CHANGING
TIMES tells the story of Obama's formative years,
the family and educational experiences that shaped him, and
his private life and public career. It examines the role of
religion and culture in molding Obama and his public image,
his status in America's class system, and the role of
his wife Michelle. Changing Times finds
the source of his politics less in ideology than in his personality,
which is conciliatory. Obama is a man in search of what Americans
hold in common instead of what keeps them apart. He has proven
himself comfortable in many roles, including political activism,
holding political office, practicing law, and teaching in
college.
The 2008 United States presidential primary
was the most remarkable contest of its kind in many years.
It may also have been a turning point for America. For the
first time, an African-American candidate won the presidential
nomination of a major party and went on to victory. Barack
Obama's election is a measure for how far the U.S. has
traveled since the days of slavery, segregation, and the Civil
Rights Movement.
CHANGING TIMES: THE LIFE
OF BARACK OBAMA examines his remarkable rise in the
context of social, cultural, and political history. Changing
Times is a comprehensive, cogently reasoned, and tightly
written examination of a unique American life. The black experience
forms one backdrop to the story told in Changing Times. Despite
his complicated genealogy, Obama chose to seek out his African
roots and has embraced the label of being black. Race and
his ability to rise above the racial divide have been central
to Obama's career, but not the sole aspects.
In addition to his racial identity, Obama is
the first presidential candidate of the demographic identified
as “Late Boomers,” a generation too young to have
experienced Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, and the upheavals
of the 1960s as anything but images on television. His age
gives Obama an opportunity to speak beyond the divisive struggles
over identity and culture that absorbed so much energy from
the “Early Boomers” who preceded him into politics.
The tone of Changing
Times is positive both on Obama and America's
potential to heal from the wounds of history. However, it
will not avoid asking questions of the gap between ideals
and reality in Obama and the nation he serves as president.
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Translated versions coming soon!
Discussion Guide now available.
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