Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (Canons) - Softcover

Obama, Barack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782119256 ISBN 13: 9781782119258

Publisher: Canongate Canons, 2016

Synopsis

An international bestseller which has sold over a million copies in the UK, Dreams From My Father is a refreshing, revealing portrait of a young man asking big questions about identity and belonging.

The son of a black African father and a white American mother, President Obama recounts an emotional odyssey. He retraces the migration of his mother's family from Kansas to Hawaii, then to his childhood home in Indonesia. Finally he travels to Kenya, where he confronts the bitter truth of his father's life and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.

About this title

Review:

One of the many refreshing things about Barack Obama is his self-deprecating sense of humour. Responding to the unrealistic expectations for his presidency, Obama said 'I've been sent by my father from the planet Krypton to save the Earth.' Unfortunately, the irony of this self-comparison to Superman was probably lost on many of his dedicated followers, who clearly believe that – once in office – he can exercise a few super powers and rid the world of all its thronging ills, economic and otherwise. But as Dreams from My Father proves, Obama is no fool, and knows the cold realities that face him, even though this intelligently written book is filled with optimism and hope. Which is understandable enough; after all, what else could Obama offer?

The politicians who can actually write may be counted on one hand, but on the evidence here, Barack is among their number (he reminds us that William Faulkner said the past is never dead and buried – it isn’t even past; can you imagine Barack's predecessor in the Oval Office quoting Faulkner – unless the allusion was written for him by one of his speechwriters?). In fact the book -- Obama’s remarkable life story – was, of course, written before his destiny was irrevocably changed by his success in the US presidential election, and it is a striking account of a young man coming to terms with the problem of his identity and issues of belonging in a racially divided country (a racial division that Obama – by the very example of his success – may do a considerable amount towards healing). The son of a black African father and a white American mother, Obama details the dramatic journey that constituted his parents’ life before his own trip to Kenya to confront the sobering realties of his father’s life. It is a book about coming to terms with the past – and comparisons with writers such as Proust in such areas are not as ridiculous as they would be if almost any other politician were involved.

Dreams from My Father gives real hope that ‘dumbing down’ – in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator – will not be the hallmark of the Obama presidency. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"An American classic, written with grace and precision" (Observer)

"Thoughtful, moving and brilliantly written" (The Times)

"A man with a phenomenal life story" (Spectator)

"Extraordinary . . . It's unique. It's his. There are no other ones like that" (TONI MORRISON)

"A bestseller because of its freshness and honesty" (CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS Sunday Times)

"A well-written account of Obama's struggle to establish his own views on identity and race, and all the more entertaining for its honesty" (Financial Times 2007-11-03)

"The only politician's life I have read that made me cry . . . elegant and surprising prose as well as a solid personal statement" (IAN KELLY The Times 2008-07-03)

"[Obama] writes with candour about racism, bigotry and hardship, but always there is a sense of wisdom - you feel you are in the presence of a very mature man . . . You will not fail to be moved by Obama's warmth and humility" (Good Book Guide 2008-05-01)

"With its honesty and cool language, and by virtue of having a story worth telling, the book impresses far more than the typical political memoir" (COLIN WATERS Sunday Herald 2008-06-01)

"Obama has written a memoir . . . that evokes the anguish of miscegenation yet culminates in a cry of faith in human community . . . Obama is a born narrator, with a mastery of colour, scene and personality, deftly stirring them into the melting pot of a shared American identity. Rarely has that identity found so vivid a portraitist" (SIMON JENKINS Sunday Times 2008-06-15)

"Because he held to the good and transcended the bad, in Obama's genesis millions of us will find hope . . . his search to know and forgive his absent Kenyan father holds lessons for us all. Especially in relative terms, his clear prose is refreshing" (ROSS LECKIE The Times 2008-06-14)

"Worthy of attention in its own right . . . his prose is both vivid and engrossing" (New Nation)

"It's touching, revealing, brave and generous . . . unprecedentedly well written for any politician" (Evening Standard 2008-06-30)

"Obama is a subtle writer, with an extraordinary breadth of vision" (MARGARET ELPHINSTONE Sunday Herald 2008-11-30)

"This memoir displays great intelligence and humility . . . and proves a rewarding read" (Beyond 2008-12-01)

"A touchstone for future politicians" (PHILIP WOMACK Daily Telegraph 2009-11-14)

"A memoir recounting Barack Obama's humble political beginnings and search for racial identity that relies on eloquence, rhapsodic prose and powerful, soul-stirring emotion as a crutch" (The Onion)

"Obama's writing is characterised throughout by a graceful eloquence, a generosity of perception and spirit rare in young men of many gifts and charisma...here is a testimony for the ages" (CANDACE ALLEN Independent)

"The book that revealed Barack Obama as not just an ambitious politician but also as an eloquent writer and deep thinker" (ERICA WAGNER The Times 2009-11-14) --The Times

"This book is simply justified, whatever its long-term political significance may or may not be, as a rich and rewarding read" (Herald) --Herald

"Whatever else people expect from a politician, it's not usually a beautifully written personal memoir steeped in honesty. Barack Obama has produced one" (OONA KING The Times) --The Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Canons
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1782119256
• ISBN 13: 9781782119258
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464