The Barack Obama books and controversy

In the earlier post it shows the amount of money Obama made last year ...and states this was mostly from the sales of his books.

Just to give you a few quotes from ...Dreams of my Father and Audicity of hope.

Let's look at them one-at-a-time:



"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."-Truth!

This is an accurate quote from the introduction to Dreams from My Father. The book chronicles Obama's experience as the son of an African father and an American mother.

"I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race."-Fiction!

This quote does not exist in either of Obama's books.

"There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white."-Truth!

This is a quote from Dreams from My Father. It it in a section in which Obama describes a job interview with a man in Chicago. Race had been a part of their discussion and the full quote is, "There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white---he'd said himself that was a problem.

"It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names."-Truth!

This one is also from Dreams from My Father. It is from a section when Obama was a college student and wrestling with his identity including as an African-American. The quote describes his observation of what was required among his fellow students.

"I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, Dubois and Mandela."-Truth!

This is from Dreams from my Father. The more complete quote is, ""Yes, I’d seen weakness in other men— Gramps and his disappointments, Lolo and his compromise. But these men had become object lessons for me, men I might love but never emulate, white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela."

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."-

Read the full story at Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ownwords.asp

Five Books Written by Barack

The State of Black America
Whether he embraces it or ignores it, the mass media and the general public will probably think of Barack Obama as an African-American. As I mentioned above, he is of mixed heritage, but people have a hard time seeing past Obama’s dark skin. It seems that if you are black at all, you’re black. That’s why the National Urban League turned to then Democratic Senator Barack Obama to pen the foreword to this book.

Dreams from My Father
There are many lessons that we all can learn from Barack Obama, but the new American President is far from an all-knowing and all-seeing being. He needs help and he derives his inspiration from a variety of sources.
In this stunning memoir, Obama recounts his childhood and youth, being raised in Hawaii by his white mother and her parents. His Kenyan father was largely absent, so Barack found himself struggling with racial identity and tensions at school. Dreams from My Father describes his journey to become a community organizer, a civil rights lawyer, and a senator.

The Audacity of Hope
Whereas Obama speaks mostly about his personal life in Dreams from My Father, he tackles more political issues in The Audacity of Hope.
We already know that Barack Obama can be very charismatic in his speeches and his written word is no different. In this book, he discusses his “cautious liberalism”, citing his skepticism of big government, his support for religion (without imposing it), and his recommendations for health care reform. This is the man the United States elected as its President. His mostly centrist views are certainly refreshing.

Change We Can Believe In
Continuing the discussion started with The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama dives in a little further with Change We Can Believe In. Published just two months before his eventual victory over John McCain, he describes what and how he will change America.
Bringing people together and being honest with the challenges ahead, Barack Obama exudes confidence in his ability to turn the country around. Take a closer look into this vision for America, including how he will try to fix the recession-laden economy, strengthen the middle class, and achieve energy independence.

Barack Obama in His Own Words
Editor Lisa Rogak collected this book of quotes from the Illinois Senator, offering us a closer look at Barack Obama’s politics and where he stands on a number of pressing issues. Obama is quite forthcoming with his views on gay marriage, the War of Terror, abortion, foreign policy, and more.

Do a little research and find out for yourself what he really believes.

Here is a little information:

Audacity of Nope: Supermax prison tells inmate that Obama's books harmful to national security
By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press Writer
On Friday July 10, 2009, 8:40 am EDT

McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- The federal government's most secure prison has determined that two books written by President Barack Obama contain material "potentially detrimental to national security" and rejected an inmate's request to read them.
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is serving a 30-year sentence at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., for joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate then-President George W. Bush. Last year, Abu Ali requested two books written by Obama: "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."
But prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in both books contain information that could damage national security.
A prison spokeswoman referred questions to the FBI, where a spokeswoman was looking into the matter Thursday evening.
The documents detailing the prison's rejection of Obama's books are included in court papers for a resentencing hearing scheduled later this month for Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen.
The rejection is just one indication of the harsh conditions imposed on inmates at the supermax prison, according to Abu Ali's lawyer, Joshua Dratel.
"Imagine an existence controlled by characters created by Louis (sic) Carroll, and that would approach that which Mr. Abu Ali faces each day for the duration of his sentence," Dratel wrote.
Abu Ali requested the books in August, before Obama was elected. In a short, handwritten note on a prison complaint form, Abu Ali argues that the two rejections "violate my 1st amend. rights."
The rejections, as well as other restrictions on family visits, prompted a hunger strike by Abu Ali that has since ended, Dratel wrote.
Prison officials cite specific pages -- but not specific passages -- in the books that they deem objectionable. They include one page in Obama's 1995 book, "Dreams from My Father," and 22 separate pages in his policy-oriented 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope." It was not immediately obvious what passages might have been deemed problematic, though nearly half of the pages cited are in a chapter devoted to foreign affairs.
Supermax inmates, including convicted Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, are housed under the most severe restrictions in the federal prison system. Inmates typically are kept in their cells in solitary confinement 22 or 23 hours a day.
Abu Ali will be resentenced July 27, following an appellate court ruling that U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee improperly deviated from sentencing guidelines that recommended a term of life in prison.