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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This fictionalized account of a staffer on the first Obama campaign was a funny, interesting look into the world of campaigns and campaign finance. Also a great return to the late aughts.
This one started with such strength, but as short as it was, meandered through the second half. That’s tough to pull off in a book as thin as this one.
Such a cool premise: a young campaign worker pulls long hours for the first Black candidate for president, who is never named and simply called “the Senator” throughout. The reality of life on the campaign trail keeps young David away from the utopian ideals of the rhetoric, he is never truly on board with the idea that this man is the great hope for America.
A fascinating puzzle of race, fatherhood, and politics in America, this novel looked at the rise of this storied politician from the inside. And though it is a novel, the author worked on Obama’s campaign, so it seems there are some grains of truth amidst the rubble foundations of this tale. As David begins to move his way up the ladder, he begins to see the wheel of politics churning at a national level: ostentatious fundraisers and strategies for winning the votes of a particular neighborhood.
And each time David actually meets the Senator, it’s at a moment of total humanness (aka: not a great moment for either of them). I appreciated the depth and complexity with which this novel approached the often mythic remembrances of the 2008 campaign, and also the portrayal of the Senator as a real person with skin on who sometimes just wanted a smoke.
All told, it was an interesting retelling of this period of American life, but it did somewhat strangely meander through the second half. Could’ve been tighter on the telling, but it did feel a bit like a modern classic that I would’ve had on a syllabus for a college English class. Lots to ponder on.
Such a cool premise: a young campaign worker pulls long hours for the first Black candidate for president, who is never named and simply called “the Senator” throughout. The reality of life on the campaign trail keeps young David away from the utopian ideals of the rhetoric, he is never truly on board with the idea that this man is the great hope for America.
A fascinating puzzle of race, fatherhood, and politics in America, this novel looked at the rise of this storied politician from the inside. And though it is a novel, the author worked on Obama’s campaign, so it seems there are some grains of truth amidst the rubble foundations of this tale. As David begins to move his way up the ladder, he begins to see the wheel of politics churning at a national level: ostentatious fundraisers and strategies for winning the votes of a particular neighborhood.
And each time David actually meets the Senator, it’s at a moment of total humanness (aka: not a great moment for either of them). I appreciated the depth and complexity with which this novel approached the often mythic remembrances of the 2008 campaign, and also the portrayal of the Senator as a real person with skin on who sometimes just wanted a smoke.
All told, it was an interesting retelling of this period of American life, but it did somewhat strangely meander through the second half. Could’ve been tighter on the telling, but it did feel a bit like a modern classic that I would’ve had on a syllabus for a college English class. Lots to ponder on.
challenging
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love Cunningham as a writer and critic, but struggled with this novel. I think maybe it would have worked better as a collection of essays or short stories. Some truly beautiful prose though.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Audio
(My review got erased 😢 when I left the page. will do so again…have already returned the audio so no quotes this time)
Appreciated the insight into (Obama’s) political campaign. Enjoyed the beginning quite a bit but in the end it got a bit monotonous. Neither here nor there regarding the religious component of the book.
Appreciated also the quick bit about how the candidate almost seemed like a new JFK; he was just ‘Protestant’ enough to maybe do for black folks what JFK did for Irish. “But, no.”
(My review got erased 😢 when I left the page. will do so again…have already returned the audio so no quotes this time)
Appreciated the insight into (Obama’s) political campaign. Enjoyed the beginning quite a bit but in the end it got a bit monotonous. Neither here nor there regarding the religious component of the book.
Appreciated also the quick bit about how the candidate almost seemed like a new JFK; he was just ‘Protestant’ enough to maybe do for black folks what JFK did for Irish. “But, no.”
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I bought this book after listening to an interview with the author on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast. While there were flashes of brilliance, the story just didn’t capture my full attention.