New Delhi: Hillary-Obama face off is not only generating heat on the US political landscape, but also in the literary circuit. Even as who beats whom in the presidential race is yet to be seen, currently how well the presidential nominees score as writers is certainly the cause for some speculation.
Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama's story of race and inheritance, is the Democrat's narrative of his struggles with the world and self.
Through the 442 pages, readers travel with him from Harlem, New York to Hawaii, Indonesia and finally to his roots Kenya.
While Obama's travels are deeply personal, Hillary Clinton's memoir Living History gives you a peek into the intriguing world behind the walls of the White House. She characteristically doesn't spend too many pages on her initial years and before you know it, the readers are on a ride with Hillary Rodham and Hillary Clinton.
That's where the differences become evident between the two writers. Obama does not hold back in letting you know the first time he felt the anger when his own grandma says she fears a goon more, for he is black or when he wept by his father's grave. Hillary's fights are more professional, but she skilfully weaves them with a personal thread, sprinkled with black and white photographs.
Equipped with her experiences, the book is a revelation of sorts from a law graduate who's still trying to get a hold over the politics of the world's oldest Democracy. Obama on the other hand, like his speeches, relies more on emotional chords to bind the reader and generously uses visual imagery. It's not a seasoned politician talking to you but a man who almost gave up on community organising only to come around to fight for his community. “The pain I felt was my father's pain. My questions were my brother's questions. Their struggle my birthright,” Obama says in his autobiography.
Deciding between the two can be a tough choice. If it's American politics you're trying to understand, Senator Clinton gives you an insider's view. But if you are looking to know the individual at the end of the book, Barack Obama is what you might be looking for.
Title: Dreams from My Father
Author: Barack Obama
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Genre: Autobiography
Price: Rs 862
Title: Living History
Author: Hillary Rodham Clinton
Publisher: Headline Book Publishing
Genre: Autobiography
Price: Rs 279
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