Also just finished reading this novel by New Zealand author Maurice Gee. The story centres around an elderly 'down and out' and his sister's complicated relationship with him. It's largely told through her experiences and perspective, prompted by a young man appearing in her life looking for his long lost grandfather (the brother).
Although some of the writing in this was excellent, and the sister is well-drawn as a character, I found the rest of it quite weak. There is a 'twist' at the end that I thought was unnecessary and seemed to jar with the rest of the novel and the characters. As a thought-provoker about why some people end up on the streets and cut off from mainstream life, it was okay, but a bit on the simplistic side. 5 out of 10.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 August 2009
"Dreams from my father", Barack Obama
Have just finished reading this book, which is Obama's first book, written before he got into formal politics and just after he finished Harvard Law School. It's an exploration of race issues in America, seen through the prism of several key phases and experiences in Obama's life including growing up as the mixed race son of a white mother and absent black father in Hawaii, living in Indonesia as a child, working as a community organiser in poor black neighbourhoods in Chicago, and finally during a trip to Kenya to meet with his father's family.
I was really pleasantly impressed with this. It's written beautifully and is very, very personal (rather than political). It's a strong insight into Obama's values and where they've come from, and reading it with the benefit of history passing, it's easy to see where his political philosophy has come from and how it's been shaped by a very personal connection with 'the political'. More than anything it gave me a great sense of hope that someone with his level of integrity, deep thinking and willingness to challenge and be challenged, can make it to the position he has. I don't often feel inspired but reading this, I truly did. Recommend it to anyone who wants to feel like that!
I was really pleasantly impressed with this. It's written beautifully and is very, very personal (rather than political). It's a strong insight into Obama's values and where they've come from, and reading it with the benefit of history passing, it's easy to see where his political philosophy has come from and how it's been shaped by a very personal connection with 'the political'. More than anything it gave me a great sense of hope that someone with his level of integrity, deep thinking and willingness to challenge and be challenged, can make it to the position he has. I don't often feel inspired but reading this, I truly did. Recommend it to anyone who wants to feel like that!
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