Keiko C

I get intimidated by long reviews, so I will keep this one short:

Obama, as a writer, is incredibly articulate and meticulous. As politicians go, he's honest with his mishaps and up front with his “reckless” behavior in his past, which was really quite tame for the average well-intending American.

Through reading this book, I came to see that Obama is very human like the rest of us, yet has the insight, dedication, and cultural experience that few of us have the chance to absorb out of life. His struggle with multi-racial identity, his frustration with uncooperative people, his stubbornness to succeed in his ambitions, and his open-minded attitude towards people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds are apparent in his stories of his childhood, then young adulthood, and visit to Africa to explore his (1/2-)roots.

I would not say this is an intense read. There is a humbleness and mildness to his writing that made this book a very leisurely and mind-opening experience.

I'm not going to lie: This book may have spoken to me because the events in the character's life very much reflect a lot of the things going on in my own...But then again, it is quite possible that the themes throughout are universal and speak to everyone no matter what point in their lives!

My opinion leans toward the latter: That anybody, at any stage in their life may appreciate the messages of hope, disappointment, uncertainty, frailty of life, friendship, comfort, discomfort...

Elizabeth Berg has an extremely fluid yet substantial way of writing that made this book a very quick and satisfying read. I appreciate the preciseness of her words and the very real descriptions of the thoughts, emotions, and people in the life of a woman who has lost some direction.

For those of you who are looking for someone to empathize with, tragic life events (and the emotions that come with them) to mirror your own, solace and hope in a story of friendship and hope, Berg will give you a graceful, yet real and honest, text you can absorb in a weekend. This will be a compact, compassionate, and evocative book that I highly recommend!