The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

Had always wanted to read one of Obama's books. I have been quite taken by his charisma and eloquence on screen, and am eager to indulge myself in reading his thoughts on paper. I must say that this is indeed a very good read. Obama writes in a very simple, clear yet beautiful prose, and somehow he manages to use the most appropriate metaphors for every occasion. And I do not think that the issues that he is writing about are simple at all, which makes his delivery all the more impressive.

Some key takeaways that I have from his book. (I just found out that it is alot easier to remember what I've reade by scribbling all over the book when reading it. That also effectively renders the resale value of my book zero. Haha.)

1. The beauty of policy making
I must say that after all these time I had spent pushing papers, I am finding it harder to appreciate the greater value and beauty of the work that I am doing, nor the people whom I am serving. It may be Obama's compelling way of writing, or the clarity of his ideas, or perhaps even the book's oversimplification of what really are complex and stubborn issues, but I do feel inspired by Obama's vision and discussions on how tough problems can be solved with logic, persistence, and a little hope. And how everything shifts with the change in perspective! For example, all the endless tussling that I deal with at work appears worthwhile if I can see it his way - "through debate and competition, we can expand our perspectives, change our minds, and eventually arrive not merely at agreements but sound and fair agreements".

2. Politics
I always thought politics too challenging and crazy an area for me to even think of going into. The glimpses I have of American politics (and the ways which could potentially be applicable to Singapore) did not convince me otherwise. My thoughts, however, kept drifting to how the Senate functioned - and how this was so very different from what goes on here. It seems that issues are really debated and picked apart thoroughly in the case of the US, something which I wish we have more of here. However, the bipartisanship in the US has indeed led to a polarisation of issues to an extent that has not always been helpful.

3. Integrity and trust
It is probably a combination of alot of things. But immediately after (and throughout most of the book in fact) reading the book, I felt like I know this man, and I am willing to be led by him. (Perhaps it is also the fact that I now know that he is the 44th President of the US.) I suspect that he has managed to cook up a well balanced concoction of wisdom, vision, ambition, ability to slug it out with other equally ambitious and bright men, while at the same time exuding humility, a sense of the ground and ability to bring hope to impenetrable issues. (His unique background definitely helped in building his credibility.) These are all useful traits to learn from!