Barack Obama '79

Punahou has this statement on it's website regarding Obama's historic victory:

Barack Obama ’79 Elected President of the United States

Punahou alumnus Barack Obama was elected the 44^th president of the United States in an historic election. As a first-term senator from Illinois, Obama's candidacy has brought significant attention to Hawai‘i and to Punahou School.

In his acceptance speech, Senator Obama said, "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."

Punahou School President James K. Scott today said, "This is a historic moment for America and the world, and for Hawai‘i. We are thrilled and honored that a Punahou School alumnus - and son of Hawai‘i - has been elected to serve as the next President of the United States. At Punahou School, our calling is to foster each student's potential to reach his or her promise and effect meaningful change in society. President-elect Obama is an inspirational embodiment of that vision."

Barack Obama was born in Hawai‘i and attended Punahou School beginning in the 5^th grade, graduating in 1979.

Yippeee!

Obama!

Yay for Obama!

As an alumnus of Punahou School and as an American, I am ecstatic and proud about Obama's victory tonight!

If you haven't read either of his books -- Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream -- I highly recommend them.

I've listened to the audio version of Dreams from My Father and it is fantastic! Every bit as wonderful as you'd except from a Grammy winner -- Obama's ability to do voices (including those of his Kenyan relatives) is unbelievable.

I haven't finished The Audacity of Hope yet but will try to do so before Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009!

Farmer in Chief

If you haven't read Michael Pollan's open letter to John McCain and Barack Obama, published in the New York Times, you ought to take a look.

It's lengthy but worth reading, particularly if you haven't read his recent books In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto (click here to view all my posts about this book) or The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (click here to view all my posts about this book).

And if you have read Michael Pollan's books or essays on food, you'll enjoy this recent essay even more.

Whether the next President of the United States has read this essay or will in any way change his policies based on Pollan's suggestion remains to be seen...

Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics by Joseph R. Biden

With Joe Biden as Obama's VP choice, I'd like to read Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics by Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

I've listened to the audio version of Obama's Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and I have a hardback copy of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream that I've been meaning to read.

Any thoughts on Biden's Promises to Keep?

Is it worth reading?

Does it provide insight into the man who may be our next Vice President?

How does it compare to Obama's books?

I've listened to Biden's August 2007 interview with NPR's Morning Edition; how does this memoir compare to this interview?

Click here to read an excerpt from Promises to Keep, courtesy of Random House, or click here to view the table of contents.

And lastly, click here if you're interested in a free Obama-Biden sticker, courtesy of MoveOn.org.

Audio Book - Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

Today I listened to my first audio book (which I borrowed from the library last week on a whim): Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama and read by the author.

Click here to read Paul Watkins's New York Times review of the first edition of this book "A Promise of Redemption" published August 6, 1995 or click here to read the Introduction to the 2004 edition.

Obama's lyrical speech and talent with voices won him a spoken word Grammy in 2006 for the audio book version of Dreams from My Father and another Grammy in 2008 for the audio book edition of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (beating out Bill Clinton for his audio book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World and Jimmy Carter for his audio book Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World).

While I prefer to read my books, listening to Dreams from My Father has made me appreciate audio books. It's quite a different experience to hear an author read his or her book.

I'm hopeful that I'll also enjoy listening to David McCullough's 1776!

More Library Books

I went to the library this morning to return a few books, and I could not resist borrowing a few (even though I already have seven checked out). Today I borrowed:

• Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
• Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath by Michael Paul Mason
• 1776 by David McCullough (audio book)
• Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama (audio book)

Now I've never listened to an audio book before, so this is really an experiment. I'm not sure if I'll actually get through 1776 or Dreams from My Father but I'll give it a shot.

I've read Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (which I found hilariously educational) and Head Cases sounds an awful lot like The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge or like Oliver Sacks's books (I’ve read Awakenings and An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales).

I read about Head Cases last month in the New York Times in William Grimes's review titled "Empathy for the Brain, After Insult and Injury" and in Mary Roach's review (yes the same Mary Roach) titled "Damage Control."

And I heard about Bonk last month in the New York Times in Janet Maslin's review titled "A Sex Researcher Walks Into a Lab, and Then Things Start to Get Comical" and in Pamela Paul's review titled "Sexual Advances."

Both are favorably reviewed and I hope they live up to my expectations.

Back to work!