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Reading Obama: Dreams, Hope, And The American Political Tradition (2010)

by James T. Kloppenberg(Favorite Author)

3.74 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0691147469 (ISBN13: 9780691147468)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Princeton University Press

review 1: This book reads way too much into The Audacity of Hope. Don't get me wrong: The Audacity of Hope is a great book, much better than any campaign extended-think-piece I've ever read, and clearly reflecting Obama's nuanced political philosophy that made him so downright interesting. But Kloppenberg's overwrought analysis of each word and its roots in the Western philosophy canon reminds me of the EB White quote: "Explaining a joke [or Obama's philosophy] is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process." By overexplaining Obama, Kloppenberg robs Obama's arguments of their force.
review 2: I would first off like to state that saying "I really liked this book" is not synonymous with "I recommend you go out and read this book!" It ... moretook me weeks to finish this book, as it was so dense and intellectual that I decided to take fiction breaks in between parts in order to refresh my reading brain. Indeed, it was the kind of book I wish I had read in college, so someone a lot smarter than I am could explain it fully to me. But! I forced myself through it because I found the central concept--a history of Obama's ideas, and how they were based in American history and historical thought--so compelling. Essentially the book argues that Obama is following in a long line of American thinkers who believe in a pragmatist philosophy--i.e., you go with what works, not with what fits in line with your ideology. And figuring out what works is a fluid process: Obama might seem to compromise on his policies because he sees his role as a consensus builder who brings different people together to negotiate towards a place where their interest and society's interests mesh. (I hope I am not butchering the main ideas--if I were really accurate, there are tons of -isms that I should probably use, but I'm not good with -isms.) Of course, this book does not address the problems that come about when you're dealing with a group of people who seem to care nothing for society's interests, as I would argue is going on in our government today! All in all, I give this book four stars because I think it goes beyond the usual liberal/conservative pigeonholing and name-calling about Obama into something more complicated and true; I think it is an important read for those interested in today's politics to read and at least try and figure out (as I am admittedly imperfectly doing), as it argues, I think well, that Obama is in fact working with our country's best traditions, not against them. I also appreciate that it introduced me to some new concepts to read more about, and I love the sense that my own learning about the world is never done! less

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