Erin Aubry KaplanRecensioni

I love this book by Erin Aubry Kaplan. I believe I am her doppelganger, though not the evil twin type. Her expression of love, admiration and respect for him runs deep and she expresses it in a heartfelt manner. With smarts and clarity she also talks about Obama's flaws and the complicated relationship he had with the African American community. Now two years into Trumps term it is heartbreaking and unbearable to remember all of the excitement and hope we had but his principled relationships ( I have never read a negative book about him from people who worked for him) still guides so many of us as we continue to fight for racial justice.

In this excellent work, Kaplan shares her insights on journalism, race, gender, and politics gleaned from many years of experience in the field. This book is thoughtful, captivating, and well-written.

This is a readable, yet in-depth, study on our first black president from the viewpoint of a black woman. She went into some very interesting things that, as a person without color, I hadn't thought about. I have been a fan of Obama and will be sad to see him replaced by either of the current options before us (as of 8/2016). That said, this book examines some very interesting cultural perspectives. A solid read.

Erin Aubry Kaplan writes a very balanced perspective on Obama. What Obama means to African Americans is as varied as there are people and just as complex. Erin examines all the varied views of Obama with candor and in the proper context of American society and values. Whatever opinion the reader has about Obama, Erin Aubry Kaplan may broaden his/her perspective. Highly recommended.

This is an amazingly conceived and well documented reflection on Barack Obama, not simply as the first Black President, but through the eyes of the Black community. It is something that I have wondered about since his election.
Kaplan looks at him not only as the President, but she assesses the role he plays as a Folk Hero. She puts into words the frustration I have felt as a white American with the racist members of our society. Unfortunately, his election brought seething to the surface the silent racists. If he has disappointed some Blacks because he has not done enough for them, Kaplan states what he has stated, he is the President for all of us. Some white members of society may think he has favored the blacks, but he has definitely not. He has represented all of us as he promised to do.
I was a child during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and have been appalled at the treatment of Obama and the racism that has escalated during his presidency. I read this book like a textbook, underlining and annotating as I read. I learned much about the Civil Rights movement, the leaders not just of the movement, but also the voices that had an impact on the movement. It was an enlightening book for me and has sent me on to other texts and authors mentioned.
History will vindicate the Presidency of Barack Obama. I am proud to have voted for him. I do not agree with all of his decisions, but that is what being thoughtful means.
My one disappointment with the book is the title: seeing a heart = love in today's popular culture. The title as spelled out in the book is I Heart Obama. I read it: I Love Obama. The title diminishes the seriousness of the book and the research Kaplan has done.

This is an excellent book and a very interesting discussion of President Obama and his place in African American History. Kaplan did a very good job of blending a community's opinions into a narrative that flowed and was a delight to read.

This book is wonderful. Erin Aubry Kaplan writes about President Obama in ways that everyone recognizes and in ways that most of us had never thought of. It's thought-provoking and fascinating. I'm proud to add it to my collection.

Excellent, very readable and well reasoned. I could take issue with a couple view points expressed but that would take away from the overall feelings I have about the book. Primarily I find Kaplan was on target with her views of President Obama and her assessment of the broader communities views about him. Additionally, she expressed great insight as to the importance of the Obama presidency to the African American community and many individuals who empathize with how unfairly he has been treated and the irrational and impolite constant barrage of negativity he has suffered coming from the right wing talking machine. I am a past middle age white southerner who proudly voted for President Obama twice. I have great admiration for what he stands for, how he has endured the last 8 years of the daily onslaught of attack, and his calm, rational and reality based approach to governance. He definitely as Kaplan details is deserving of our admiration and appreciative of his legacy. I believe history demonstrate the power and importance of the Obama Presidency for our country.

Title: I Heart Obama
Author: Erin Aubrey Kaplan
Publisher: Foreedge
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"I Heart Obama" by Erin Aubrey Kaplan

My Thoughts....

Wow, this was some good read. How this author was able to put this altogether of President Barack
Obama [a folk hero], head of the most powerful state in the world; a 'centrist Democrat' was wonderful delivered to the reader. I loved how this author "offers an unapologetic appreciation of our highest-ranking "First” and what he means to black Americans. "In the process, the author explores the critiques of those in the black community who charge that he has not done enough, been present enough, been black enough to motivate real change in America. Racial antipathy cloaked as political antipathy has been the major conflict in Obama’s presidency." "By the end we get a well written "story about collective yearning and hope, against a backdrop of disillusionment and despair. In picking up this novel you will get a read that will make you think and even share through discussions long after the read. I thought this novel was very well written by this author being 'eloquent, honest and compelling'. ...thank you for a very interesting read about our President Barack Obama.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written. Interesting points of view on "post racial" America.

"Growing up, I always considered myself to be my mother's child. I liked what that meant: my mother was kind but entirely unsentimental, self-possessed but unassuming, practical above all things. She got married in a plain tea-length dress and short gloves and then gave the whole outfit away because she said she didn't need it anymore.... I admired my mother's efficiency, her equipoise and lack of wasted motion--these were the models I used to streamline my own imagination, to build my aspirations of becoming a writer."

This passage from Erin Aubrey Kaplan's essay "Mother Roux" is characteristic of her writing style: direct, smart and engaging, and creatively written without being flowery... (probably a trait picked up from her mother!) Personally, my favorite section of 'Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, and Walking the Color Line' is Kaplan's section on Mothers and Fathers, from which that excerpt from "Mother Roux" came. She explores her family's roots in New Orleans and her own experiences growing up within the postwar "Creole network" that had transplanted in Los Angeles.

Describing her relationship with her mother via their relationship to food, Kaplan is able to make reference to collective identity and identity politics, racial and ethnic topics, and her own personal experience, all in the context of an easily accessible story about family. This ability to interweave personal and broader social issues makes Kaplan's work a pleasure to read. Excerpts such as "Mother Roux," "Losing New Orleans," and Behind the American-History Curtain: Washington DC and the Lessons of Memory" would make excellent readings for a college-level course having anything to do with writing, race, or American history.½

How one views and thinks about race has largely to do with one's own life experiences and what one reads, and how the individual is able to think about and analyze both of these. In "Black Talk, Blue Thoughts," we are able to "get into" Erin Aubry Kaplan's head and see how she puts all of this together.

A journalist for many years, Kaplan's book is like an out-of-order memoir. Although her essays are largely about what is going on in the world at the time of the writing (roughly mid 1990s to mid 2000s), we get to know Kaplan through her thoughts on political happenings, random events, and everyday thoughts on race. She gives us a big picture and she gives us her picture. The combination makes for a strong book of essays that, a century from now, will stand up to scrutiny, and give historians meaty food for thought.

Although most of the essays in the book have been published, a few appear for the first time in this publication. The reader may wonder whether the essays that did not see print before were rejected as being too controversial or whether Kaplan never put them forward to be printed as they were too personal.

From her sassy essay on the posteriors of black women to a suprising essay on President Obama to her husband's diagnosis of cancer, Kaplan shows us the inside of her mind and the inside of her heart. By the end of the book we feel as though we know her very well. And what do we know about race that is different? One thing is definite: every reader of "Black Talk, Blue Thoughts" will find a moment or two during the reading to reflect and question their own beliefs and thoughts. This is what Kaplan does best: makes us think.

We need more books like this. We are not living in "post-racial" times and this book explains why. Kaplan writes in a style that my dad would be comfortable with and that is important. So much race theory can be so thick very few people can read it without a PhD (and even then sometimes they can't). I appreciate her honesty and forthright voice. Just read this book