Monday, July 23, 2012

Book Review: The Substance of Hope



 

Pleasantly Surprised

Stars: 4/5

The Substance of Hope is an enlightening book on Barack Obama's campaign and election as it relates to race and politics.  Through interviews and his experiences on the Obama campaign trail, William Jelani Cobb offers a candid assessment of, among other things:  the events surrounding the Reverend Jeremiah Wright situation, the role of Reverend Jesse Jackson plus various black clergy and civil rights leaders, and the comparisons between Obama and FDR and Lincoln.

Cobb deftly tackles the notion that the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President signifies the end of racism and that we now live in a post-racial society.  "He is a president, not an antidote." (p.174).    Indeed, it is a paradox of progress.


video source:  CNN.


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