Here are some more reviews from our CWL Book Chain for Dreams From My Father. From Mandarin 1: Have to agree with Obama's statement in his introduction that his memoir could be further edited by at least 50 pages. I say double or perhaps even triple. As he charts his background growing up in a white household, struggling to find his identity as a righteous black man by resisting "the pure and heady breeze of privilege", his story bogs down in discussions of racial exploitation without really shedding any new light on the subject. Although I did find his trip back to Kenya, reuniting with his new found siblings and defining "what is a family?" intriguing. Just a thought - I find it hard to believe that Obama wrote his first memoir in one year. I suggest that he may had major editorial help, even a ghostwriter. Successful politicians have sought this service with acknowledgment of their help. Why Obama has not, is perhaps due to his political persona built around his presumably superior intellect.

Mandarin 2: What makes someone become a president? Let alone coming from a mixed race background, American mother, African father, an Indonesian stepfather and growing up in different countries I really enjoyed reading this, discovering all about this boy growing up into a man who is wise beyond his years. It is quite detailed, the conversations he recalls and his thoughts about different events, like the advertisements for whitening skin. I found his real father fascinating even though Barack hardly knows him - he was brought to life. It is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. When he became president I honestly didn't know much about him but now I feel I know him well and what life events have shaped his ideas.

Mandarin 3: This is an excellent read about race in modern society and his struggle to find where he fits in life. It is also about an absent father – and discovering a family a world away....a real insight into the man of the moment – the US President. Thank you "Mandarins", More reviews to come............

Our inaugural CWL Book Chain (via email) has ended for this year with two groups (Mandarin and Tangerine) reading a total of six books they self-nominated. Keep in mind not everyone read all the books so there will be more reviews for some books than others. Here are the reviews from the Mandarin Book Chain for Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Our next email book chain will start next year.

From Mandarin 1: A portrait of the artifice of American suburban life in the '50's.Told through Frank Wheeler, a selfish and insecure man who has a deep investment in maintaining his male status quo. Frustrated, Frank with his wife, April and two children move to suburban Connecticut. As a temporary measure, Frank takes a job that is dull due to his belief that he is destined for an extraordinary creative life. How and when? He's not quite sure although April may have the solution... I really thought this novel was very well written. It's a familiar theme similar to movies like "American Beauty" and the TV show "Mad Men" in which hysterical housewives and angry suburban men dream of escaping while simultaneously protecting their fragile stability. However, the confronting "honesty" that Yates is recognised for does not allow the reader to sit back and enjoy an ultimate moral conviction. We find the novel judging our own harmonious reality and the role of chance. There are those who may view this theme depressing. However the well developed characters, the astonishing understanding of human nature that is sometimes portrayed with cynicism and Yates refusal to let sentiment seep in will capture the reader in a novel that is utterly absorbing. A very memorable performance.

Mandarin 2: This is so well written and timely for today as people search for meaning in life. It is subtle and an insider's study of a couple, and their neighbours and striving for a life less ordinary. I can see some would say it is bleak but it reminds us about what makes us happy and reminds us to be be grateful for what you have.