The American Journey of Barack Obama

The editors of LIFE magazine issued a particularly timely coffee-table book this fall, The American Journey of Barack Obama. They did so in October, so the text does not indicate the ultimate result of the presidential campaign ... but no real matter, since the book's point is the long, strange trip which brought Obama to the campaign in the first place. The introduction begins this way: "Some lives, no matter an observer's political, philosophical or cultural orientation, so inarguably and objectively fascinating that to gaze upon them - to see the twists and turns, the lucky breaks and the hard knocks, is a riveting please. Barack Obama's is one of those unlikely, preposterous lives."

With short thematic-chronological capsule essays show more broken up by pages filled with the lavish photographs for which LIFE is justifiably famous, this book examines Obama's biography visually, chronicling his life through pictures of its characters (many of whom, including his Kenyan step-grandmother, his mother, the candidate himself, and his wife and daughters, have exceptional smiles).

Following the photographs are twelve essays about various aspects of Obama's life by various journalists, historians and others: Richard Norton Smith contrasts Obama and Adlai Stevenson, author Bob Greene muses on Obama's now-lost-forever anonymity, and in an essay that brought tears to my eyes (not for the first time in recent months), editor David Shribman described watching his politics-averse daughter be won over by the candidate who spoke to her and to many of us in a way that resonated in a very powerful way.

A well-produced book, a delight to browse and read.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-review-american-journey-of-barack.h... show less

The American Journey of Barack Obama is a well-written, beautifully photographed book about our President Elect, soon to be 44th President.

It is a brief yet informative biography of a man whose background is unique in the upper echelons of power in the US today. There was quite a bit of information that I didn’t previously know about his family background, a family tree, and many pictures of Obama as a young boy with his white grandfather, his black father, his Indonesian step-father, his black and Indonesian half-brothers and sisters.

The things that have influenced him, the turns his life have taken all have led toward this moment in history. Since I voted for him in both the primary and general elections, it was exciting to show more participate in his pursuit of the Presidency. It was exciting to read about it.

A book by The Editors of Life wouldn’t be complete without many, many pictures. The pictures strengthened the book and were the structure on which the serious Foreword by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and the essays by men and women of letters were built. There were essays by people I’d heard of – Gay Talese, Andrei Codrescu and Fay Weldon, and people I hadn’t heard of but probably should have – David M. Shribman and Charles Johnson.

This book argues that Obama is the man for the times and by being who he is will fill a larger role as President than other recent Presidents; yet it affirms his Americanness and accessibility to ordinary US citizens. It pokes fun gently, as when we see a picture of him bowling. He is awkward and only scores a 47, and one of the essayists, Jay Heinrichs, gently asks “Why did Obama even put on those bowling shoes.”

The only criticism I have is that the italicized small print on full-page pictures is somewhat hard to read when overlaid on “busy” portions of the picture. I don’t know how it could have been done differently and still look good, but it was disruptive in an otherwise smooth-flowing, exuberant, and fun book. show less

A gorgeous coffee table book; nothing more, nothing less.

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.)

I’ve long been a fan of the Time/Life glossy pictorial hardcovers (e.g., the Time Annual Year in Review and Life Album: Pictures of the Year series), so when Life’s THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA became available through Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program, I jumped at the chance to review a copy. Though I’m not an Obama voter – I supported Kucinch in the primaries, McKinney/Clemente in the general election – I found myself moved by the historic nature of his campaign (and victory) nonetheless. In particular, the photos and speeches which came out show more of the 2008 campaign cycle have proven poignant and inspirational; considering previous Life volumes, I hoped that this book might capture some of the more memorable campaign moments.

Since THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA is largely a work of photojournalism, let’s start with the photographs. TAJOBO is a gorgeous, colorful book, filled to the brim with photos: Obama/Dunham and, later, Obama/Robinson family snapshots; photos of Barack Obama during his college years; pictures taken throughout Obama’s political career; candid shots of Barack and Michelle with children Sasha and Malia; and, of course, a number of photos from the campaign trail, including a few stills of the Obamas working the daytime talk show circuit. If you followed the 2008 elections, no doubt you’ll recognize some of the more iconic photographs, such as the one of Obama, leaning back in an office chair, with a phone nestled snugly between ear and shoulder, feet propped up on a desk - showing two very beaten, worn soles.

Sadly, Life only includes a few photos of Obama’s supporters, taken during his speeches and rallies; of the shots they do include, most are of the stadium-sized crowds, rather than of individual supporters. For me, these have been some of the most moving and emotional images from the campaign trail: seeing African American children and adults interact with Obama and react to his speeches. It’s a shame that Life didn’t feature more of these photographs.

In regards to the biographical text of TAJOBO, the book is primarily divided into five sections: Roots, Boyhood, A Young Man on the Rise, Chicago and Washington. The biographical section is largely laudatory, as you might expect; after all, one purchases Life pictorials for the photos – the hard hitting journalism, not so much.

The final section, Aspects of Obama, features twelve essays from “fine thinkers” (while I probably take in more CSPAN than your average American, none of the names ring a bell), with the goal of examining how Obama is viewed “by the black man and the white, the cultural anthropologist and the historian, the northerner and the southerner, the immigrant and the foreigner, the woman who suffered when Hillary got beat.” While this section practically begs for an essay critical of Obama – just one, mind you! – the editors at Life wouldn’t hear of it. Likewise, the specter of racism is discussed in depth, as it should be – as I noted above, this was a historic election cycle. However, 2008 was notable not just because it saw the first African American presidential candidate on a major party ticket – but because he was competing against the first viable female candidate in the Democratic primaries. Just as race(ism) was at the forefront in 2008, so too was sex(ism) – but the misogyny directed at Hillary Clinton and her supporters (and later, Sarah Palin and her supporters), is barely given a nod. But again, I expected as much when I requested the book from LT; a masterpiece of political journalism, TAJOBO is not.

To be fair, THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA doesn’t claim to be a comprehensive biography or exhaustive journalistic endeavor. Rather, it’s a pretty book, meant to commemorate the first African American President of the United States. (I somewhat doubt that Life would have released THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF JOHN MCCAIN, had Obama lost the election, you know?) In this, the editors at Life largely succeed; and yet, because Obama’s American journey is also a journey shared by the many people of color who supported Obama, campaigned on his behalf, braved harsh weather and crushing throngs in order to hear him speak, and celebrated with him when he won the election, I can’t help but feel as though more of the photos in this (photo)essay could have – should have – been dedicated to them: “Yes WE Can.”

http://www.easyvegan.info/2008/12/17/the-american-journey-of-barack-obama-time-l... show less

This is a gorgeous coffee-table book presented in the quintessential LIFE style: highly readable, personable narrative accompanied by a multitude of high-quality, seldom-seen photos. This relatively slender biography is highly engaging: I learned lots about Barack Obama as a person and a political phenomenon.

THE AMERICAN JOURNEY OF BARACK OBAMA is not intended to be a critique, nor an all-inclusive biography. The historical value comes from the beautiful photos and clear explanation of Obama's complex family heritage. I also appreciated the thematic context of the USA's "melting pot".

The book ends with Obama accepting the Presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention -- the book was published prior to the November show more elections. I hope to see successive volumes: this one was fascinating, and I was sorry when it ended. show less

As one would expect with a LIFE publication, this coffee table book contains many excellent photographs of its subject. It was published after Obama won the Democratic nomination, but before the election results were known. We see Barack Obama in his youth; in Hawaii; at Harvard; with his family, immediate and extended, in the U.S. and in Kenya; at work and at play. The text gives us background biographical details about his life and complicated family history. It is certainly not an in-depth look at the politician or the man, but was a comfortable, pleasing read for the eve of his inauguration as the 44th President of the United States. It has the feel of a souvenir. The best part of the text are several essays on specific show more topics---race, faith, the world's view of Obama---by well-known writers including Gay Talese, Bob Greene, Nancy Gibbs, and my personal favorite, Andrei Codrescu who discusses immigration from his own unique perspective . Some of the photos are spoiled, in my opinion, by being spread over two pages. I would rather have had them reproduced on a single page to avoid that spinal crease through the center. show less

The early parts of American Journey provide a sweeping and at times overly dramatic biography of Barack Obama that begins with his roots and ends with his victory at the Democratic National Convention. Yet the most interesting part of the book is the penultimate section, Aspects of Obama. In this section, twelve writers offer their comments about Obama from a range of perspectives, from Regina Barreca’s “A Clintonista Comes Over”, to Andrei Codrescu’s “Immigrant Song”, to Fay Weldon’s “The View From London”. Each piece in this collection is brief and well-written, and they provide refreshingly honest and plain-spoken opinions of Obama from a diversity of viewpoints.

But of course the star of any LIFE book is the show more photography, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint. The photographs in this book tell as much of the story as the text, a fact which of course in some ways speaks to our modern age. Indeed, many of the pieces in the Aspects section are in some way about the experience of seeing Obama, whether in a newspaper photo, on television, or in person. And when looking through the book readers will be surely be struck by the many images of fatherhood. These include not only several pictures of Obama with his father and his grandfather, but many more of him with his two daughters. In these days of PR and “spin”, and after years of an administration that staged a number of deliberately deceptive photo-ops, it’s hard not to feel cynical about the authenticity of such photos. Yet in the pages of American Journey, Barack Obama genuinely looks like any other father about the daily business of fatherhood, with its challenges both great and small. That’s a fine quality in a President-elect, and one which bodes well for the coming administration.

Reviewed by Book Dads show less

This colorful chronological compilation of stunning, photos and candid text makes this book an enjoyable read. This is no simple coffee table book. It is a chapter by chapter biography starting with Barack Obama's intriguing family tree to his rocket rise to top political ranks.

The introduction by Ted Kennedy is inspiring. He sets the tone and theme of the book when he says of Barack Obama,

"he refuses to be trapped in the patterns of the past."

How many of us have put our hope and faith in this man to lead our country during these tenuous time?

Published in October 2008, prior to knowing the election outcome, this beautifully crafted book follows the life of Barack Obama and his orbital spin from Senator in 2004 to Presidential Candidate show more in 2008. His personality shines through each chapter with dialog and exceptional photography capturing just right moments in time.

He admits being shaped by his maternal grandparents and mother. It was fascinating to read that his mother was a child of the 60's who had a Utopian view of a better life common to youth of the time. She instilled in him her ideals of fairness and freedom. It was noted that Barack remembers his mother's lessons of tolerance, equality and standing up for the disadvantaged. Themes he echoed in his campaigning.

This is the type of short biographical stories, snippets and sketches of Barack Obama that are presented in this multi-chapter book. The chapters are, The Family Tree, Roots, Boyhood, Young Man on the Rise, Chicago, Washington, Aspects of Obama, and lastly, The Journey Continues.

Fascinating stories, captivating pictures and a compelling subject will make everyone want this on their Christmas Wish List. Highly recommended. show less