Just Barack and Me… (Book Review)

Regardless of whether you voted for Obama, or like or do not love his new policies if you could for the 5 minutes it will take you to read this blog, forget about that whole President-of-the-United-States gig he’s currently got.  Think of him as one of my good friends, just someone I grew up with.  (Okay, obviously not true either, but please)?

Or, just think of him as Barack Obama, memoir writer.  Since he penned his memoir in 1995, long before he dreamed of being the most powerful man on the planet.

Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama’s Memoir – Book Review

Last week, as I was finishing this book my husband would ask me what I was planning to do for the night.  “Oh, I’m just spending the evening with Barack.”  Dave responded, “what is he your new best friend?”  To which I, of course responded, “yes, he is.  He’s someone who I know understands me.” And someone whose writing makes me trust him.

I love memoirs & read as many of them as I can.  I can do divide them into 3 categories pretty easily after 2, maybe 3 chapters.

1) Those who have a good story to tell.  The writing isn’t great, but their life is just crazy interesting.  I would put Tavis Smiley’s, What I Know For Sure in that category.

2) Those who are good writers, but they don’t have much to say.  I loved Eat, Love, Pray as much as the next gal, but homegirl didn’t have anything worthy -in my opinion- to talk about.  (Seriously, the whole book is about her 1 year vacation from “real life”)!  But, she can write like it aint nobody’s business & will be churning out New York Times Best-Sellers for the rest of her writing career, I’m sure.

3) Finally, there are those who are great writers & also have a crazy interesting story to tell.  Case in point, The Glass Castle.  Wow.  It is amazing.

And friends, Obama’s book falls directly in category #3, in my opinion.  He’s sometimes painfully honest about his confusion over rich vs. poor, black vs. white, family vs. friends, but after you read his wonderfully articulated dialogue with himself you understand his internal struggle.  It’s vulnerable, , emotionally accessible and insightful.

As a memoir writer, his experience is one to learn from.  Regardless of your political views or whatever, I think this book should be read for it’s literary genius, for its gift to us of a window into the heart of a man whose lived through years of identity struggle and has found his way and his footing in the world.

Well, now that I’m done with it, I can’t give it high enough praise, 5 stars & a major recommendation to read.  The only downside?  He brings up meeting Michelle, getting engaged & their wedding day in 2 pages… in the epilogue! C’mon!  I wanted a long drawn out chapter about how he had suddenly fallen smitten to her, but no cigar.

Go be green & head to your local library to pick up a copy.