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The American Journey of Barack Obama
Unavailable
The American Journey of Barack Obama
Unavailable
The American Journey of Barack Obama
Audiobook3 hours

The American Journey of Barack Obama

Written by Charles Johnson, Andrei Codrescu, Bob Greene and

Narrated by Richard Allen

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

For decades Americans have turned to LIFE to understand, and remember the most important events and people of our time. Just as LIFE once opened up the glittering Kennedy White House, LIFE now focuses its lens on Barack Obama. The American Journey of Barack Obama covers the candidate from his childhood and adolescence to his time as editor of The Harvard Law Review and his Chicago activist years, culminating with the excitement and fervor of the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention. This audiobook includes a Foreword by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an incisive narrative biography and original essays by some of our finest writers, including Gay Talese, Charles Johnson, Melissa Fay Greene, Andrei Codrescu, Fay Weldon, Richard Norton Smith, Bob Greene and several others. Many listeners will find a new understanding of Obama. All listeners will feel that they are bearing witness to a singular, undeniably American story.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 24, 2009
ISBN9781600248733
Unavailable
The American Journey of Barack Obama
Author

Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson is a novelist, essayist, literary scholar, philosopher, cartoonist, screenwriter, and professor emeritus at the University of Washington in Seattle. A MacArthur fellow, his fiction includes Night Hawks, Dr. King’s Refrigerator, Dreamer, Faith and the Good Thing, and Middle Passage, for which he won the National Book Award. In 2002 he received the Arts and Letters Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Seattle.

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Reviews for The American Journey of Barack Obama

Rating: 4.209090909090909 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a gorgeous coffee-table book presented in the quintessential LIFE style: highly readable, personable narrative accompanied by a multitude of high-quality, seldom-seen photos. This relatively slender biography is highly engaging: I learned lots about Barack Obama as a person and a political phenomenon. THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA is not intended to be a critique, nor an all-inclusive biography. The historical value comes from the beautiful photos and clear explanation of Obama's complex family heritage. I also appreciated the thematic context of the USA's "melting pot". The book ends with Obama accepting the Presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention -- the book was published prior to the November elections. I hope to see successive volumes: this one was fascinating, and I was sorry when it ended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The book is a beautiful coffee-table book which makes a good keepsake of this historical presidency. Due to the bias of the editors, it is not a good historical source of information, nor is it very comprehensive or substantive (what did he do as a Senator? You won't find out here). It is very pretty.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is arguably the best primer for an politically ignorant reader to learn about our new president. Beginning with his birth in Hawaii and taking him through his upbringing in Indonesia, Kenya, and Hawaii, then his education and political explosion in Illinois, we end the book with a dozen essays by members of the New York City intelligensia. Although each of the writers has a different interest, they all share the literate equality of the elite, and it would have been better if the Editors of LIFE had picked at leasgt two or three others, maybe from the vast world-wide community that will be influenced by gthe rise of this champion of unification. I, for instance, would have loved to hear how the leaders of Irab, Venzuela, and North Korea feel about the new president.Having said that, the book is a gem in a muddled mass of print being promulgated upon a puzzled public. If the print was excised from the book and offered for the photography alone, it would be worth the asking price.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    You can love him, or you can think that he is the anti-christ. This review will not be about either of those views, I will not debate if he is to bring peace to the universe, or if he is the most liberal president ever, this review is about his journey from birth to date. It is about the boy who will grow up to live the dream, and to dump out his enthusiasm on America. He was born to an unlikely couple, who did not possess the freedom that we now have, he grew up in Honolulu, California and later Chicago, he attended Harvard. From Harvard on he knew the taste of vitory and that politics were his pursuit in life.His family is more than a part of Obama, he belongs to them as well. In the photos in LIFE, The American Journey of Barack Obama it is obvious that they have more than a superficial bond. They laugh, they dance, they cry and play together, his family is not just a family for presidential events, but in the home as well. I loved seeing the portrayal of him as a man at home with his wife and daughters. The shots of Obama crouched down kissing his kids on the lips, or sharing the joys of his wins, there is something that draws folks in about him, and I can see it. This book does an amazing job of presenting Barack Obama from so many different sides and yet in them all he is a man, a man with a dream.No matter how you voted you cannot stay that Obama doesn't carry the world in his grip, the smiles of the nation in his hand. Only time will tell what he can do with that. But what I already can tell you is that his victory, a minority in office, an African American the future leader of our nation is an accomplishment of which we should all be in awe.At the end of the book there is a section titled Aspects of Obama in which positive articles are written by different peoples from around the world. Life asked 12 thinkers and writers to take a look at the different aspects Obama displays and to tell the readers what they saw. This is a really interesting section of the book, where different people get to speak up.I would recommend this book for the Obama enthusiast on your Christmas list! It is a beautiful book with full colour photos on almost every page. I loved looking at and reading it. Enjoy!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Perfect for : Personal reading, Gift book, Great coffee table/office bookIn a nutshell: This is an absolutely beautiful book. The pictures are wonderfully candid and bright, and the information contained within the book gives us some wonderful information on the life of our soon-to-be 44th President of the United States. With an inspirational foreword by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the book starts by allowing readers to see Obama's family tree, showing an impressive seven half-brothers and half-sisters! We then get to see photos (and read information) of his family, his childhood, his school years, and his early career and his entry into politics. As readers, we also get the opportunity to see him as a boy, a man, a teacher, a husband, a father, a politician, etc. This is a wonderful look at a fascinating life. There is no doubt that readers will learn a lot about our 44th President, and they will get to see the many sides of Barack Obama!My Review:This is a beautiful book, which contains a multitude of pictures and facts about the 44th President of the United States. It was a joy to leaf through the pages of the book, pausing to read the captions of the pictures, or the information contained on the pages. Regardless of your political views, this is an interesting book, which I certainly recommend! Characters: As a non-fiction book, the "characters" are Barack Obama and his family. We get to have a candid look at his life growing up, and as an adult. We also get to learn tidbits of the rest of his family, making his story that much more interesting.Story-Line: This is the story of Barack Obama's life. It is amazing in that his father is from Kenya, and he has had to work hard to achieve his accomplishments.Readability: The information in the book is easy to read, and broken up into a great time-line with lots of pictures. The pictures within the book are amazing, and fun to look through.Overall: I highly recommend this book. It is a beautiful representation of an amazing life. Regardless of your political views, this is a wonderful way to gain some insight into the life of the 44th President of the United States. I particularly loved the photographs of him with his wife and/or girls. He seems to be a wonderful family man. This book would be a great addition to a personal book collection, as well as a professional/business collection (why not put a copy in your office or lobby?).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First of all let me just say that I rate books based on what they are. If I were rating this book as a comprehensive biography, it would do poorly. But, since it is a picture biography, it rated well. The pictures and layout are very well done. The text is interspersed with the pictures expertly.Barak Obama's life story - starting with a brief introduction of the life of his parents - is told in a spare, and yet comprehensive manner. I felt that the writing was very bi-partisan, and the forces that shaped him, and what he chose to do with those influences, were the focus of the book.I would recommend this book to anyonewho dosen't know much about our -soon to be - president; regardless of political persuasion. We all should know a little something about our commander in chief. I knew very little, and even if I do not agree with all of his politics, can't help but admire the man. And for those of you who do know about Obama, this is a very beautiful book to collect.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Taken as what it is - an overview, it is an engaging and worthwhile read. It is not meant to be comprehensive, but to give an understanding of the life long journey taken by President Obama to the presidency.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    greatly enjoyed this book, I thought the characters were quite compelling
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Thorough analysis of who is BARACK OBAMA. I LOVED IT.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is great. I like Obama and his style.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The editors of LIFE Magazine provide a full scope of Barack Obama's life. The book contains the following contents: Moments in a Journey, Introduction, Foreword (by Senator Ed Kennedy), The Family Tree, Roots, Boyhood, A Young Man on the Rise, Chicago, Washington, Aspects of Obama (12 essays) and The Journey Continues. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, he is the elected 44th President of the United States and it can't hurt to learn more about him. That's why I read this book - no political announcements here. Not only that, how can you go wrong with LIFE Magazine editors? :)This is a beautiful, hardcover book. Its size is approximately 9 x 11 and holds true to life (and LIFE) photographs, and it was an absolute pleasure to read. While, I enjoyed most of the essays at the end of the book, some of them I could have done without. So, for me, it's not a masterpiece, but it comes close. No matter - it's a treasured book on my shelves! (4.5/5)Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a very beautifully done book. This book is a good starting point for people who want to know more about our next president. My favorite section dealt with his childhood. As a child he went from Hawaii to Jakarta and back to his grandparents in Hawaii, an African father and an Indonesian step-father. He had a very diverse childhood. The book also gives you a look at his fathers family in Africa. The book also covers his schooling, courtship and marriage of Michelle and his run for the White House. The last section of the book is a group of essays written by a wide range of people with their view points of Barack Obama.This book will always be about the pictures, from early childhood to the present day. They are all beautiful and very touching, giving the viewer a window into his life. I liken it to looking through your family photo album, very familiar and comfortableI said that this book was a starting point, but not the whole story. There is a lot of information missing The section on his Washington life is all about his run for president and not about his time in the senate. Nothing about his voting record or committees, Bills that he helped to write or to introduce . I can highly recommend this book well worth its $25 price tag, but don’t stop here. As Americas first African-American president more will be written about him then almost any other President dive in and enjoy history as it happens.