Barack Obama, former president of the United States and one of the most important personalities of the last century, is a staunch reader. And as usual, the American politician posted on his Facebook page (where he accumulates more than 55 million followers) three recommendations of books he has read recently and that he hopes we will read.
These are the titles that Barack Obama has suggested.
” Pachinko, ” by Min Jin Lee.
Synopsis (What Book Leo):
Yeong-do, Korea, 1911. In a small fishing village on the shore of the East Sea, a crippled man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple has a daughter, their beloved Sunja. When Sunja becomes pregnant with a married man, the family faces ruin. But then Isak, a young Christian priest, offers him a chance for salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. After following a man he barely knows until a hostile country where he has no friends or home, Sunja’s salvation will be nothing but the beginning of his story. Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic account of family, identity, love, death and survival.
What Barack Obama says:
“It is a captivating book (…) a historical novel about the experience of Korean immigrants in Japan during the war. Min Jin Lee catches you from the front line << History has failed us, but it doesn’t matter >>. Min Jin Lee’s novel takes us through four generations in which each character will be in search of his identity and success. It is a powerful story about resilience and compassion. ”
In an interview for the English newspaper “The Guardian”, the author explained the meaning of the resounding phrase with which her book begins:
“History has failed us, but it doesn’t matter” serves as my thesis statement [from the book]. I believe that history has failed almost every ordinary person in the world, not just the Korean-Japanese, who are the protagonists of Pachinko. I am also arguing that the discipline of History has failed us. Not because historians are not doing their job, but rather because historical memory has been rebuilt by the elite, because the vast majority of ordinary people rarely leave enough testimonies [of their lives]; They don’t have other people recording their lives. ”
“The phrase” but it doesn’t matter “is a challenging statement. Because it doesn’t matter that history has failed us because ordinary people have resisted in any way. This idea gives me enormous strength and hope as a writer because I am an ordinary person. ”
“All of us who can be women of color, immigrants, or working class, are not usually meant to write novels about ideas, but it doesn’t matter.”
” The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World ” by Melinda Gates
Translated into Spanish as “There is no going back: the power of women to change the world”, the first recommendation of the former president of the United States is a book written by Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist. Together with her husband, she has been running the “Bill and Melinda Gates” foundation since 1999, which seeks to end extreme poverty in the world and help the population of emerging countries to move forward.
It is precisely because of the experiences at the forefront of this organization, that motivated Melinda Gates to write this book as a vindication of the power of women as the engine of world development.
Synopsis (Google Books):
In this moving and convincing book, Melinda shares the lessons she has learned from the people who have inspired her and who she has known in her work and travels around the world (…) offers us an unforgettable, supported speech Po alarming data, where it presents the problems that require our most attention: from child marriage to lack of access to contraceptives or gender inequality in the workplace .
What Barack Obama says:
“When you push women, you push everyone: families, communities, entire countries. That is not just the right approach; It is supported by research and numerous examples in the world. In her book, Melinda tells the stories of inspiring women she has known throughout her foundation around the world, immerses herself in the data, and illustrates in a powerful way the problems that demand our attention. I have said that Melinda is an “impatient optimist”, and that is exactly what this book reflects: the urgency of attacking these problems but the unwavering belief that their solution is possible ”
“The Shadow of Sirius” by WS Merwin
“The Shadow of Sirius” earned the writer WS Merwin of his second Pullitzer Prize, after receiving the first in 1971 for his poems “The Carrier of Ladders.” Pacifist writer, his prose led him to win numerous awards and distinctions.
Synopsis (Gandhi):
“WS Merwin won the Pulitzer Prize for the second time with the shadow of Syrian, a set of poems about human memory and existence. In this work Merwin, with a light style but with a solid base, makes each verse sustain, as a column of air and gold, moments that want to be eternal. Transcendence, for Merwin, is something that occurs in the now; and the poem, its way ”.
What Barack Obama says:
“One of the great poets of our time and a brilliant writer, the WS Merwin book offers a good sample of his work. Merwin’s writing inspires me because it teaches us about ourselves, about our world, and how humans are connected to nature. Many of us are not called poetry, but Merwin’s recent death has reminded me of how a good poem can inspire and instruct. ”
