Has anyone besides me noticed that the political winds are blowing pretty hot and heavy right now? Or maybe it’s just all the hot air. Anyway, if anyone is still undecided about the election this late in the game, I have a few suggestions to help the undecided decide.

"Faith of My Fathers" and "Worth the Fighting For" are both written by John McCain with the help of his longtime assistant Mark Salter. "Faith of My Fathers" retells the early life of McCain as a Navy Brat through his imprisonment in North Vietnam. McCain speaks lovingly of his grandfather, John Sr., and his father, John Jr. Both men were distinguished admirals in the United States Navy. McCain relates his years as a rebel and hell-raiser at the Naval Academy where he admittedly underachieved. About half of the book is devoted to his time as a prisoner-of-war in North Vietnam. The faith in the title that McCain affirms is, "in god, country, and each other", meaning his fellow prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton and his fellow citizens.

"Worth the Fighting For" takes up McCain’s story after his release from prison in North Vietnam. He returned from Vietnam a changed man, trying to make up for lost time. Becoming a Senate naval liaison allowed McCain to establish strong friendships with powerful men. When Barry Goldwater retired from the Senate, John McCain successfully ran for his seat. McCain discusses his successes and his failures, including the Keating Five scandal and his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 primary. Ironically, he says, "I doubt I shall have reason or opportunity to try again" for the White House. One should never say never.

The two books by Barack Obama are "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope". In "Dreams from My Father" Obama focuses on issues of race, identity and community. Born to a white American woman and a black Kenyan student, Obama was raised in Hawaii primarily by his grandparents. He met his father only once when he was ten years old. His mother was in and out of his life but returned to raise Barack when her second marriage failed. He writes movingly of her fight with ovarian cancer and her early death. As a mixed-race teen, he struggled with his identity and experimented with drugs. Scholarships allowed him to attend college, and he graduated with a law degree from Harvard. After college he worked as a community organizer in Chicago which eventually led him into politics.

In "The Audacity of Hope" Obama offers a perspective on "how we might begin the process of changing our politics and our civic life". He sees class inequality as one of the most serious and enduring threats to democracy. Obama’s unusual upbringing (he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia.) helps him understand and explain the root causes of anti-Americanism abroad. Although he has seen life from both sides of the track, he writes, "My heart is filled with love for this country."

If you would prefer a video instead of a book, the library also has DVD biographies of both John McCain and Barack Obama, two men with compelling life stories.

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