In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners´ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called ´the audacity of hope´. Now, in this book, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics - a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the ´endless clash of armies´ we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit. 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.