Refreshingly Objective Biography

What made the experience of listening to Rising Star the most enjoyable?

I was interested in a scholarly and objective treatment of Barak Obama and this book delivers in spades. It is probably the longest book I have ever listened to or read, and it would have been fine with somewhat less detail, but I knew the length before I began listening. Had I stopped reading prior to the epilogue, I would not have rated it so highly, but the last 90 minutes really pulled everything together. The author clearly demonstrates not only how, but why the Obama presidency was such a disappointment----more so to those closest to him than to his foes. If anyone purchases this audiobook and, due to its length, is tempted to stop listening, I strongly encourage him/her to invest an additional 90 minutes and listen to the epilogue.
The narrator did an admirable job and gets a solid five star for no glaring mispronunciations, despite the plethora of obscure surnames.

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Best Read I have ever had.

I enjoyed reading the book. It was so long that I went back to read the beginning again. I think the writer was the best I have read. He seemed to have done very good research. The reader was excellent. The part I liked most was the relationship President Obama had with his students. C.S. Brown, Seattle

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Well-Researched Narrative on the Life of Obama

Where does Rising Star rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most well-written and researched books I've listen to thus far far.

What did you like best about this story?

I appreciated how well the authored researched the subject and the objectivity of analysis. The author doesn't take over with editorializing the decisions of his life. Respecting the intelligence of the audience to develop their own conclusions. As a fan of the former president, I feel like the book validates my perception of the man at the same time acknowledging his imperfections. You don't accomplish what Obama has in his life without being extremely exceptional and I appreciated how well the author captured that for the reader. I would rate this book as high as Caro's books on LBJ in terms of the depth of research. However, Caro's writing style is flawless and this book, although close, is not as beautifully written as Caro writes. High praise for this exceptional book and I enjoyed every minute.

Have you listened to any of Charles Constant’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Unfortunately never before but this is an author I will begin to follow.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Audacity to Follow an Improbable Dream.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

The Encyclopedia of Barack Obama

As you may have assumed from the page count, there is a lot of information here. It sometimes reads more like an encyclopedia than a narrative. “Here is an event that happened, here are the 6 people that were involved, here is what each of them ate, here is what each of them commented on that event, etc.” I give the author credit for the exhaustive research. Typically, the author only chimes in in his own voice with a subtle jab at Obama over a misstatement or something. The number of different accounts of Obama seem to (by law of averages) create an even handed representation of Barack. Only the last chapter (his presidency) gets a unanimously critical account. This is the first Obama bio I have read. I assume there are better narratives and unique perspectives out there but it would be hard to beat the amount of information contained in this book. Overall I recommend it.

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I thought it was unbiased; it is not

Through a good portion of the book I thought the author's purpose was to present all sides of the 44th president - his qualities, his values, his flaws. He did that, until the last several hours of the book. the whole (short) section on his presidency was nothing but a hatchet job. The only mention of the health care law was the breakdown of the web site. The only mention of Bin Laden was couched in one supposed quote from Obama: "I guess I'm good at killing people." The only discussion of his friends after his first term was how many of them (one is led to believe ALL of them) had come to despise him. According to Garrow, he was a worthless president. And now look what we have.

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Awful

I learned more about Chicago and it’s steel industry than I have ever cared to know. It seems as Obama himself only made a cameo appearance in this piece although I will admit that I only made it to the third installment before giving up. 18 hours was enough for me to cry uncle!

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The chronicled detailed events keeps you engaged. Very interesting

Beautifully written. A lot of surprises- I thought I knew all there was to know!

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Very factual

I enjoyed the book in terms of the life of Barack Obama, meticulously researched very interesting. It did not seem opinion based until we got to the epilogue, put a taint on the entire book for me

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Rising Star The making of Barack Obama

Would you consider the audio edition of Rising Star to be better than the print version?

Yes I would it is great

What other book might you compare Rising Star to and why?

May be the book roots because both people are black.

Which character – as performed by Charles Constant – was your favorite?

This one because it is the only one that I have listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It took me 1 mouth to listen to.

Any additional comments?

It is just great book to listen to because he is a great man and he comes from a great family

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A book about Barack Obama. But first, a history of the world.

Either the audiobook narrator is accidentally reading the wrong book, or the author seriously needs an editor. I've been listening for an hour and a half and still no mention of Barack Obama! I'm patient, but this is ridiculous. Thank goodness for Audible's return policy!

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