by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 02, 2009

16 weeks after this book was published, Barack Obama launched his successful campaign to become President of the United States. What was he thinking before he started - and what motivated him to continue? It's like a secret glimpse into the mind of the President, but he's not just talking about policies. Instead he's talking about himself - his values, his frustrations, and what kind of man he is.

Barack Obama is a gifted speaker, and his writing style can be just as moving. He describes a meeting with 87-year-old Senator Byrd, a Democrat who'd filibustered important civil rights legislation back in 1964. Byrd says that he's thankful for the life he's led, but "Suddenly he paused and looked squarely into my eyes. 'I only have one regret, you know.'" It's a dramatic moment, and Obama rises to it perfectly.

"We sat there for a moment, considering the gap of the years and experience between us. 'We all have regrets, Senator,' I said finally. 'We just ask that in the end, God's grace shines upon us.'"

Other parts of the book reveal Obama's sense of humor, with a wit that's both honest and self-deprecating. He describes moving to Washington D.C. while his family remains in Chicago, which leaves him "forcing myself to remember the pleasures of bachelorhood" - watching basketball games, ordering take-out food, and even "leaving dishes in the sink and not making my bed." But in the end the lonely father finds he's just missing his family, and calls home repeatedly, "just to listen to my daughter's voices."

It's this openness that lends an importance to "The Audacity of Hope." It's Barack Obama personal story about the journey to the White House - and all of the moments which he thought were especially significant. There's a campaign manager advising him not to use Dijon
mustard on his cheeseburger at a TGI Friday's. There's the constituent who's dying of Parkinson's disease. Obama describes traveling by car through the small towns of Illinois, and when traveling on airplanes, he tries not to fly first class. "These are the stories you miss, I thought to myself, when you fly on a private jet," Obama writes.

And instead, he's decided to share them.

Obama even describes meeting George W. Bush at a reception for incoming members of the Senate. It's a fascinating story, since four years later, Obama would replace him. And President Bush pulls Obama aside and gives him some remarkable advice. "You've got a bright future," Bush tells the future President. "Very Bright. But I've been in this town awhile and, let me tell you, it can be tough. When you get a lot of attention like you've been getting, people start gunnin' for ya." Bush warns that Obama will be criticized from both sides of the aisle.

"Everybody'll be waiting for you to slip, know what I mean? So watch yourself."

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