fionab_16's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read about the life of the now current president of the United States. It comes off a bit whiney, but in that I think its honest. I think it also shows how much he has grown, even since this book has come out. This book didn't help me make any rash decisions about how I feel about Obama, but I'm glad I read it.
upgirlcd's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good. I am a fiction reader, so this was quite a stretch for me. I picked it up & put it down over the course of 2 months. I am proud to know my president better through his memoir. I can appreciate his struggle through his biracial heritage; his need to know "The Old Man" as his whole family called his father. Connections to who our ancestors were form who we are. Mr. Obama brings his own family connections to life in his book. 3 1/2 stars.
marvwxchtxl's review against another edition
4.0
I accidentally read an abridged copy so idk some stuff was cut out
rick2's review against another edition
5.0
There’s a narrative arc I really like. I don’t know that it is super common. But it feeds a romanticism about the world that I would like to believe in. It’s from those stories where someone knows who they are so strongly that the world has to bend to them. I see it in a movie like Hacksaw Ridge. Sherlock Holmes. Maximus in Gladiator. Captain America. Andy Dufrane from Shawshank Redemption. It isn’t the character that grows so much as the world that has to adapt to their iron clad convictions. Characters so confident in their essential being that they are not broken by the outside world as Hemingway fortells, but in the inevitable collision with a cold outside world, the surrounding world has to adapt to them.
Now, being a bit of a burgeoning cynic myself, I figured this was just a literary device. I appreciated the escapism, but gave little thought to any real truth behind it. Myshkin, ernest soul that he is, goes mad at the end of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Hemingway was likely right. When in conflict with the world, my personal experience has taught me that the world wins. Ned Stark, honorable man that he is, doesn't make it past the first season. Sorry, spoiler.
After reading Michelle Obama’s memoir, and watching Barack for 8 years as president, the rough impression I had of President Obama was that he was such a man. A man born into convictions. Convinced of his baring in the world. Strongly confident in his place and the role he was meant to play. Stoic even.
I figured he was born to it. Hawaiian mojo or something of the like. Never personally feeling the ease of comfort, except through exotic drug experimentation, I associated with someone of the presidents stature. I simply assumed that I must have missed that day in school where the mojo was handed out.
This book strongly refutes that idea. In fact, it seems uniquely positioned as a candid look into the mind of a future leader of America long before he had made the decision to run for office. Depictions of teenage violence, drug use, drinking and driving are contained. Empathy and honesty seem to flow freely. And no dogmatic answers are pushed upon the reader. Some of my favorite passages are those where an issue is laid out, and the conclusion is that there are no easy answers. There is searching, discomfort, racism throughout. And eventually, a wholeness of being that seems to come from closing the loop.
It’s easy to mythologize leaders and celebrities. It seems far more terrifying that those in charge might be human. With the same insecurities and failings we have. What does it mean if the man who is in charge is just as fragile as I feel? In this nonsense-burger of a year, with a reality television caricature as President, the incessant humm of propaganda and rhetoric filling every corner of the news. This book felt like a refreshing glass of reality flavored lemonade. Away from the outside world, the journey inward will provide a rich tapestry.
Beyond the political connotations of this book, which are probably impossible to separate from the author. At its core, this book shows a young man wrestling with who he is. It shows someone coming to terms with a complicated upbringing. A mostly absent father. Searching for his voice. His place.
I think a man has to make peace with the shadow cast by his father before he can become his own man. This book is more about that quest than it is any political treatise. And I think it has already proven helpful in my own search for identity. It’s given some comfort in the fact that the only way out of the uncertainty is through.
Now, being a bit of a burgeoning cynic myself, I figured this was just a literary device. I appreciated the escapism, but gave little thought to any real truth behind it. Myshkin, ernest soul that he is, goes mad at the end of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Hemingway was likely right. When in conflict with the world, my personal experience has taught me that the world wins. Ned Stark, honorable man that he is, doesn't make it past the first season. Sorry, spoiler.
After reading Michelle Obama’s memoir, and watching Barack for 8 years as president, the rough impression I had of President Obama was that he was such a man. A man born into convictions. Convinced of his baring in the world. Strongly confident in his place and the role he was meant to play. Stoic even.
I figured he was born to it. Hawaiian mojo or something of the like. Never personally feeling the ease of comfort, except through exotic drug experimentation, I associated with someone of the presidents stature. I simply assumed that I must have missed that day in school where the mojo was handed out.
This book strongly refutes that idea. In fact, it seems uniquely positioned as a candid look into the mind of a future leader of America long before he had made the decision to run for office. Depictions of teenage violence, drug use, drinking and driving are contained. Empathy and honesty seem to flow freely. And no dogmatic answers are pushed upon the reader. Some of my favorite passages are those where an issue is laid out, and the conclusion is that there are no easy answers. There is searching, discomfort, racism throughout. And eventually, a wholeness of being that seems to come from closing the loop.
It’s easy to mythologize leaders and celebrities. It seems far more terrifying that those in charge might be human. With the same insecurities and failings we have. What does it mean if the man who is in charge is just as fragile as I feel? In this nonsense-burger of a year, with a reality television caricature as President, the incessant humm of propaganda and rhetoric filling every corner of the news. This book felt like a refreshing glass of reality flavored lemonade. Away from the outside world, the journey inward will provide a rich tapestry.
Beyond the political connotations of this book, which are probably impossible to separate from the author. At its core, this book shows a young man wrestling with who he is. It shows someone coming to terms with a complicated upbringing. A mostly absent father. Searching for his voice. His place.
I think a man has to make peace with the shadow cast by his father before he can become his own man. This book is more about that quest than it is any political treatise. And I think it has already proven helpful in my own search for identity. It’s given some comfort in the fact that the only way out of the uncertainty is through.
sunniestories's review against another edition
3.0
So Dreams from My Father is a book that I have tried and failed to read beginning to end about two or three times. However, with having read Michelle's book, [b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006], earlier this year and with a new book from Barack, [b:A Promised Land|55359609|A Promised Land|Barack Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600345007l/55359609._SY75_.jpg|86336100] coming out very soon, I thought it was as good a time as any to give it another go. Although I enjoyed parts of DFMF, it could have been better, and I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as I did Becoming.
The good:
✧ The book is divided into three sections: Origins, Chicago, and Kenya. Of the three, Kenya was the best. The story of his return back to his family in Kenya for the first time was told brilliantly. It was enlightening and very emotional to read of his feelings visiting Africa for the first time, meeting his father's side of the family, hearing stories of his heritage and coming to terms with the complex relationship he had with his father. The final chapter, in particular, was the best.
The bad:
✦ The other two sections served to remind me why I always dropped this book halfway through. They're written very dryly. It was nowhere near as engaging as the latter portion of the book. It's such a shame because Obama had a really interesting story to tell about his childhood, but there was something of a disconnect when reading about it. He also writes very poetically, very elegantly, but perhaps too much so to the point that it was disengaging and maybe even pretentious. In 'Chicago', where he addresses his time as an organiser, it felt like I was reading some kind of paper or analysis, not really the beautifully moving memoir that it is suggested to be by the quotes of praise on the back of the book.
I mention Becoming for obvious reasons, and I know that it's not necessarily a fair comparison to make seeing as a) Michelle and Barack are two different people, and b) both books were written at very different times in each of their lives, buuuuut I will make the comparison anyway. Michelle's biography was so good because it was not only honest but relatable as well, it was written very engagingly and accessibly. DFMF definitely has the honesty, but falls flat on the other points, and isn't consistently engaging the whole way through. Still, this was written over a decade before his election as POTUS, and I'm still looking forward to reading A Promised Land and seeing what he has to say on the other side.
The good:
✧ The book is divided into three sections: Origins, Chicago, and Kenya. Of the three, Kenya was the best. The story of his return back to his family in Kenya for the first time was told brilliantly. It was enlightening and very emotional to read of his feelings visiting Africa for the first time, meeting his father's side of the family, hearing stories of his heritage and coming to terms with the complex relationship he had with his father. The final chapter, in particular, was the best.
The bad:
✦ The other two sections served to remind me why I always dropped this book halfway through. They're written very dryly. It was nowhere near as engaging as the latter portion of the book. It's such a shame because Obama had a really interesting story to tell about his childhood, but there was something of a disconnect when reading about it. He also writes very poetically, very elegantly, but perhaps too much so to the point that it was disengaging and maybe even pretentious. In 'Chicago', where he addresses his time as an organiser, it felt like I was reading some kind of paper or analysis, not really the beautifully moving memoir that it is suggested to be by the quotes of praise on the back of the book.
I mention Becoming for obvious reasons, and I know that it's not necessarily a fair comparison to make seeing as a) Michelle and Barack are two different people, and b) both books were written at very different times in each of their lives, buuuuut I will make the comparison anyway. Michelle's biography was so good because it was not only honest but relatable as well, it was written very engagingly and accessibly. DFMF definitely has the honesty, but falls flat on the other points, and isn't consistently engaging the whole way through. Still, this was written over a decade before his election as POTUS, and I'm still looking forward to reading A Promised Land and seeing what he has to say on the other side.
cynicalworm's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic read. I read it mainly as a PDF on my phone, squinting on buses at the small text, unsure if the tears in my eyes were from ocular strain or from Obama's prose, which cuts straight to the heart.
elentikvah's review against another edition
3.0
There are no words I have to express my feelings about this man who was our first black president. So much of my world view shifted during and immediately after his presidency. Though completely unrelated, this shift was life-changing for me, so I find the emotions of that time caught in the historicity of this administration. In so doing, I have found myself going back to explore more about the Obamas - first with Michelle Obama's BECOMING (which I loved!) and now President Obama's first book, DREAMS FROM MY FATHER.
I listened to the Audiobook, and of course that was an auditory experience! As a book, it was reasonably well written, and gave a view of his personal history - which was interesting. If one is curious about his pre-political history, this is concise telling of that story.
A few years ago, on a podcast, I heard someone present at both events describe the impact of Barack Obama's nomination speech for John Kerry in 2004 on the eventually nomination of Mr. Obama a mere 4 years later. This person described Mr. Obama's speech in 2004 as one of the best they had ever heard in their life. This audiobook ends with a recording of that speech - again, there are no words.
Rating 3/5 (liked it)
14 hrs and 4 mins / 464 pages
Audiobook / Kindle
I listened to the Audiobook, and of course that was an auditory experience! As a book, it was reasonably well written, and gave a view of his personal history - which was interesting. If one is curious about his pre-political history, this is concise telling of that story.
A few years ago, on a podcast, I heard someone present at both events describe the impact of Barack Obama's nomination speech for John Kerry in 2004 on the eventually nomination of Mr. Obama a mere 4 years later. This person described Mr. Obama's speech in 2004 as one of the best they had ever heard in their life. This audiobook ends with a recording of that speech - again, there are no words.
Rating 3/5 (liked it)
14 hrs and 4 mins / 464 pages
Audiobook / Kindle
caoilinreads's review against another edition
4.0
"Strange how a single conversation can change you. Or maybe it only feels that way in retrospect."
Obama's intelligence, introspection, and personal struggle with his identity - as the child of an absent Kenyan father and a white American mother in America, a country that continues to struggle with race - are crisply interpreted in this book.
I loved the beginning as he delves into his family history and childhood and towards the end as he learns to make peace with his Kenyan roots and his lost father. The middle felt less compelling to me, but I still enjoyed it just for his writing: "And so he straddles two worlds, uncertain of each, always off balance." This book is a delicate balancing act of question and answer, facts and emotion, which sometimes falls too much towards the factual or the literal but which leaves you feeling privy to something intimate yet intellectual; a struggle of identity and a search for an understanding of himself, his roots, and the world.
Obama's intelligence, introspection, and personal struggle with his identity - as the child of an absent Kenyan father and a white American mother in America, a country that continues to struggle with race - are crisply interpreted in this book.
I loved the beginning as he delves into his family history and childhood and towards the end as he learns to make peace with his Kenyan roots and his lost father. The middle felt less compelling to me, but I still enjoyed it just for his writing: "And so he straddles two worlds, uncertain of each, always off balance." This book is a delicate balancing act of question and answer, facts and emotion, which sometimes falls too much towards the factual or the literal but which leaves you feeling privy to something intimate yet intellectual; a struggle of identity and a search for an understanding of himself, his roots, and the world.