Written in 2006 at the start of his successful run for the presidency, Barack Obama's treatise on the power of politics emphasizes his belief that such problems as poverty, ignorance, and unemployment only seem intractable within the politics of cynicism, and are better addressed with a positive perspective for social change. It is based on his 20-minute keynote address for the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which catapulted Obama to national attention.
"What's most impressive about Obama ... is an intelligence that [this book] displays in abundance. He articulates a mode of liberalism that sounds both highly pragmatic and deeply moral.... In a disarmingly modest way, Obama offers a more sensible perspective on 'how we might begin the process of changing our politics and our civic life' than his more seasoned Capitol Hill colleagues have provided."—Washington Post Book World
