A Promised Land by Barack Obama | Goodreads

A Promised Land by Barack Obama | Goodreads

A Promised Land

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A Promised Land

by Barack Obama (Goodreads Author)

 4.46  ·   Rating details ·  10,118 ratings  ·  1,541 reviews

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making, from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy.

In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal de ... detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.

Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.

This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day. (less)

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Shivani Patel

Oct 15, 2020Shivani Patel marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition

Once again I have to let people on here know they should not mess with the rating system. You don't have to like Obama or read his book but please do not leave ratings on Goodreads just to make that known.

You are allowed to have your opinions but no reason to mess with the GR rating system by giving it a one star (or a 2,3,4,5) if you haven't actually read the book. And that goes for all books. Please do not rate without reading because some people genuinely want to filter and search through ra ...more

flag2637 likes · Like  · 86 comments · see review

Jack Waters

Sep 17, 2020Jack Waters is currently reading it  ·  review of another edition

The $45 cover price is only steep if you don’t consider the implied number humor

flag659 likes · Like  · 44 comments · see review

Angela M

Nov 25, 2020Angela M rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-favorites

Our expectations for elected officials aren’t always very realistic, and none more than for those elected to the highest office in our country. We’ve never had a perfect President and never will, but there are certain qualities that I believe are essential. Intelligence, a respect for the office and more importantly a reverence for our democracy, a strong sense of responsibility for protecting our nation and its citizens, leadership skills that bring together qualified people in the government, ...more

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Stephanie L

Sep 19, 2020Stephanie L marked it as on-the-radar  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-publications

If you think I wouldn't add this after Michelle Obama's Becoming, are we even friends? ...more

flag233 likes · Like  · 7 comments · see review

Holly

Nov 19, 2020Holly rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2020-read, non-fiction

I am 'reading' this via audiobook because even though it's 29 hours long, just listening to Obama's steady voice is reassuring during this current insanity.

(Also, this ended up being my 100th book I have read this year, officially meeting my reading goal!)

I am not sure what I enjoyed most about this book. Was it the insight into how Obama got into politics and then decided to run for President? Was it the look into his primary run against Hillary Clinton? Was it his eventual win against John McCain and his crazy VP pick Sarah Palin? Was it the behind the scenes look into some of his biggest pieces of legislation, namely Obamacare? Or was it his REAL thoughts on certain events that happened during his first 4 years of his Presidency?

Honestly, it's all the above, but that last one had me cackling with sarcastic cynical laughter, when Obama details what he really wanted to say during a certain press conference.

Go pick up this audiobook. Go listen to what a real President should sound like - basically a reasonable, intelligent human being. And then mourn those good ole' days as we finish this hellscape of the last 4 years. Oh and did I also mention that there's an unfortunate reveal about Biden's judgment in the very last chapter? *sigh*

Thanks, Obama. (meant sincerely) (less)

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Gabby

Nov 30, 2020Gabby rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 500-or-more-pages, 5-star-books, read-in-2020, adult, own, audiobooks-i-listened-to, favorites, memoir-or-nonfiction, reviewed

This book was so incredible and it gave me so much hope for America. I miss Obama so much, he's so well-spoken and he has such a way with words, I listened to the audiobook which is definitely the way to go for this book. This is one of the only political books I have ever read, but it was absolutely captivating to hear about all the experiences he went through as President and all the tough decisions he had to make. I love that throughout it he sprinkles in his stories of his family and I loved hearing about Michelle and the girls, their family is the cutest.

It brought tears to my eyes reliving him being the first Black man elected President of the United States, it was so beautiful to hear about it from his POV. I was in 8th grade when Obama got elected President and I really wish I would have understood the significance of that then. I never got super involved in politics until I was in college, but wow what a historical moment in time.

Obama is just so down to Earth and so cool. He's so jarringly different from the President we currently have (Trump) that it's kind of heart breaking to think how much things have changed in the last four years. I miss Obama's laid back attitude and positivity so much. This book really inspired me so much, just the way he talks is so motivating and empowering.

Obama is a reminder to me and to everyone that your dreams can be achieved, and he really is a symbol of hope for this country. I can't wait to read the second book whenever it eventually comes out.

That's all I have to say, I'm just going to leave you with this quote that really moved me and gave me so much hope for America:

“I don’t know. What I can say for certain is that I’m not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America—not just for the sake of future generations of Americans but for all of humankind. For I’m convinced that the pandemic we’re currently living through is both a manifestation of and a mere interruption in the relentless march toward an interconnected world, one in which peoples and cultures can’t help but collide. In that world—of global supply chains, instantaneous capital transfers, social media, transnational terrorist networks, climate change, mass migration, and ever-increasing complexity—we will learn to live together, cooperate with one another, and recognize the dignity of others, or we will perish. And so the world watches America—the only great power in history made up of people from every corner of the planet, comprising every race and faith and cultural practice—to see if our experiment in democracy can work. To see if we can do what no other nation has ever done. To see if we can actually live up to the meaning of our creed.”

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Selim Batti

Nov 17, 2020Selim Batti marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition

One thing I want to mention. This is Goodreads. For those who don’t know what this app is, it’s a planet for readers, not a battlefield for competitors. You can’t just create multiple accounts, copy and paste same review, and rate a book you haven’t read.

We are here to review books, not people. We are here to share knowledge and literal thoughts and opinions, not to fight for political backgrounds.

Please guys be approachable and logical.

You can express your political opinions in demonstrations ...more

flag205 likes · Like  · see review

Yun

Dec 10, 2020Yun rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

A Promised Land is the first volume of Barack Obama's widely anticipated presidential memoir. In it, he details his political rise, the 2008 campaign for president, and what his administration accomplished in their first 2.5 years in office. Filled with his characteristic intelligence and thoughtfulness, it vividly portrays all that his administration has accomplished and the ways they fell short. It also calls attention to how fragile our democracy is and how easily it can be derailed.

Clocking in at more than 700 pages, this was a real doozy of a tome. And it's only the first volume! But reading it, it didn't feel overly long because of the sheer amount of content covered. It's actually quite concise on each topic and is balanced by the fact that the Obama administration accomplished a lot, even during just the initial 2.5 years of his presidency covered in this book. Obama is a terrific writer, succinctly hitting upon all the highlights and lowlights of his journey so far.

(As an aside, I started out reading the hardcover version of this book, which has beautiful pictures, but it's super heavy. I couldn't get comfortable with it in my hands, so I quickly switched over to the eBook, which I stuck with for the remainder of the book. I've also heard that the audiobook is absolutely stellar, as it's read by Obama himself. Just some quick thoughts, if you're trying to decide which medium to go with.)

Though my favorite parts of the memoir are the ones where Obama shares personal anecdotes about himself and his family (and their dog Bo!), or observations about what it's like to be president, those were just a small part of this book. The major focus is on his policies and accomplishments throughout his political career and during his campaign for president.

Going in, I thought there would be some surprises in here, now that Obama is no longer president and can say what he really feels. But nothing in here surprised me. During his administration, I followed current events pretty closely, so everything he talks about (the financial crisis, bailout of banks and auto industry, healthcare reform, climate treaty, Frank-Dodd, the middle east, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Arab Springs, repeal of DADT, raid on bin Laden, etc.) are all events I already know pretty thoroughly.

Even though there were no surprises, Obama is still a skilled writer. He's great at explaining and summarizing fairly complex ideas in a few short paragraphs. It's also enlightening to see his take of the events that transpired under him and his process in coming to the decisions that he ultimately made.

During his presidency, Obama elevated discourse and gave us the hope of not just a better America, but a better democracy, one that could be free from injustice, inequality, and partisan deadlock. To read his memoir is like reliving the history of this nation during its heyday, when it felt like we were on a trajectory of limitless possibility and progress.

Still, I wouldn't say this has been an easy read. It was actually hard and frustrating to read about all the obstructions and malice that he, his administration, and his family faced. And considering what happened once he left office (and is still happening), reading it triggered a fair bit of anxiety in me. But it's a vital part of history, and knowing it helps me form a more comprehensive understanding of our nation. (less)

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Meike

Sep 18, 2020Meike rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: politics, usa, 2020-read

"Do we care to match the reality of America to its ideals? (...) I recognize that there are those who believe that it's time to discard the myth - that an examination of America's past and an even cursory glance at today's headlines show that this nation's ideals have always been secondary to conquest and subjugation, a racial caste system and rapacious capitalism, and that to pretend otherwise is to be complicit in a game that was rigged from the start. (...) I'm not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America."

In the first part of his memoir, Obama gives a short account of how he paved the road to the White House and then proceeds to lay out his first term. People who mainly expect personal anecdotes about his family and motivational speeches will probably be disappointed, as the 44th President dives deep into policy and politics, talking about healthcare reform, Iraq, the intricacies of the financial crisis and many other issues.

Looking at the way he frames his (self-)portrayal, two things stand out: Obama identifies instances and tendencies that, from his perspective, lead to the rise of Trumpism, like Republican obstruction politics or the normalization of figures like Sarah Palin. Frequently, he is also very critical of himself (should his reform of the financial sector have been more thorough? did he handle the oil spill right? why didn't he manage to close Guantanamo? etc.) and openly reflects his own anger and frustration over fast news cycles and spins, fellow politicians, and the paradoxical behavior of the American people (they want cheap oil, huge cars AND environmental protection, to name one example). This kind of openness and critical impetus is admirable - Obama does not try to gloss over all the things that didn't go smoothly.

But needless to say, Obama tends to defend his decisions and standpoints - which is totally fine, he wouldn't have acted the way he did in the first place if he wasn't convinced that he took the best measures possible at the time. Still, for a European like me, some arguments sound...well, weird. Obama's way to downplay the American idea of exceptionalism while at the same time ventilating it (to a degree at least), his statement that the USA crafted the world order by implementing NATO, UNO, GATT (really? the US did that, single-handedly?! that will come as a surprise to many other countries) or the way he talks about the Dresden firestorm, an event that until today is instrumentalized by the far-right in East Germany, are a little questionable for a non-American. And I have to admit that it's a little upsetting that such a beloved President still sometimes leans toward an imperial worldview that is, sorry America, outdated.

Still, Obama generally comes across as a humble, intelligent and morally upright person, a somewhat normal family man who fought hard to make the most of one of the most difficult jobs on the planet. He still stands for an idea of America that people all around the world want the US to live up to. Unsurprisingly, his writing is eloquent, easy to follow and captivating - this text shows why political non-fiction is exciting. I can't wait to read pt. 2. (less)

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C

Nov 16, 2020C rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Can somebody please go through the troll comments and remove the 1 star ratings of the person continuously posting the same, factually incorrect political statement - and any troll reviews for that matter. Other sites that connect to GoodReads receive a misleading rating due to this troll continuously posting 1 star ratings.

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Malia

Nov 27, 2020Malia rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, best-of-2020

My first thought: The editor's red pen was notably absent here! Goodness, this was long; long but not at all boring.

I listened to the audiobook, which Obama reads himself, and there was a sort of comfort in hearing his voice (for 30 hours😳). Whatever you want to say about him, and he seems quite willing to admit his mistakes, Obama is an example of a truly decent man, such a vast contrast to the one currently occupying the White House. I won't go into details of the content of the book, but while I expected to find that nothing much would come as new information, I finished it feeling I have a much deeper insight into Obama's first term as well as the life and responsibilities of a president. If Trump could read, I'd suggest he start here. He might learn something.

Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com (less)

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Ashley

Sep 17, 2020Ashley marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition

I’m so ready for this!!

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morgan

Nov 22, 2020morgan rated it it was amazing

this book was phenomenal to me. I found myself giggling, nodding with agreement, gasping with shock and crying throughout this book. In an alternate dimension, I truly believe Barack and I are best friends. I've always loved Obama's writing, since I read Dreams of My Father in my teens, so of course I will be preordering his next book as soon as I can. (less)

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Amalia Gkavea

Nov 25, 2020Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, memoirs, contemporary, usa, world-history, history, non-fiction, biography

“I suspect that God’s plan, whatever it is, works on a scale too large to admit our mortal tribulations; that in a single lifetime, accidents and happenstance determine more than we care to admit; and that the best we can do is to try to align ourselves with what we feel is right and construct some meaning out of our confusion, and with grace and nerve play at each moment the hand that we’re dealt.”

“When things are bad,” Axe said, walking next to me as we left the December meeting, “no one cares that ‘things could have been worse.” (less)

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