The Audacity of Hope

Infobox Book
name = The Audacity of Hope
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Barack Obama
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Political convictions
genre =
publisher = Crown/Three Rivers Press
release_date = October 17, 2006
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages = 288
isbn = ISBN 0-307-23769-9
preceded_by = Dreams from My Father
followed_by =

"The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" is the second book written by US Senator Barack Obama.cite news | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = Obama’s Foursquare Politics, With a Dab of Dijon | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/books/17kaku.html?ex=1182571200&en=e5834d23c1b9ebba&ei=5070 | date = October 17, 2006 | publisher = New York Times | accessdate = 2007-06-21] It was the number three bestseller on "The New York Times" nonfiction list as of October 2006. [Julie Bosman, [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/books/09obam.html Obama’s New Book Is a Surprise Best Seller] , "New York Times", November 9, 2006] In the book, Obama expounds on many of the subjects that have become part of his 2008 campaign for the Presidency. The book advance from the publisher of $1.9 million contracted for three books. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/02/AR2006110201312_pf.html Book Notes - washingtonpost.com ] ]

Origin

The title of "The Audacity of Hope" was derived from a sermon delivered by Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.While a Senate candidate, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention, entitled "The Audacity of Hope" that propelled him to national prominence. In the less than 20 minutes it took to deliver the speech, Obama was catapulted to sudden fame, with many analysts predicting that he might be well-positioned to enter a future presidential race. In 2006, Obama released "The Audacity of Hope", a book-length account that expanded upon many of the same themes he originally addressed in the convention speech.

In his speech addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004, Obama said:

Reception

A "political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values," according to the "Chicago Tribune", [cite news | first = Mike | last = Dorning | date = October 11, 2006 | title = First Glimpse of Obama's New Memoir | url = http://weblogs.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/blog/2006/10/first_glimpse_of_obamas_new_me.html | publisher = Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2007-06-21] "The New York Times" noted that "Mr. Obama’s new book, ‘The Audacity of Hope’ ... is much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions on a host of issues, from education to health care to the war in Iraq".cite news | first = Michiko | last = Kakutani | title = Obama’s Foursquare Politics, With a Dab of Dijon | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/books/17kaku.html?ex=1182571200&en=e5834d23c1b9ebba&ei=5070 | date = October 17, 2006 | publisher = New York Times | accessdate = 2007-06-21]

The "Chicago Tribune" credits the large crowds that gathered at book signings with influencing Obama's decision to run for president. [cite news | first=Mike | last=Dorning | coauthors= Christi Parsons | title=Carefully Crafting the Obama 'Brand' | date=June 12 2007 | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama_senate_recordjun12,1,48733.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14] Former presidential candidate Gary Hart describes the book as Obama's "thesis submission" for the U.S. presidency: "It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur." [cite news | first=Gary | last=Hart | title=American Idol | date=December 24 2006 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E1D61531F937A15751C1A9609C8B63 | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14] Reviewer Michael Tomasky writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness," but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider range of Americans." [cite news | first=Michael | last=Tomasky | title=The Phenomenon | date=November 30 2006 | publisher=Internet Archive | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070401154934/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19651 | work=New York Review of Books | accessdate=2008-01-14]

An Italian edition was published in April 2007 with a preface by Walter Veltroni, [cite web | url=http://libreriarizzoli.corriere.it/libro/obama_barack-audacia_della_speranza_l.aspx?ean=9788817016582 | title= L'audacia della speranza | publisher=Libreria Rizzoli | accessdate=2008-03-18 | language=Italian] former Mayor of Rome, currently leader of Italy's Democratic Party and one of Obama's earliest supporters overseas, who met the Illinois Senator in Washington in 2005 [cite web | url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2005/aprile/30/politico_prevale_sull_amministratore_co_10_050430003.shtml | title=Il politico prevale sull' amministratore | publisher=Corriere della Sera | date=April 30 2005 | accessdate=2008-03-18 | language=Italian] and has been referred to as "Obama's European counterpart." [cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-eurobama25feb25,1,5411037.story?track=rss | title=Obama's European counterparts | work=Los Angeles Times | author=Tracy Wilkinson | date=February 25 2008 | accessdate=2008-03-18]

Spanish and German translations were published in June 2007; [cite news | first=Annelena | last=Lobb | title=Obama, en Español | date=June 19 2007 | url =http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/06/19/obama-en-espanol/ | work=Wall Street Journal Online | accessdate=2008-01-14 cite news | title=Hoffnung wagen | date=June 2007 | work=Riemann | url=http://www.randomhouse.de/book/edition.jsp?edi=248620 | accessdate=2008-01-14] the French edition, subtitled "une nouvelle conception de la politique américaine", was published in October 2007. [cite news | title=L’Audace d’espérer | url=http://www.pressesdelacite.com/site/laudace_desperer_&100&9782258074514.html | work=Presses de la Cité Etranger | accessdate=2008-02-17]

The book remained on the "New York Times" Best Seller list for the 30 weeks since publication. [ cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html |title=Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction |accessdate=2007-05-27 |date=May 27 2007 |work=New York Times ] The audiobook version won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. [cite news|url=http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/302267|title=Obama beats ex-presidents for audiobook Grammy |publisher=Associated Press |date=2008-02-10|accessdate=2008-02-10]

References

Versions

*English: "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream",
**hardcover Crown (October 17, 2006), ISBN 978-0307237699
**audio CD: RH Audio; Abridged edition (October 17, 2006), ISBN 978-0739334089
**large print Random House Large Print (November 7, 2006), ISBN 978-0739326657
*Italian: "l'Audacia della speranza", traduttore: Laura Cecilia Dapelli, Lorenza Lanza, Patrizia Vicentini, Introduttore: Walter Veltroni, ISBN 978-8817016582
*Spanish: "La audacia de la esperanza: Reflexiones sobre cómo restaurar el sueño americano", Knopf Publishing Group (June 19, 2007), ISBN 9780307387110
*French: "L'audace d'espérer: une nouvelle conception de la politique américaine", Presses de la Cité, (April 5, 2007) 368 p. ISBN 978-2258074514

External links

* [http://www.theaudacityofhope.com Official website for the book]
* [http://resources.christianity.com/details/cht/19000101/07B1BF53-5CC6-44CC-A7E5-5D9B9B7DEFF7.aspx "Audacity to Hope"] - sermon that inspired Barack Obama to Christianity and from which he derived the title of this book
*Gary Hart, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E1D61531F937A15751C1A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink "American Idol"] , "New York Times", December 24, 2006. Retrieved on January 16, 2007
*cite news | first=Michael | last=Tomasky | coauthors= | title=The Phenomenon | date=November 30 2006 | publisher= | url =http://web.archive.org/web/20070401154934/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19651 | work =New York Review of Books | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-22 | language = Internet Archive
* [http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=445 Senator Barack Obama talks at length about the "The Audacity of Hope"] with New York Times columnist Bob Herbert (video and real-time transcript, October 20, 2006)

Book excerpts

* [http://www.obama2010.us/hope/audacity_of_hope_excerpt_1.pdf Obama 2008 campaign web site] (PDF). Retrieved January 17, 2006.
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546298,00.html TIME magazine]
* [http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/97008,CST-NWS-obama15.article Chicago Sun-Times]