The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama

Ideal for Obama fans, history buffs (especially the history of civil rights) and political junkies, The Bridge tells the story about how Barack Obama became the link from the past to the future.

In a literal sense, the bridge is the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, site of the "Bloody Sunday" march in 1965. In a more spiritual sense, Obama is the bridge himself. Author David Remnick's book gives Obama's political rise context, by analyzing the setting in which his rise occurred. Examined in vivid detail: the civil rights battles in the south before he was born; the volatile mix of race and politics in Chicago, where Obama first ran for office; his successes and failures in the Illinois State Senate; skirmishes with older black politicians; and the bitter presidential campaign--in particular the primary fight against Hillary Clinton.

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我是一个Obama fan，但是，是以一种与常人不相同的眼光来看他。我感兴趣的不是他是总统，而是他rootless的青少年时代。

Obama的自传我认真读过。从中我看到的story and facts，可我还是很难follow他。自传里传达出来最强烈的信息是他最为一个黑人所受的种族歧视之苦，而他虽说生长在一个慈爱的白人家庭，却无论如何没有归属感。他年轻时最大的热情是为黑人做事，而在黑人中，他有了归属感而不是成就感。

他年轻的时候并没有对政治有极大的热情，即使参加了很多政治活动，也是基于帮助黑人的缘由。至于后来走上了从政的道路，是因为结果，而不是动机。他的动机却是人的本性，寻找父亲。。。这使得他和其他政治家完全不同。别人都是我要当总统，我要当什么的。。。

而他能迅速的在政界崛起，只能说这是一个实在太聪明的人。