An inside look

The results of the Iowa caucus have fired up the already high interest in Barack Obama - a relative newcomer to the political stage. We have had many people check out the two books he has authored - Dreams From My Father: a story of race and inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: thoughts on reclaiming the American dream. If you're interested in finding out even more about the Senator from Illinois, then try Obama: from promise to power by David Mendell. The author is a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, and has followed Obama's political career for 4 years (which is basically Obama's entire career). He acknowledges in his introduction that Obama himself has supplied the public with most of his biographical facts through the publication of his two books, so Mendell has tried to fill in any gaps. He does this mostly by interviewing those who are closest to Obama and by looking at the effect Obama has had on others. His relatively long association with Barack Obama gives him a unique ability to analyze the candidate. Whether Obama wins the Democratic Presidential nomination or not, he is definitely on his way up the political ladder and the subject of much speculation. This is a timely book about a very interesting person.