In The Audacity of Hope, President Obama called for a different brand of politics–a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.

At the heart of this book is President Obama’s vision where he explores tackling concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity, racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. He grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.