'Dreams from My Father' by Barack Obama

Wow. First, I feel honored that our president is so well spoken and genuinely involved in the struggles of the middle and lower classes, not only in our country, but through out the world. 'Dreams from My Father' takes the reader through Obama's early life up to his moments of self-discovery while visiting his distant family in Kenya. We are walked through his unique and storied childhood from the days in Asia with his mother and his play with the poorest of the worlds children, into his education and teenage angst in Hawaii, passing through is stereotypical years of self-identification in a California college to his days of civic organizing in Chicago. Finally, Obama travels to Kenya to trace his roots and learn more about the legacy his father left behind. This journey is well crafted, insightful and inspirational. Not all citizens of America have such a deep and poetic story behind their antecedents but we all have a need for tracing the hopes, dreams and accomplishments of our lineage. This book truly opened my eyes to the growth undertaken and the struggles that motivate our president. I have more respect and understanding of where he is trying to lead our country after learning about the conversations he's had, the moments of revelation he's experienced and the struggle of identity he's overcome. I hope I will come in contact with his second book 'The Audacity of Hope'. I can only imagine the beautiful picture he describes in his unique, well framed manner. Good Job Obama!

'Promise Me' by Harlan Coben

I have loved reading the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben. These books are not terribly deep but they are a quick read and I enjoy the fluff between books of more substance. 'Promise Me' delivered as well as any other of the series. I skipped a few books in the process as this one was available to me but, as with many series, it always kind of picks up where the last ones left off. This installment finds Myron a few years out of action. He, unwillingly, is pulled back into the life of private investigation and the dark underbelly of New York. When his neighborhood girl, and daughter of a old, dear friend, disappears Myron is drawn into the search both by his need to help a seemingly innocent girl and his need to clear his name. The plot of this disappearance seems to hint at a previous runaway teenage girl and as Myron, Win, Big Cyndi and the crew grow closer to solving the first case, they gather information that will help them solve this, more recent and apparently linked case. As is typical in the Bolitar books, the end is never as simple as the preceding chapters would lead one to believe. And, as Bolitar's personal life takes steps, we grow ever closer to the unexpected and, somewhat, tricky conclusion. The guilty party is, as usual, introduced early on but the reasons for their actions are only explained after the dust has settled. This was the first book I have seen that strayed from the world of sports and celebrity representation. The crime and the subsequent drama are not tied very closely to Bolitar's clientele but this variance from the norm does not diminish the entertainment value of the story. I recommend this book as highly as the other Cobens I have read and I will continue to pick up his novels as often as the opportunity presents itself.

'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens

If you skim this blog you will notice that I, on occasion, like to delve into books that are considered "classics". On or very near the top of most 'Best books written' lists you should find 'David Copperfield'. I am not saying this because I think you should find it there, but because I have consistently found it there. The story of Copperfield is a bit of a soap opera which is not terribly uncommon of the era in which it was written. Consistently faced with unfortunate events and grevious characters Copperfield remarkably maintains his pleasant demeanor through his childhood to early adult years amidst some of the most dire circumstances. His nanny is the one constant as his mother passes away and he is sent by his stepfather to boarding school then to work for his own keep. As a preteen Copperfield sets off to find his long lost aunt. She shows greater love for him than could have been expected and his life is enriched as he is sent to a find school and then placed in a field of study to gain credentials. He is on the path to a comfortable life before he discovers his aunts money has run out. I could go on through the rest of the novel but it is filled with many rises and falls of characters, both primary and secondary. When it's all said and done the reader is left to envision Copperfield and a fine man, a great friend and a blessed person. I made one grave mistake in reading this book. I, sadly, read an abridged version. Many books of this era are abridged and republished in the hopes of entertaining further generations without maintaining all the expected elements that satisfied the previous generation. Like a fool I skipped past the 'Abridger's' notes and dove in. I had days where I chewed through this book and weeks when I never once felt compelled to pick it up. I found it to be an engaging read with likable characters. One problem I foun was I had a hard time recalling characters as they appeared for their second time in the book. I don't know if this was a problem I encountered because this was the abridged version, with entire chapters cut out because they were found to be superfluous, or if the fault lies in my reading the novel in such a sporatic manner. After completing the book I went online to see what parts I missed from the complete version. There were sections that the editor found unnecessary, including a longer, more detailed ending. I regret that I did not read these in the order in which Dickens intended. I would and, in fact, am going to read more Dickens. I have started Oscar Wilde.