Dreams from My Father

Just finished Obama's autobiography ... another one I'd recommend.

Synopsis:
1) Struggles with race and identity growing up in an inter-racial home.
2) His childhood in Jakarta and Hawaii and the key, influential relationships during those years.
3) His work in Chicago as a community organizer and his acute observations of racism and struggling, working class minorities (primarily Black Americans).
4) The journey to discover his family heritage in Kenya.

Obama does an excellent job detailing various life events and subsequently describing his related thoughts and emotions. As these events unfold chronologically, the reader is given an inside view of the character and "world view" evolution of the author. Additionally, the multitude of characters described within the book are done so very tangibly. The nuances of personality and character foibles detailed, provide a very realistic picture.

If the eloquence of Obama's writing in this book translates into his speech writing, he'll likely have a very successful 2008 campaign. In the book, ideas are provided succinctly, but with enough detail to give the reader a clear understanding. A good approach (I think) for political rhetoric.