A conservative reviews Senator Obama’s latest book …. , October 17, 2006

All too often here on Amazon, we review only those books and authors with which we totally agree…or totally disagree…and give little regard to the quality of the actual contents of the book. And then, our fellow Amazon viewers come along and rate our reviews strictly on the basis of their own partisan biases. This is not very helpful.

I set out to read and review Senator Barack Obama’s latest book, not because I agree with everything he has to say, but because I respect and admire him as a thoughtful and eloquent American with a compelling story.

The Senator has a warm and inviting style of communicating that clearly communicates his sincerity and optimism. In short, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE is a generally good and uplifting read. Unlike many of his political contemporaries, Obama discusses values and faith in a manner that is not forced, uncomfortable, or put on…what he says seems to come from the heart. And, he cogently articulates why and how his faith and values cause him to think and act in the way that he does.

He is passionate, but also humble and self-effacing. Perhaps he would not appreciate the comparisons, but his hopeful, non-cynical, and sincere tone, coupled with his large vision, remind me in a positive way of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush.

That is not to say that he would be often in the same political boat as either Reagan or Bush…or Dr. Emil Shuffhausen. I would take issue with some of the Senator’s policies (though I believe his goals are noble). For example, I think he over-reaches on the idea of universal health care, and while I do believe there is strong evidence to suggest a warming in the earth’s climate, Senator Obama and I would disagree on the primary causes and "cures" for this warming. I don’t believe that cutting taxes for those who pay taxes (aka "the rich") is unfair; I don’t believe that a "pro-choice" position offers adequate choice for the unborn child. But, I recognize that Senator Obama is–in general–respectful and gracious towards those with whom he disagrees.

I do agree with him that America must overcome our addiction to foreign oil and to oil in general. I do agree that more emphasis needs to be placed on strengthening families and upholding traditional values; on reducing teen pregnancy and the root causes of poverty. Obama’s brand of "liberalism" at times seems closer to Bill Clinton’s "third way" than to the Michael Moore/George Soros/Rev. Jeremiah Wright school of delusional hatred. Speaking of Rev. Wright, it is difficult to align the overall notion of the "audacity of hope" with Rev. Wright’s long history of racially inflammatory remarks.

Senator Obama’s stated efforts to transcend partisanship are laudable; the reality of his words and his intentions will surely be tested in years to come. (It would be helpful, perhaps, if he acknowledged more that partisanship is not only the province of "right wing Republicans" but also a staple of many of his Democratic brethren, but, I quibble.)

In the meantime, whether one is a "conservative" or a "liberal," there is much to gain in terms of insight into one of the brightest lights on the American political stage today by reading this book.

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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Barack Obama’s first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. We had the opportunity to ask Senator Obama a few questions about writing, reading, and politics–see his responses below. –Daphne Durham

–This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Ilinois’s Democratic senator illuminates the constraints of mainstream politics all too well in this sonorous manifesto. Obama (Dreams from My Father) castigates divisive partisanship (especially the Republican brand) and calls for a centrist politics based on broad American values. His own cautious liberalism is a model: he’s skeptical of big government and of Republican tax cuts for the rich and Social Security privatization; he’s prochoice, but respectful of prolifers; supportive of religion, but not of imposing it. The policy result is a tepid Clintonism, featuring tax credits for the poor, a host of small-bore programs to address everything from worker retraining to teen pregnancy, and a health-care program that resembles Clinton’s Hillary-care proposals. On Iraq, he floats a phased but open-ended troop withdrawal. His triangulated positions can seem conflicted: he supports free trade, while deploring its effects on American workers (he opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement), in the end hoping halfheartedly that more support for education, science and renewable energy will see the economy through the dilemmas of globalization. Obama writes insightfully, with vivid firsthand observations, about politics and the compromises forced on politicians by fund-raising, interest groups, the media and legislative horse-trading. Alas, his muddled, uninspiring proposals bear the stamp of those compromises. (Oct. 17)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Brilliant and Unforgettable, July 19, 2000

His book was one of the most haunting, unforgettable reads in recent years for me. I was mezmerized by passages in the author’s other best-selling masterpiece Into Thin Air, such as the passage involving stranded and doomed guide Rob Hall, near the Everest summit, talking to his pregnant wife via satellite phone to discuss names for their unborn child. However, I was unprepared for the depths of emotion felt in reading Into the Wild - it literally kept me up at nights, not just reading but thinking about the book in the dark.

Some reviewers criticized the book because they thought McCandless demonstrated a naive and unhealthy lack of respect for the Alaskan wilderness. This is no hike on the Appalachian Trail - Chris was literally dropped off by a trucker into the middle of nowhere, with no provision stores, guides, or means of assistance nearby at his disposal. He had a big bag of rice and a book about native plants, designed to tell him which plants and berries he could eat. "How could he have been so stupid?", they ask.

Well, I certainly didn’t feel compelled to give away my belongings, pack some rice and a Tolstoy novel and walk into the woods after reading the book, but the author does a remarkable job of exploring McCandless the person, including passages derived from interviews with the many poeple whose lives he touched in his odyssey as he drove and then hitch-hiked cross country from his well-to-do suburban home. Some of the more touching parts of the book involved tearful reminisces by some of these old aquaintances when they learned he had perished.

Krakauer also throws in for good measure an illuminating passage about a similar death-defying climb that he foolishly attempted at about the same age as McCandless, with little training and preparation, providing insight into what makes a person attempt a dangerous climb or hike. He even tells several fascinating tales, all of them true, of other recreational hikers who were stranded in the wilderness.

By the end of the book, I thought I understood McCandless’ character, and I thought Krakauer was probably right in putting his finger on exactly what caused his death. I was moved by his plight regardless of his possible foolishness in venturing into Denali, and the final scenes involving Chris’ family were emotionally devastating. You need not be an outdoorsman to appreciate it, and in fact unlike Into Thin Air the book is completely accessible to those who know nothing about the subject. I think this book is destined to become a classic.

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Cardiac meds needed for Mezrich’s thrilling ride, November 21, 2002

Ben Mezrich is superb writer and story teller with the amazing ability to weave the excitement of a Las Vegas casino, the mathmetics of card counting with enjoyable interpersonal dynamics so that this is a consuming story with people you care about. His description of the high roller lifestyle in Vegas takes you to the tables playing sums you watch others wager with the adrenaline rush like you were part of the team. I bought the book in Boston having just missed him at a book signing and had a hardtime finishing the conference. I found myself in the room reading a book I could not put down instead of going out in one of the towns in which the story was set. It was that engrossing.

My Christmas list now contains all of his previous writings as this is an author who knows how to tell a story.

HER OWN SEARCH - HER OWN VOICE, BOTH IMPRESSIVE, February 26, 2006

Reading the subtitle of Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, "One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia," one can only think well, she certainly knows where to look! Also, upon learning that this is her chosen way of recovering from a particularly acrimonious divorce and a trying-to-make-up-for-that-loss romance that didn’t work, we might think how fortunate she is to able to seek solace in such intriguing places.

Whatever our opinion of her reasons for this journey it has been established that she’s a super writer (The Last American Man), and she brings all of her wit, intellect and stylish pen to Eat Pray Love. More than that, she brought a great deal of courage to her chosen task of traveling the world alone at the age of 34. She felt she needed a dramatic change, and it may be that she has found it.

It’s a pleasure to listen to this memoir/travelogue in her voice. Many will associate with her initial confession that she’s not a very good traveler in that she suffers from various digestive interruptions. However, on the plus side she easily makes friends with anyone. As she puts it, "I can make friends with the dead." Or, if there isn’t anyone around she claims that she could chat with a pile of Sheetrock. Whatever the case, she is a very lucky lady as her travel experiences prove.

No Viva Italia for Italy because of Messina, a port town in Sicily that she describes as "scary and suspicious." Perhaps that’s one reason why she’s lonely and depressed there. But things definitely take a turn for the better in India and Indonesia, although her meditation needs a little more work.

Did Gilbert find what she was searching for? Listeners may not be too sure but they’ll certainly enjoy the trip!

- Gail Cook.

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 Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Gilbert (The Last American Man) grafts the structure of romantic fiction upon the inquiries of reporting in this sprawling yet methodical travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. Plagued with despair after a nasty divorce, the author, in her early 30s, divides a year equally among three dissimilar countries, exploring her competing urges for earthly delights and divine transcendence. First, pleasure: savoring Italy’s buffet of delights–the world’s best pizza, free-flowing wine and dashing conversation partners–Gilbert consumes la dolce vita as spiritual succor. "I came to Italy pinched and thin," she writes, but soon fills out in waist and soul. Then, prayer and ascetic rigor: seeking communion with the divine at a sacred ashram in India, Gilbert emulates the ways of yogis in grueling hours of meditation, struggling to still her churning mind. Finally, a balancing act in Bali, where Gilbert tries for equipoise "betwixt and between" realms, studies with a merry medicine man and plunges into a charged love affair. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year’s cultural and emotional tapestry–conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor–as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression.

Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The New Yorker

At the age of thirty-one, Gilbert moved with her husband to the suburbs of New York and began trying to get pregnant, only to realize that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for "balancing." These destinations are all on the beaten track, but Gilbert’s exuberance and her self-deprecating humor enliven the proceedings: recalling the first time she attempted to speak directly to God, she says, "It was all I could do to stop myself from saying, ‘I’ve always been a big fan of your work.’"

Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

A Great Read, March 29, 2008

 I couldn’t put this book down. It was such a compelling read that I kept turning page after page wanting to know what came next…eventhough I already knew how it ended. It is beautifully written, almost like reading a fiction book, and yet, of course, frightenly real. It is tragic that this actually happened, but I’m thankful to each family that they have chosen to tell their story. To share with us the grace and mercy, and abundant love that these two families have for one another.

They have been a wonderful example of how we, too, can love and forgive, and have compassion towards one another when life doesn’t play out how we would like. This book makes me want to live a deeper faith-filled life and always love and have faith…no matter what!

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