders, an overview of the history that brought us to where we are today and well thought out opinions on where we should go from here. Obama is unflinchingly honest in appraising the strengths and weaknesses of both Democrats and Republicans. His chapter on politics is an eye-opening depiction of the reasons why too many politicians fail the voters. I highly recommend this book for both liberals and conservatives.
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Herbert Calhoun (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
Mr. Obama is that rare Progressive with a positive agenda and some novel ideas (rather than a wrecking ball) as the preferred tools to end the mean-spirited stalemate in the American political process. He is excruciatingly honest, level headed and clear-headed, which are not always virtues in American politics.
The program outlined in The Audacity of Hope is audacious only in its honesty, clarity, and simplicity. It is to make a renewed appeal to the basic values shared by all Americans, and to use this appeal as a kind of " reverse patriotic English," or "reverse moral wedge" that will begin the process of driving us back together rather than continuing to drive us further apart. Obama's hope is that this mid-course correction will at least reverse, if not end, the deadlock and dysfunction in the political process.
Obama's "audacious hope" is that such "super patriotic appeals" to heed the call to deeper shared American values can be used to forge and reinvigorate virtually non-existent cross-party alliances. The compromises thus forged would serve to detoxify and render functional an otherwise hopelessly deadlocked and a thoroughly dysfunctional, American political process. It is a process that Obama recognizes to be more concerned about the proper spin of rhetoric, the earning of and spending of political capital, political correctness, triangulation, avoiding high negatives, keeping the opposition on the defensive, raising truck loads of unholy money, and getting out the base vote, than about solving a very scary backlog of steadily accumulating national problems.
The Obama hope rests on a thin and illusive premise that a difference does in fact exist between our deeply held and shared values and the narrow political interests that keeps us apart. His theory is that once an enlightened group of the American electorate recognizes that the values that bind us are stronger than those that are driving us apart, then the nation will wake up to the fact that these deeper values are the last hope to bringing us back together, and thus they will willingly join in a larger crusade to end the national division and dysfunction. It is a very interesting but shaky premise to say the least. But it is one that sells well in an election year, and oddly I agree with the author that no matter how shaky it is, we have no choice but to try it. After all, what else is there?
Although the Obama tune has the right beat and is played in the right key, especially for a political season, the disconnect that makes his approach seem almost naïve, is a failure to recognize that in the American political process, it is not so much the values themselves that seem to matter, as it is the use to which they are being put and the particular interests they serve. As Obama knows better than most of us, what we find in the American body politic, is that the shared values that lie on the common substrate that he speaks so eloquently of, are the very ones that are being twisted and bent to serve the will of both the legitimate and the illegitimate interests of the various competing groups and subgroups.
In fact, it would not be much of an exaggeration to say that it is peculiarly American that, since the founding of the nation itself, most of the national conversation has been, and continues to be about how these much cherished values are interpreted and used, rather than about the moral legitimacy of the claims made against them, and the interests those claims most often serve.
No one, including Obama wants to raise the ugly issue of how since the nation's founding, our cherished values have always been, and continue to be, used to defend both morally legitimate and morally illegitimate interests. In every instance, it has been "the interests behind our values" and "not the values per se" that has been the hidden subject of our national moral "tug of war."
Some how as a nation, we must come to admit that some interests are morally illegitimate - even if deeply held by a majority of the people - and others are not. Otherwise, how can we continue to pin our hopes (audacious or otherwise) on the pretense that illegitimate and legitimate interests have equal claims on our national values and resources, and then not expect dysfunction and division to be the ultimate corrupting result?
It seems that the moral disconnect in the Obama theory is failing to recognize this very point: That while there is indeed a common set of shared American values, it is precisely this set that is being challenged through differential interpretation and used to promote different and usually opposing interests - some of which are morally legitimate, others of which are morally suspect, and a few at times which are even morally reprehensible. It is these "competing interests," rather than their moral legitimacy, that seems to matter most to even the select group of Americans to which his appeal is being made. Failing to recognize that this difference has had, and will continue to have a corrupting effect on the American political process, is not in itself a viable program, but very much another wish-fulfilling mirage.
Thus, it is reasonable to ask: Is Obama's plan just more of the same old wine of self-serving and self-fulfilling prophesy in a new bottle? Or is it new wine in the same old bottle? Only the Presidential campaign will tell.
Despite this, The Audacity of Hope is the most honest and the clearest analysis of the contemporary American political scene in this century; the book thus deserves five stars. |
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Jon Hunt (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
The most exciting politician to hit the airwaves over the past couple of years has been Illinois Senator Barack Obama and now with his new book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama has given more of himself to the public. It is a thoughtful and personal (if somewhat uneven) account of his life, his ideas and his opinions.
Obama is at his best in this book when he talks about himself. His story is matchless and it is clear that he has spent time in putting together a narrative that is as compelling as his life story. A quote that stands out for me is this one..."the arguments of liberals are more often grounded in reason and fact". Yes, he's a liberal and proud of it, although he leaves just enough wiggle room to suggest he is more of a compromiser than a risk taker. Perhaps he really is looking more for an extended Senate career than a run for the White House.
The downside of The Audacity of Hope lies in the fact that a good deal of the book sounds like a campaign platform. The tax cuts favoring the rich, for instance, while soundly repudiated by Senator Obama, is a talking point that still comes across as campaign rhetoric. To be sure, there is a politician in him, for better or worse. For all the insights he offers, Obama sometimes lacks an inventive way of relating them. Still, there is a comprehensive attempt on his part to explain his positions vis-a-vis current realities and as a teacher he is very good.
I don't know what kind of president Barack Obama would make should he run and win, but The Audacity of Hope is a good start at a national introduction. If the reader can get through the drier points of the book, the personal reflections are well worth the read.
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Kenn Amdahl (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
You can't read a book by a guy who might run for President without sizing him up in that context. And, in fairness, if you're a guy who might run for President, you can't write without remembering how critical people are. You can't be careless with language, or throw in wisecracks that might offend someone somewhere. Therefore, don't read this book expecting Dave Barry or Dan Brown. On the other hand, you gotta admire a guy who tells you what he believes and why before he even declares for the race whether you agree with him or not. In that context, this is a book everyone should read. In that context, it was an excellent book.
I read the book and never found a reason to dislike the guy or quibble seriously with his writing. I never disagreed with him, nor thought him naive. His opinions were carefully considered, and based on a broad base of knowledge of law, history, and common sense. He always articulated both sides of an issue concisely and fairly before explaining why he came down on the side he did. Coincidentally, in virtually every case, it was also the side I came down on. That means either we are both very smart guys, or he is a genius who knows how to make people think they always held his opinion. His thought process was refreshingly presidential.
Before I read it, my fear was that a guy who taught constitutional law might not have real-world problem solving skills. I still don't know for sure that he does, but he certainly has internalized the process for building concensus and solving certain kinds of problems. And maybe that's more important than if we agree on some detail of a free trade agreement.
Still, in the real world, I'm going to guess he might have trouble fixing his own car or hanging drywall. My worst fear remains that he might not possess enough ruthlessness to anticipate and defend against the cunning moves that a seasoned pirate or thug might make. In a knife fight, Cheney or Saddam would carve him up. But he is also the kind of guy that could probably surround himself with a few gunslingers, and smart enough to know he needs them. You don't need to be the best bar fighter if you have a good and loyal bouncer. Ike had Nixon, JFK had Bobby, Clinton had Vernon Jordan. So far, Obama's got Oprah. She's good, but she's no Karl Rove. The Audacity of Hope did not deal with that issue at all, and that's probably his political weakness.
My biggest concern with Audacity of Hope was that the book was not as breezy as the population demands, so not many people will actually read the whole thing and come up with their own opinion. They will only know what Rush tells them, or what Wolf tells them. On the other hand, it was a serious book by a serious guy, and that's a refreshing change of pace, presidential-candidate-wise. I hope all the other potential candidates provide us with this kind of detailed and thoughtful position paper before the election season heats up. |
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J. Shreve (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
Barack Obama's writing style is clear, articulate & very readable. But it is his interweaving of his past experiences, how they have shaped him as a person & how they guide his current thoughts, perspectives & goals that I found most interesting. Mr. Obama strikes me as an authentic, genuine person who we would be lucky to have in our political arena for decades to come. While I cringe that he may become less straightforward & honest being in politics, he is one of the few who I truly trust & the best hope for success that I see in our future. His values are right-on & I hope that he has many chances to steer the course of American history in the coming years.
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E. Daniels (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-16 00:00>
Senator Obama'a latest screed is a book about politics, common gound and reclaiming the American Dream. People looking for some deep thought that transcends our political, social, and foriegn policy issues are bound to be disapointed, especially if you are a progressive who swooned over his Speech at the Democratic Convention 2 years ago. The book breaks down into his childhood in Hawaii youthful indiscertions (a little coke, herb etc..) and the transition into the man he is today. Obama's centrism is really oft- putting to someone like me who feels that partisonship is a good idea (At least your enemies know where you stand)he would rather work the middle ground and find soloutions to our problems that are at it's heart does not lend itself to a 'gray area'.
The chapter I found on race is typical Clinton doublespeak, As an Afro-American His appeal to 'universality' is trite at best because in one minute he knows he does not live an "authentic" cultural black expericence Obama who is mixed is doing what Shelby Steele calls " racial negotitating " making whites feel comfortable around someone like Obama who trusts that white america will do the right thing and he believes in the moral goodness of the majority white population and this country's ethos thereby he is liked for not challenging their morality. Obama tries to have it both ways empathizing with the Afro- American and Hispanic struggle (the vote he really needs to win election if he chooses to run for the Presidency)and he unlike many black intellectuals knows that the conservative movement used the symbols of the great society progress to butress their arguments in a "racial cold war". Obama fails when he lectures Latinos on Immirgration and by trying to find common ground he ends up alienating those who challenge this society's attitude about both blacks and Latinos.I think he is naive about race in this country, I for one do not trust the majority society to treat us with brotherhood and charity (after 389 years Afro- Americans ought to know better)I look at people as Enemies or Allies and white conservatives are the enemy of Afro- Americans or do we have to go to New Orleans for the Genocide (I see dead black people floating) they attempted last year.If Obama wants to negoitate with conservatives and find common ground that's his right, I would rather have power because it is the only thing White conservatives (and their minority allies) understand.
The last chapter he talks of his wife and her family that is the most touching thing in the whole book, his love for her seems genuine and you can tell he has empathy and concern for her and children in general. I feel that his book is just and average at best. Maybe he might be President but he will not be the 'first black president'. But if you are a believer in Obama's charisma and think he can rise above petty politics and bring people of different races into a common American ideal then this book is for you, But if you do not like " Colorblind Centrists" like Obama and Harold Ford think they are weak 'Uncle Toms" then this book will to you be just average.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.)
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