The first volume of Barack Obama's highly anticipated presidential memoir is everything I'd expect it to be—intelligent, thoughtful, illuminating—and reading it makes me miss even more this hopeful time in our history.
Clocking in at more than 700 pages, A Promised Land details Obama's political rise, his 2008 presidential campaign, and what his administration achieved in their first 2.5 years in office. Not only did it vividly portray all that they had accomplished, but it also didn't shy away from sharing all the ways they fell short.
There is so much information in here. I followed current events pretty closely during this time, so everything he talks about—the financial crisis, bailout of the 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—were all things I was pretty familiar with already.
This isn't all dry politics and policies though. My favorite parts of the memoir were definitely the ones where Obama shares personal anecdotes about himself and his family and their dog Bo, along with observations about what it's like to be president. But those were just small bits of the whole thing. If you're looking for more of these personal stories, Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming is a fantastic companion.
Going in, I did think (and hope) that there would be some surprises in store. Since Obama is no longer in office, he can now freely say what he might've not been able to before. But alas, no such bombshells were forthcoming.
Still, even though there were no shocking revelations, this was a fascinating read. Obama is a skilled writer, and he's great at explaining and summarizing fairly complex ideas in a few short paragraphs. It's interesting to see his take of the events that transpired under him and his process in coming to the decisions that he ultimately made.
Even with the high page count, this book didn't feel overly long. It covers a lot of content, so we move along at a snappy rate and never get bogged down on any one topic. This is only the first volume of Obama's presidential memoir and more is on its way, though at this point, I'm not sure if/when that would actually happen.
Oh, one thing to note if you're considering this. I started out with the hardcover version of this book, which has beautiful pictures, but it's extremely 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 my read. I've also heard that the audiobook is absolutely stellar as it's read by Obama himself, so definitely keep that in mind if you're trying to decide between formats.
I think, at the end of the day, what makes Obama's memoir so special is that it takes us back through memory lane to the optimistic and buoyant years of his presidency. During that time, Obama elevated discourse and gave us the hope of not just a better America, but also a better democracy. To read his words is to relive the history of this nation during its heyday, when it felt like we were on a trajectory of limitless possibility and progress.
Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!
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