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 Promised Land
By Barack Obama
Narrated by Barack Obama
Copyright (c) 2020
Random House Audio
ASIN B08HGH9JMF
Length: 29:10
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir, US Presidential History
www.amazon.com