A Promised Land: The powerful political memoir from the former US President Paperback – 13 Aug. 2024

I have read many political biographies and autobiographies, including about every US President from FDR onwards. This is almost certainly the most readable and enjoyable, and - although i can sometimes be guilty of skimming parts of some long books when I find the content boring - I read and enjoyed every word of this 700 page first volume of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs.There is a warmth, humanity and sometimes humility to Obama’s writing, and it does seem that he has done something here to convey what life can be like under the microscope, in the most powerful job in the world, where every action is scrutinised, and every motivation questioned, often for purely political partisan reasons.The book gives some personal glimpses too - Obama's devotion to his wife and daughters shines through in these pages as does his compassion towards others, his collaborative outlook, and his internationalism. Moments of self questioning and even self doubt come through clearly too. All political autobiography is probably to some extend self serving, but this book reads as much more candid than most.This book covers the years leading up to the 2008 presidential election, and then the first two years of Obama’s first term. Whilst in no way dumbed down, this is page turning stuff, and i am looking forward to the next volume.

If you were to tell anyone in 1988 that within twenty years there would be a Black President of the USA the nicest reaction you would probably have got would have been hysterical laughter. Yet it happened and it is a tribute to both the man who achieved it and the country that enabled Barack Obama to become its first black president. This is a tale of an almost impossible quest and a description of his time in the White House when Obama incredibly took his achievement to a higher level by winning a second term as President. This the first of two books goes up to the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. Obama describes his story from the evolution of the idea to become President to being in the White House up to 2011. Underpinning the story is his family story. The presidential story is built around a few key acts most notably the Recovery and the Affordable Care Acts, and the killing of Osama bin Laden. The difficulties in achieving his goals were not only due to Republican opposition but also Democrats who argued to change the scope of his various legislative bills. Obama also had to contend with barely concealed racism especially with the Republicans and the right wing media. Yes criticism about Obama’s presidency is justified, but his term of office was largely successful both from the quantity and the quality of the work emanating from Team Obama. A criticism of his book is insufficient detail on his “White” family who must take all the credit for Obama’s development. Otherwise this is a very readable book telling an amazing story. I am looking forward to his second volume.

An expectedly well-written, thoughtful and compelling account of Obama’s inspirational rise to America’s highest political office followed by his hectic, crisis-ridden first term in office.Obama is an eloquent and gifted writer, who not only understands the underlying power of well-crafted language and rhetoric, but utilises this extraordinary talent of his in a way that depicts his inner struggles, feelings and contradictions in a colourful and truly evocative way. The book offers a thrilling literary journey into the vast machinery of US decision-making and the complexities encountered in the course of navigating through multiple domestic and international crises simultaneously.When it comes to substance, A Promised Land offers a detailed, personal account of Obama’s political formation, his experience as a student and an activist, and the gradual emergence of his liberal, idealistic worldview. It is, at times, a truly intimate account of the political rollercoaster that defined the era of his first term.The book itself is structured into separate parts that cover major themes: the first part of the volume focuses on Obama’s journey to assuming office, whilst the latter part covers the first term of his presidency.The consequential thread of events is covered seamlessly, although at times it feels as if the sheer breadth and enormity of the task the author had embarked upon reduced the allotted time he could spend on certain topics (understandable, given the huge palette of editorial decisions involved in ensuring that the final volume provides a thorough and engaging account of all keys events).Personally, the parts I enjoyed the most were those devoted to: Obama’s upbringing; his personal history; and, then, the detailed account of his administration’s foreign policy decisions. It was truly insightful to step into the mind of the man who had to contemplate the most serious and consequential of decisions, and to read through his personal assessments of diplomatic negotiations as well as America’s complex role in today’s increasingly multipolar world.Most importantly, Obama’s personal account of his time in office offers a reminder that decency, integrity and respect CAN be part of modern political discourse. No matter his pitfalls, shortcomings and failures as president, his leadership skills and ethical standards show that a leader’s most important skill today is to fully comprehend the sheer gravity of his actions and the far-reaching consequences of his decisions.