A review by bloodmaarked
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
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.