A Promised Land

Not sure if I believed him.

As one who follows politics fairly closely, I wasn't expecting to learn as much about the inner-mechanics as I did. It's a lot of pages, but reads quickly.

In A Promised Land Barack Obama describes his way to the presidency as well as his first term in office. The readers learn about the challenges of combining a political career and raising a family, the stress and personal sacrifices of being the most powerful leader in the world and much more.

I enjoyed this book especially because it felt comfortable to hear a voice of reason, to see an intelligent line of argument laid out elaborately and to follow Obama making important decisions to try to end the financial crisis of 2008, to balance getting soldiers home and keeping them safe abroad, to hunt down Osama bin Laden and fight terrorism, to get a health care bill passed that includes as many Americans as possible and to often negotiate between a rock and a hard place. One can clearly see that Obama is an intelligent man with a clear vision of what America can be and should be. 5 stars.

A devastating economic environment, a politically divided nation that less than a decade before was united, and then there was everything else going on in the world; what a way to start off a very different presidential administration. A Promised Land is the first volume of Barack Obama’s memoir that covers his life leading up to the presidency to the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

An important thing to begin this review is that throughout the book this felt like it was from Obama’s voice and not a ghostwriter. This is important because since Obama details his life up to the presidency followed by his first two and a half years in office, the authenticity is needed especially as he explains his decision making once in office and his impressions of the individuals he interacted with. Frankly while I knew a lot of what happened during Obama’s administration because I paid attention to the news, I read this more for the “inside” details that he could provide and wasn’t disappointed. How Obama approached each major legislation or event of the first half of his first term was something I appreciated as he tackled it whole before moving out but was able to reference those events later to give context as the book progressed, the separate but interconnectedness was better than trying to blend everything together and hope the reader kept everything straight.

A Promised Land is a well-written look into a recent American presidential administration by the man who led it. Barack Obama’s voice comes across clearly throughout thus giving the reader great insight into events and background on how things went.

In this first volume, Obama openly shares about his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia, politics in Illinois, and his run for President. He often writes about his family dynamics and raising two daughters in the White House. Obama provides a detailed history of significant events that occurred during his Presidency while sharing his intimate thoughts and feelings at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him narrate the audiobook.

When Barack Obama was born, few would have predicted that we’d witness a black US president in his lifetime. And yet he accomplished that himself. When he was elected president, few would have likewise predicted the depths of divide his presidency would unearth. And yet we are here. The pomp and circumstance of politics, as first told by the media, need to be supplemented by presidential memoirs to understand the logic of decisions. Though obviously biased in nature, Obama’s telling is here for the public’s – and history’s – consumption.

Some will lament his professorial tone of reasoning. Others will be unable to see past his political affiliation or skin color. Still others might better identify with a character who appears in the second-half of this work: Donald Trump. Yet for all those detractors, Obama’s careful reason provides something to be celebrated and treasured. I’ve read many presidential biographies in my life, and in my judgment, few presidents – perhaps only Lincoln or Washington? – showed as much care with each decision.

To me, it’s obvious that he cared for this entire country, even his detractors. His reverence for the military comes through as well as his appreciation of public servants. Any president wants to get ahead in how historians view her/his presidency, and this is Obama’s opening salvo. That salvo is classy, refined, gracious, level-headed, and reverentially dedicated to the task at hand. It’s well-worth any citizen’s reading.

A Pulitzer for this incredible comprehensive dissertation on American politics under a real, intelligent, and honorable President.

An image careful retelling of Obama's campaign for the Presidency and the first years, finishing with the elimination of Osama bin Laden. There is a strong focus on the legislation that he got through congress, and how with the ever present background chorus of GOP opposition. The prose is workmanlike, but never compelling.

Barack Obama’s A Promised Land is a rather insightful presidential autobiography. He explained how the Democratic party was able to pass a number of legislations. Obama pointed to victories with TARP, Recovery Act, Dodd-Frank Act, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Immigration, and climate change. He failed in his effort to get legislation on the Dream Act for millions of undocumented children who reside in the United States.
Obama’s victories didn’t come easily. As these pieces of legislation made their way through the senate, they faced opposition from Republicans. In the senate Mitch McConnell would try to use the filibuster to block his legislation. Fortunately, when Obama first assumed the presidency, he had the backing of sixty Democratic senators. After the Democrats lost a seat in Massachusetts the healthcare bill appeared in jeopardy. With other legislation Democrats under Harry Reid relied on three Republican senators to secure a bipartisan majority.
In the book Obama wrote about his early ventures into politics. He described his days as a community activist, election to the Illinois legislative assembly, and the senate. A reader was able to share his frustrations in Springfield, Illinois. Some legislation he was able to pass, and Obama was caught up with his campaign strategy to run for the U.S. senate. The victory he achieved was significant as an African American, and he was able to coax his wife Michelle go along with his future plans. Obama took giant steps, and other ventures which eventually led him to run for the presidency.
Though out the book his style was reflective. He reminisced about campaigns like Iowa that went well during the primaries with Hillary Clinton. He let his audience know about those that he could have done better. And Obama was honest in pointing out his failures. He also expressed ideas about how he could have done better during his presidency. Nevertheless, regardless of how things turned out he praised all his colleagues – young and old alike, who made his presidency a success.
Obama was quite critical of Donald Trump’s activities. He was proud that under his watch the terrorist mastermind bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. But he realized that America’s struggle with al Qaida would continue. He would continue to grapple with the fallout from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama praised the armed forces and the generals that were defending American interests in the Middle East.

I loved my job when my job didn't love me.
There is no No. (Translated from Spanish)

When I heard that President Obama was writing a biography, I got excited. I supported him as a President and believe he is a wonderful writer. This book only confirmed my thoughts.

I attempted to read the book but with a page total of 751 pages it would have taken me forever, so I switched to the audiobook so I could listen as I did chores and worked.

This is the first book in a two-book series as there was a lot that Obama included. This first volume takes us from his childhood through his time in the Senate to his Presidency. Obama helps the reader understand what encompasses being the President of the United States, not only the legalities behind it but also the intricacies. He relays stories of meeting Vladimir Putin for the first time as well as discovering that staff members were working on secret negotiations without his knowledge. Learning new and interesting things about the Obama Presidential era made me wonder how he lasted as long as he did while leading the country.
Obama chose to end this volume of his life story on a perfect note...after the successful death of Osama Bin Laden. This could easily be the crowning achievement of Obama's first term as it was something President Bush had attempted to achieve.

I am actively awaiting the second volume of President Obama's writing as he is intelligent in his word choice and phrasing. He is easy to understand yet speaks with the knowledge of a man who has attended the best schools and seen things that others will never know.

There's nothing like the reassuring voice of a person who is intelligent, well-read, surrounds himself with experts, and wants what is best for people personally and for our country as a whole. How I miss President Obama and his family in the White House! I also learned more about politics in general and the difficult, complicated decisions that have to be made by the Commander in Chief and his staff.

An engaging and candid memoir of the 2008 campaign and the first several years of Obama's first presidential term, through the spring of 2011. Obama's excellent writing is on full display here, and he gets into both the political and personal nitty-gritty of being president in ways that surprised me.

This is a really interesting read and I enjoyed the insights into his campaigns, his private life, his personality and his time in the White House. So don't get me wrong, I would recommend this book if you are interested in him at all. But it is looonng. And he even says so in the preface. It is well worth reading, but just know going it that it is not a quick read. He does have a very engaging writing style and he is a wonderful story-teller, but there is a lot here and a lot to digest. Still, it is a very interesting and intriguing look at the man and the presidency, and well worth the time to read.

Overall, I am so glad to have read this book, this first person record of Obama's first term presidency. There is no doubt that the author was at times overly verbose, which resulted in a few sections being head nodders. However, it was fascinating and enlightening to gain insight into the thinking behind some high profile decisions that were made, the neverending transactions involved in passing a controversial bill, and above all, the burden of being the person on whose desk, and in whose heart and mind, the buck stops. I appreciated what felt like openness around the neverending juggling of moral imperative and political survival. The details around the raid in Pakistan on Osama bin Laden were so very interesting. Of course, the anecdotes about Michelle and the girls, and what sounded like genuine ache felt by Obama at all he missed due to the demands of his office, were heartwarming. Reading this book is a commitment. I strongly recommend the audio version, read by the author.

history listened to by the maker - I learned more listening to this than by any other method during the administration - when one combines it w Michelle's Becoming it illustrates a love story that any young person could aspire to experience

Wonderful to read a president who can think in full sentences without insulting others. The stress of the presidency and the agenda he tried to fulfill during his first term are covered extensively. I especially enjoyed Obama's take on the Tea Party/Palin/Trump/Mitchell camp. Looking forward to the next installment!

What a project! The audiobook is 29 hours long, and I found my mind wondering every now and then but since I really like Obama's voice and could listen to him read a dictionary, this was an enjoyable "read". I particularly liked the beginning and the early years, and the descriptions of the family's attempts for normalcy during the presidential years. I find it amazing how detailed his memories are when I find it difficult to remember what I did last week, but maybe he keeps a diary :D

I'll be honest: my first reaction to this book was a tiny little bit of, "What have I gotten myself into?" The thing is over 700 pages long, and I didn't realize until I started it that it's actually only the first part of Obama's presidential memoir. (Presumably he's still working on part 2.) Which, fair enough, maybe, as it does have a lot to cover. But it seemed like he was going to cover it very, very slowly: 200 pages in, and he was only just finally getting the the election, and I was starting to find it a bit tedious.

Fortunately, once we got off the road to the White House and into the office itself, the tedium fell away, and the rest of the book actually went more quickly than I would have expected. It's a good overview of most of Obama's first term, delivered in his usual thoughtful, measured way, and it was very interesting to see what the world looked like from his perspective, and to get a glimpse into his thought processes when dealing with everything from the financial crisis to the SEAL team strike on bin Laden.

And it is at least nice to see that Obama has apparently managed to hang onto at least some amount of idealism and hope, despite, you know... everything. I'm not sure it's making me feel much less cynical at the moment, but, still. It's nice.

The gratitude I have for President Obama is similar to how I feel about Peter Jackson, the director of the immensely popular Lord of the Rings movies. Both men were fortunate to have a lucky combination of raw talent and an enviable work ethic. And both men were relatively young and untested on the international stage prior to their achievements. And both have given the world a wonderous gift that is uniquely their own. We're lucky they were given a chance.

Barack Obama and his "Yes We Can" theme stands in stark contrast to the Republican presidencies surrounding his tenure. American politics, and politics in general, has always been about reigning in those who wish to press forward too quickly and urging ahead those who aren't moving ahead quickly enough. Obama's presidency came at a time when the globalization divide amongst its people was at its widest ever. So that was the challenge, and still is -- leading a country into a globally interconnected future that's already tearing the country apart.

A Promised Land is part one of a two book series. This one covers Obama's entire political career through to the start of his 2012 re-election campaign. And I actually didn't know about the second book as I was reading and it frequently nagged me that his 2nd term would be rushed or mostly ignored. Much to my relief and delight, this is not the case. As I write this, the next book isn't out yet.

One of my favorite quotes, which echoes my own life:
"Although Michelle's tastes and mine often diverged. She preferred rom-coms while, according to her, my favorite movies usually involved 'terrible things happening to people and then they die.'"

In his introductory remarks, Obama tells the reader that one of his goals for the book is to give a sense of what it's actually like to be president, and I think he does an excellent job.

This means that the account covers a lot of ground: his very personal emotions, the grind of the campaign trail, pains and joys, the routine of the White House, and the big crises he faced. And before he describes those crises, he provides incredibly detailed backgrounds on the situations so the reader can have an understanding of the many elements at play: economics, the Deepwater Horizon oil well, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sometimes I skimmed those background sections, but even when I did I was deeply impressed by the enormity of the information a president must take in, analyze, and act on. Obama makes it clear that he relied heavily on a top-quality team to process a lot of the information before presenting him with the essentials (any president does), but it's also clear that the final decisions were his, and he made them with appropriate gravity.

He speaks of his entire team with affection and respect, and only recounts one or two times when there was a big enough lapse or miss that he got angry. Even then, he acknowledges the incredible pressures and demands everyone was always under.

His descriptions of his impressions and opinions of other politicians (Dems and GOP) and foreign leaders are fascinating as well, as are his descriptions of it's like to be a visiting dignitary in another country.

Donald Trump makes an appearance as one of the biggest proponents of the 'birtherism' movement. Obama the writer doesn't acknowledge what was to come, focusing instead on his reactions at the time. . . but I found it chilling to be reminded of Trump's 'political' roots.

There is a good-sized photo collection in the back, which was a nice surprise to this Kindle user. I own Pete Souza's large book, but most of the images here were new to me.

Through it all, Barack Obama the man emerges as someone who is deeply thoughtful, humane, service-oriented, a responsible leader, large-hearted, and very, very intelligent.

Something to consider before starting: this very big book does not cover both his terms. It covers *half* of his first term, up to the raid that killed bin Laden.

It took me a solid month to finish this book, and it was sometimes a bit of a trudge, but I will definitely read the subsequent volumes.

Published reviews support this being one of the better presidential memoirs, a genre usually made dry as dust while promoting an "I did everything right" argument. This one is about as humble as you can imagine coming from a POTUS. Obama has no end of praise for the people around him, as if he only profited from their work, but he does allow that he has a talent for speech-writing. That clearly carries over into recording his memoirs. Obama chose every word himself (no one else has author credit). He is excellent in his descriptions and clarity. Given the wide-ranging issues and complexities, Obama has a real gift for simplifying his subject matter without dumbing it down. It's very important to him that everyone who reads his book understands the ins and outs, and often the history, something that he says didn't work in speeches but works very well here. Perhaps as he did this, he was also writing for the ages.

The shared details are sometimes surprising: the exact order of occupants in the series of cars driving to his inauguration, the safety features of Air Force One, etc. I presume all of this received some kind of vetting and clearance, and there may be a great deal more that he isn't telling us. He plays down Hollywood images: the Situation Room is nothing to marvel at, the interior of Air Force One is still 1980s decor and features worse wi-fi than private airlines, his state-of-the-art connection to Washington cut out while he was in Brazil, etc. But even while brushing off those illusions he almost creates a big one of his own: that the president's job is straightforward. I'd almost believe I could do it as well, if it is only a matter of having the decisions presented to me and choosing the least worst option according to my best advisors. Somehow, I think there's more to it. The answer lies partly hidden behind Obama's modesty, and partly by the simplified narrative. We only get one brief glimpse of the real overlap he faced in having to multitask many issues at once, during his telling of the Deepwater Horizon crisis.

He also writes insightfully about race relations, and especially about the image he projected during his first campaign. In chapter six he explores why he approached the campaign not as a champion for black rights but a champion for all of the downtrodden, whatever their background. There were consequences for what he did, risks he took, obvious on reflection but not visible in his constant smile: the fears of those behind the scenes who felt certain any black man aspiring to be President was certain to be shot at, supported by the secret service's warning that they had never seen so many threats against a candidate before.

On the political side, which of course is most of the content, Obama's theme may be summed up in this one line: "The Recovery Act passed the House 244 to 188 with precisely zero Republican votes. It was the opening salvo in a battle plan that McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, and the rest would employ with impressive discipline for the next eight years." It's a stark picture, and Obama attaches his opinion of what this strictly partisan attitude meant - and still means - for the state of his country. If Obama is being objective then the Republican party is in a very sorry state. If he's not (but how not?), perhaps he is jealous of the Republican party whip.

This memoir ends at not quite the conclusion of his first term, with the tracking down of Osama bin Laden. The NYT points out that Nelson Mandela told his entire life story in fewer pages, but Obama is telling his story so well that I can't see where he ought have to have condensed it. I hardly followed his presidency from here in Canada while it was happening, but I've a greater appreciation now for what he accomplished while in office. Even if later it is for no other reason than because he was the first black President, I'm sure that he will remain under the historical microscope for as long as American history is studied. All of those studies, whether for or against him, are going to benefit enormously from this tremendous job he has committed to paper.

From the preface : “I wanted to pull the curtain back a bit and remind people that, for all its power and pomp, the presidency is still just a job, and our federal government is a human enterprise like any other, and the men and women who work in the White House experience the same daily mix of satisfaction, disappointments, office friction, screw-ups and small triumphs as the rest of their fellow citizens.”

“And because I heard in church basements and on bungalow porches, the very same values that had been drilled into me by my mother and grandparents – honesty, hard work and empathy, I came to trust the common thread that existed between people.” P 15

Not much to say that hasn’t been said about this book. I believe that Obama succeeded in his task: to document his political career, the first two years of his presidency, and his interactions with other national and world leaders, while at the same time showing his humanity.

I listened to the audiobook. At 28 hours long, it took time and commitment to finish. However, Obama is such a wonderful reader and orator, that listening did not seem like a chore.

The book ends with both the rise of Trumpism and the killing of Osama bin Laden. I’m looking forward to volume 2 of his memoir.

Excellent read, intelligence and grace. It covers President Obama time in the White House. He is filled with optimism and hope for our country.

What was originally marketed as the ex-POTUS' memoir covering his presidency is now Part 1 of 2, a canny choice from the publisher's point of view. But I think that meant this 700+ page title had plenty of room to delve into what Obama thought were the high and low points of his first term (more or less) in office, and a good deal of his earlier life that led to them. Recommended if you're a history junkie, as he offers much inside baseball from the era, especially the finance/housing meltdown, international diplomacy, and that insane 2008 campaign. I will be looking out for Part 2, if Professor Obama can ever finish it.

The basic theme of this book is “I did the best I could,” and I think it is further evidence for the tragic reading of his presidency: The very thing that made him electable—his sincere and unflagging faith in the ability of white Americans to come together with Black Americans in particular—made him unable, both temperamentally and to a certain extent politically, to play hardball with Republican intransigience. One appalling thing I learned from the book is that their internal polling found that the controversy over his comments on Henry Louis Gates and the cop who arrested him on his own front porch caused his support to drop substantially among whites, and that support never returned. That’s a lot of racism.

"You think you may not be ready, that you might do it at a more convenient time. But you don't choose the time. The time chooses you." This is what Ted Kennedy, "heir to the most famous name in American politics", told Barack Obama about running for President.

Obama's writing talent is not a secret. He has a special affinity for expressing himself. For me, the appeal is undeniable.  In this book, he comes through as an intelligent, sensitive, utterly honest, and caring person who has become a leader of the country. His frankness about his life - starting with some ruminations about his childhood and young years, on to his early political career and his first term as President - is humbling and deserves true respect.
 
What we all saw on TV screens and read in papers in the first four years of the Obama administration is now interpreted with first hand knowledge, from behind the scenes. Each and every agonizing decision, however major or minor, comes to the surface in this memoir, with details  that are sometimes surprising, sometimes predictable, but always honestly presented.  I understood Washington politics like never before after reading this tome of a memoir. It's actually amazing how much Obama was able to accomplish, despite McConnell's stubbornness and unsubstantiated rejection of basically each and every good deed...  Can't wait for Part Two.

An autobiography of President Barack Obama, that focuses on his campaign and the choices he made during his presidency. There is a bit of a under the covers glimpse of what it is like campaigning or being the president. Most of the book is more about what he accomplished in detail. The book has more of a history lesson feel, then an introspective autobiography feel. If you already have a good idea of what he accomplished during his presidency, then this book won't add much. If you want to get a better idea of who Barack Obama is, this book also won't add much. This book felt more like Barack bragging about all that he accomplished, with no introspection, ideas of what the future could hold, and all fine details are mostly name-drops of people I have never heard of. This is also just a review of the book itself, I enjoyed Barack Obama as a president.

I loved most of this memoir. There is a lot great content that is more about the person, the family man, and the politician than straight politics. During the chapters about foreign affairs, my mind drifted a bit, however, I was very engaged in it most of the time. After reading this, I have even more respect for the Obamas and what they encountered while in the White House. He handled the challenges by using his calm, intelligent ways.

In this, the first of a 2-book set of Presidential memoirs, Obama shares his memories of the years leading up to his decision to enter politics: from an uncertain high school student, his growing awareness through college, his first years as a lawyer, his time as a senator, and ultimately, his presidency, up through the later years of his first presidential term.

I have expressed this opinion frequently and will say it again: I love this man and I was sorry to see his tenure as President come to an end, especially in light of the disastrous administration that followed. Obama is a very intelligent, well-spoken man, and in reading this book, though I did not listen to the audio (wish I had!), I could easily hear his voice in my head the entire time. I'm not going to go into a detailed account of his stories or my specific opinions of them. I am in general not a person who follows politics all that closely, and some of the events I read about I really don't even have a good memory of.

But while I do deeply respect Obama's intelligence and eloquency, there's no doubt that the man can be long-winded with a tendency to go into TOO MUCH detail. Despite my overall enjoyment of the book (which is quite long), I will admit that it took me a long time to get through it -- quite a few months, in fact. There's no doubt that it's well-written (though could've honestly been edited), but I personally can only read a non-fiction political memoir in chunks, and so I would read some, put it aside for a while, and then return. I don't particularly want to compare it to Michelle Obama's Becoming, because they're different types of books, but I will say that hers was a much quicker read for me and more enjoyable, due largely to the subject matter and the way it gave a more personal, family-oriented view. But as always, while reading this book, I felt that I was getting a mostly candid look at the man behind the title, and he will continue to be, to me, one of the most respected historical figures of my lifetime.