A Biography that Portrays Success

Sometimes one reads a book that portrays a success story while simultaneously showing the merits of planning, of analyzing and creating a persona out of the strengths we all possess. These strengths are different for each individual but from this book, one gets a sense of planned life direction, which is not how most of us live.
The book: "Obama - From Promise to Power" by David Mendell. I first picked this up because I had read the two books authored by Obama himself and wanted a more objective view. I got that. David Mendell is a political writer for the Chicago Tribune and has followed this star from the beginning of the political climb. He gives us the bad with the good although the former is not too devestating. There are some flaws which are human and some tactics which are politically motivated but, I conclude, these are used for good rather than for personal gain. From this book, I learned many facts not known to the general public. How, for instance, Obama was financially destitute at one point and had to make a decision whether to carry on with his political pursuits or take the safe road with a financially secure future. We all now know his choice.
Again, besides giving us an in depth view of Obama, there is a lot to learn from this book which can be put to personal use. How he developed his view on life, which was formed to a large extent by his community organizing, to a pathway to power (as the title of the book indicates). But not power in traditional sense. He had to first deelop power over himself and then use that for his career. We can all learn from this. To spend time in self analysis, to know why we hold certain opinions and whether they morally and intellectually correct. To use this to find our personal role in life: for ourselves, our families, our workplace and our community. Probably this is the theme of many of the popular self help books but here we see a true life story and Mendell gives us such an indepth view on Obama's life and a slant that we can use for ourselves. I highly recommend this book and would welcome any comments on those of you who have read it. click here