As someone who isn't afraid to say I'm a republican, I honestly admit I was more than a little nervous when Barack Obama was nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the Presidency. Many things concerned me, but as a Christian, his faith or rather his unusual faith background, made me very nervous as to what this man and his personal views would bring to the office.
Eager to educate myself on who I thought Obama was, I read the Faith of Barack Obama in one long afternoon. The book is very easy to read as the author breaks the stages of Obama's faith down in a chronological manner.
We get a glimpse of the life he had with his grandparents, and what their belief system was. We also learn how his atheist mother might have added a little confusion to his life when she married a Muslim man and then sent him to Catholic school. All these different faiths even before he was introduced to the radical preacher Jeremiah Wright. So many different religious points of view thrown at such an impressionable young man were bound to form a very unique adult.
However, one thing that really impressed me about the book was the impartial way the author conveyed the information without giving us any indication of what the author himself thought of Obama, his faith, or his politics. In a time when so many journalist and non-fiction authors write their opinions more than they write the facts, Stephen Mansfield refrained from that tactic and that's to be respected.
My opinion of the book is that it was concise, informative, and well written. Regardless of political affiliation, you can read it and come away with the facts ready to form your own opinion of who Barack Obama is and how his faith has impacted his life and political career. Would have given it a 5 star if there would have been a little content about how Michelle and her faith has impacted him. Would have liked to know a little about that.
Stephen Mansfield, without a doubt, is a great new author (for me, at least) that I eagerly anticipate reading more from.
1 comment:
Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your comments about this book, Sabrina. I also lean toward the Republican side and probably won't ever read this book, but it's good to know that the author doesn't present a bias. Thank you for speaking out.
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