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Undid revision 324999333 by Kauffner not sure what these two random reviews have to do with the subject, let's discus on the talk page
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{{cquote|In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!<ref>[http://www.librarian.net/dnc/speeches/obama.txt The transcript of a speech by Barack Obama]</ref>}}
{{cquote|In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!<ref>[http://www.librarian.net/dnc/speeches/obama.txt The transcript of a speech by Barack Obama]</ref>}}


==Reception==
==Reception==
"This book has a silly and callow title, hastily borrowed from some undistinguished preacher of uplift when Barack Obama was in urgent need of an applause line," according the [[Christopher Hitchens]] writing in the ''Times'' of London.<ref name="Hitchens">Hitchens, Chritopher, "[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article1734094.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama By Barack Obama]", ''Times'' of London, May 6, 2007.</ref> "Although engaging, The Audacity of Hope is markedly less candid than Obama’s first book, Dreams from My Father."<ref name="Hitchens"/>

Noting that in the book Obama writes that, "There will be times when we must again play the role of the world's reluctant sheriff," ''[[Boston Globe]]'' columnist Jeff Jacoby writes, "there will almost surely be times in Obama's administration when the United States will have to use force when others won't, to defend its principles or protect a threatened party."<ref name="Jacoby">Jacoby, Jeff, "[http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/11/09/obama_lovefest_wont_last/ Obama lovefest won't last]" November 9, 2008.</ref>

A "political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values," according to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'',<ref>{{cite news | first = Mike | last = Dorning | date = October 11, 2006 | title = First Glimpse of Obama's New Memoir | url = http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2006/10/first_glimpse_of_obamas_new_me.html | publisher = Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2007-06-21}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that "Mr. Obama’s new book, ‘The Audacity of Hope’ ... is much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions on a host of issues, from education to health care to the war in Iraq".<ref name="Kakutani">{{cite news | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = Obama’s Foursquare Politics, With a Dab of Dijon | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/books/17kaku.html?ex=1182571200&en=e5834d23c1b9ebba&ei=5070 | date = October 17, 2006 | publisher = New York Times | accessdate = 2007-06-21}}</ref>
A "political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values," according to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'',<ref>{{cite news | first = Mike | last = Dorning | date = October 11, 2006 | title = First Glimpse of Obama's New Memoir | url = http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2006/10/first_glimpse_of_obamas_new_me.html | publisher = Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2007-06-21}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that "Mr. Obama’s new book, ‘The Audacity of Hope’ ... is much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions on a host of issues, from education to health care to the war in Iraq".<ref name="Kakutani">{{cite news | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = Obama’s Foursquare Politics, With a Dab of Dijon | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/books/17kaku.html?ex=1182571200&en=e5834d23c1b9ebba&ei=5070 | date = October 17, 2006 | publisher = New York Times | accessdate = 2007-06-21}}</ref>


Revision as of 09:31, 10 November 2009

The Audacity of Hope
AuthorBarack Obama
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPolitical convictions
PublisherCrown/Three Rivers Press
Publication date
October 17, 2006
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages362
ISBN0-307-23769-9
OCLC71312726
973/.04960730092 B 22
LC ClassE901.1.O23 A3 2006
Preceded byDreams from My Father 

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is the second book written by then Senator (now President of the United States) Barack Obama.[1] In the fall of 2006 it became number one on both the New York Times and Amazon.com bestsellers lists after Obama was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey.[2] In the book, Obama expounds on many of the subjects that became part of his 2008 campaign for the Presidency. The book advance from the publisher totalled $1.9 million contracted for three books.[3] Obama announced his ultimately successful presidential campaign on February 10, 2007, a little less than three months after the book's release.

Origin

Further information: 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address

The title of The Audacity of Hope was derived from a sermon delivered by Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. While a Senate candidate, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention, entitled The Audacity of Hope that propelled him to national prominence. In the less than twenty minutes it took to deliver the speech, Obama was catapulted to sudden fame, with many analysts predicting that he might be well positioned to enter a future presidential race. In 2006, Obama released The Audacity of Hope, a book-length account that expanded upon many of the same themes he originally addressed in the convention speech.

In his speech addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama said:

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope![4]

Reception

"This book has a silly and callow title, hastily borrowed from some undistinguished preacher of uplift when Barack Obama was in urgent need of an applause line," according the Christopher Hitchens writing in the Times of London.[5] "Although engaging, The Audacity of Hope is markedly less candid than Obama’s first book, Dreams from My Father."[5]

Noting that in the book Obama writes that, "There will be times when we must again play the role of the world's reluctant sheriff," Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby writes, "there will almost surely be times in Obama's administration when the United States will have to use force when others won't, to defend its principles or protect a threatened party."[6]

A "political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values," according to the Chicago Tribune,[7] The New York Times noted that "Mr. Obama’s new book, ‘The Audacity of Hope’ ... is much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions on a host of issues, from education to health care to the war in Iraq".[1]

The Chicago Tribune credits the large crowds that gathered at book signings with influencing Obama's decision to run for president.[8] Former presidential candidate Gary Hart describes the book as Obama's "thesis submission" for the U.S. presidency: "It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur."[9] Reviewer Michael Tomasky writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness," but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider range of Americans."[10]

An Italian edition was published in April 2007 with a preface by Walter Veltroni,[11] former Mayor of Rome, currently leader of Italy's Democratic Party and one of Obama's earliest supporters overseas, who met the Obama in Washington in 2005[12] and has been referred to as "Obama's European counterpart."[13]

Spanish and German translations were published in June 2007;[14] the French edition, subtitled une nouvelle conception de la politique américaine, was published in October 2007.[15] The Croatian edition was published in October 2008.[16]

The book remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for the 30 weeks since publication.[17] The audiobook version won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.[18]

Versions and translations

  • English: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,
    • hardcover Crown (October 17, 2006), ISBN 978-030-723-769-9
    • audio CD: RH Audio; Abridged edition (October 17, 2006), ISBN 978-073-933-408-9
    • large print Random House Large Print (November 7, 2006), ISBN 978-073-932-665-7
  • Albanian: Marin Barleti University Press, (November 17, 2008) [1]
  • Chinese: translated by Luo Xuanmin, Jing Wang and Yin Yin Law Press at Beijing, (August 25, 2008), ISBN 978-750-368-690-0 [2]
  • Catalan: L'audàcia de l'esperança. Ed Mina (Barcelona, 2008) ISBN 978-84-96499-99-7
  • Danish: Mod til at håbe. Tanker om generobringen af den amerikanske drøm, translated by Niels Ivar Larsen, Information 2008, ISBN 978-877-514-195-1
  • Dutch: De herovering van de Amerikaanse droom, Atlas (Amsterdam), (2007), ISBN 978-904-501-380-0
  • French: L'audace d'espérer: une nouvelle conception de la politique américaine, Presses de la Cité, (April 5, 2007) 368 p., ISBN 978-225-807-451-4
  • German: Hoffnung wagen. Gedanken zur Rückbesinnung auf den American Dream, Riemann Verlag, (April 5, 2007), 466 p., ISBN 978-357-050-081-1 [3]
  • Greek: Τολμώ να ελπίζω : σκέψεις για την ανάκτηση του Αμερικανικού ονείρου, translated by Royla Kokolioy, Polis (Athēna), (2008) 467 p., ISBN 978-960-435-168-8
  • Indonesian Menerjang harapan : dari Jakarta menuju Gedung Putih, Ufuk Press, Jakarta, Indonesia, (2007), ISBN
  • Italian: l'Audacia della speranza, traduttore: Laura Cecilia Dapelli, Lorenza Lanza, Patrizia Vicentini, Introduttore: Walter Veltroni, ISBN 978-881-701-658-2
  • Japanese: Gasshūkoku saisei : ōinaru kibō o idaite(合衆国再生 : 大いなる希望を抱いて), translated by Shikō Tanahashi, Kaedeshoten : Daiyamondosha, (Tokyo, Japan), (2007), ISBN 9784478003534 447800353X
  • Korean: Barack Obama, Damdaehan huimang(버락 오바마, 담대한 희망), translated by 홍수원, Random House Korea, (2007), ISBN 978-89-255-1105-4
  • Polish : Odwaga nadziei : [moja droga życiowa, wartości i ideały polityczne], translated by Grzegorz Kołodziejczyk, Wydawn Albatros A. Kuryłowicz (Warszawa), (2008), ISBN 978-837-359-801-0
  • Russian: Derzost' Nadezhdy (October 2008) ISBN 978-5-395-00209-9 [4] [5]
  • Spanish: La audacia de la esperanza: Reflexiones sobre cómo restaurar el sueño americano, translated by Claudia Casanova and Juan Elroy Roca, Knopf Publishing Group (June 19, 2007), ISBN 978-030-738-711-0
  • Swedish: Att våga hoppas : tankar om den amerikanska drömmen, translated by Thomas Engström, Bonnier (Stockholm), (2008), ISBN 978-910-011-807-5
  • Vietnamese: Hy vọng táo bạo : suy nghĩ vè̂ việc tìm lại giá̂c mơ Mỹ, translated by Hà̆ng Nguyẽ̂n, Nhà xuá̂t bản Trẻ (Thành phó̂ Hò̂ Chí Minh), (2008), OCLC 298347843

References

  1. ^ a b Kakutani, Michiko (October 17, 2006). "Barack Obama's Foursquare Politics, With a Dab of Dijon". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-21. Cite error: The named reference "Kakutani" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Could Oprah Help Elect Obama? - News & Features (washingtonian.com)". Washingtonian.com. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  3. ^ "Book Notes — washingtonpost.com". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  4. ^ The transcript of a speech by Barack Obama
  5. ^ a b Hitchens, Chritopher, "The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama By Barack Obama", Times of London, May 6, 2007.
  6. ^ Jacoby, Jeff, "Obama lovefest won't last" November 9, 2008.
  7. ^ Dorning, Mike (October 11, 2006). "First Glimpse of Obama's New Memoir". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  8. ^ Dorning, Mike (June 12, 2007). "Carefully Crafting the Obama 'Brand'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-01-14. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ Hart, Gary (December 24, 2006). "American Idol". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  10. ^ Tomasky, Michael (November 30, 2006). "The Phenomenon". New York Review of Books. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 2007-04-01. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  11. ^ "L'audacia della speranza" (in Italian). Libreria Rizzoli. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  12. ^ "Il politico prevale sull' amministratore" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. April 30, 2005. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  13. ^ Tracy Wilkinson (February 25, 2008). "Obama's European counterparts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  14. ^ Lobb, Annelena (June 19, 2007). "Obama, en Español". Wall Street Journal Online. Retrieved 2008-01-14. "Hoffnung wagen". Riemann. June 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  15. ^ "L'Audace d'espérer". Presses de la Cité Etranger. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  16. ^ "Predstavljena Obamina knjiga". Croatian Radiotelevision. November 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  17. ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". New York Times. May 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
  18. ^ "Obama beats ex-presidents for audiobook Grammy". Associated Press. 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2008-02-10.

Book excerpts

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