been reading: Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama

I've been reading this book for the entire primary season because during my EMT class I only had time for a snippet here and there. I bought the book because I was intrigued and inspired by Barack Obama. Or at least I thought I was, and the opportunity to read about his life, as written in his own words, seemed a good way to learn more about him. I was perhaps halfway through the book on the day I voted for him in our state's primary election. And I read the last page yesterday, the last day of the primary season. It's been a bit surreal for me to see Barack Obama simultaneously transform, on the pages, from boy to man and, in politics, from longshot candidate to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

I don't talk outright about politics much here, although anyone who reads can certainly ascertain where I stand. I have written about not being particularly proud of this country, or at least of the way things are now. To be honest, I'm not sure any president can begin to fix what Bush has phenomenally fucked up. But I do believe Obama is the best one to try. There is sincerity and soul in this man, passion and perspective. There's lots I could say about why I'm behind him, but perhaps the most comprehensive reason is that he seems to be in every way the complete opposite of Bush.

As for the book itself, I have to say I was impressed. It is well-written (and there were no ghostwriters). It reads like a novel. Obama paints pictures of the people and the places he encounters, and his narrative voice is honest and reflective and compelling. Obama's journey is a search for himself and a search for his roots, a journey to understand who he is and who he's meant to become. It is a typical coming-of-age story, except that nothing about his story is typical.

In many ways, his search for self is what comes to define him. In trying to find his place in the world, he becomes a person who fosters community and seeks the similarities that unite us all. He is acutely aware of the injustices that surround him and yet he chooses to focus on the good and to work for change. Somehow, he is both realistic and optimistic. One example of this almost paradoxical perspective comes at the end of the book, as he describes his disappointment at what he often finds in law books:

...for every Brown v. Board of Education I find a score of cases where conscience is sacrificed to expedience or greed. And yet, in the conversation itself, in the joining of voices, I find myself modestly encouraged, believing that so long as the questions are still being asked, what binds us together might somehow, ultimately, prevail.

He seems to have this inherent belief that he can be better, that we can be better. And that message gives even a cynic like me some hope.