A Promised Land

A Promised Land
Image source: Google

Rating: 4.4/5

Author: Barack Obama

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Publishing Date: 17  November, 2020

Language: English

Genre: Memoir, Biography

ISBN-10: 0241491517

ISBN-13: 978-0241491515

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 768

Cost: Rs. 1,496 (Hardcover), Rs. 1,096.59 (Kindle edition)

Plot:

The book by Barack Obama aims to provide an honest accounting of my presidency, the forces we grapple with as a nation and how we can heal our divisions and make democracy work for everybody. The book concludes with the events of the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

Review:

A Promised Land is a memoir by Barack Obama. Published on November 17, 2020, it is the first of a planned two volumes that Obama has written following his tenure as President of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

In the book, Barack Obama tells the story of his journey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in minute personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency.

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.

Obama offers some rare insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy; introduces us inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and more. We get to know about his hands on dealing with global financial crisis, Vladimir Putin, passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Wall Street reform, devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

Other voices like Brian Bond, Mike Mullen, and Gates, and other advisors and chiefs of staff give us our first complete narrative of the repeal. Obama doesn’t shy away from admitting his evolving viewpoint on issues related to the LGBTQ community. The most appreciating part is that he ties in these issues with larger issues around immigration, religious freedom, and systemic hatred to that society considers “others”.

Obama talks about balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of the young generation and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He opens about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. The treatment he gave to his experiences is rather very candid and touching!

About the Author:

Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, elected in November 2008 and holding office for two terms. He is the author of two previous New York Times bestselling books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, and the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Michelle Obama. They have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.