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Quote by Barack Obama

“The memoir was a very personal book. I wrote it as a personal journey and search about who my father was and how my family had come together and come apart - sorting all that out, you know, issues of personal identity.”

Quote by Barack Obama

Author

Barack Obama, born on August 4, 1961, served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama's presidency was marked by significant achievements, including the Affordable Care Act and the normalization of relations with Cuba. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. more

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“This book [Dreams from My Father] was more of a reflection on my public life, now as a U.S. senator and before that as a state senator; how my perspectives around the issues of the day are shaped by my background.”

Book States Dream Father Issues Perspective Reflection Backgrounds Senators Public Life Dreams From My Father

Author:Barack Obama

“Its [Dreams from My Father] also a reflection about how we might start a better conversation in our democracy about how to solve problems, because it feels as if our political system - it just seems there is so much cynicism and negativity in our politics.”

Ifs Feels Problem Dream Seems Might Political Father Democracy Conversation Reflection Solve Cynicism Negativity Political Systems Dreams From My Father

Author:Barack Obama

“I didn't have a perfect model, but I wanted to try to blend my own personal reflections and experiences with this broader canvas to see how a lot of the narratives we have about economy and foreign policy got stuck. Because we have these categories of liberal, conservative, free marketer, open government - all these stereotypes about our politics and the categories we try to put things in are inadequate to this sort of complex, ambiguous, sometimes contradictory experience we have as ordinary people and that I have as an elected official.”

“A lot of the issues that I see, it is not an either-or situation.”

Situation Issues Either Or

Author:Barack Obama

“Rather, my perceptions about how we solve problems in health care or education span across a whole range of areas. And I want to try to capture that complexity.”

Want Trying Whole Problem Care Perception Areas Solve Health Care Range Complexity Capture

Author:Barack Obama

“Back in the '50s and '60s, most politicians were concerned about not talking about faith, partly because there were consequences you had to deal with - (for instance) Catholicism had been made an issue.”

Made Deals Talking Issues Politician Consequence Concerned Instance Catholicism Not Talking

Author:Barack Obama

“I think that today, faith drives so much of our politics, that I thought, "If you don't talk about it, you are missing a whole big part of what is going on politically."”

Ifs Thinking Whole Bigs Today Missing

Author:Barack Obama

“As an elected official who comes from the African-American community, there are some similarities. You are always trying to reconcile your own personal biography and affiliations with the demands of the broader democracy. And you need to make sure you are representing everybody.”

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Author:Barack Obama

“That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has always been a struggle in our politics.”

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Author:Barack Obama

“Our politics at its best involves us recognizing ourselves in each other. And our politics at its worst are when we see immigrants or women or blacks or gays or Mexicans as somehow separate, apart from us.”

Worst Gay Immigrants Recognizing

Author:Barack Obama