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bookswithsoumi's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
For a man who needs no introduction, I can tell you that his behemoth of a book (700+ pages!) is truly inspirational to hopeful millennials like myself. Obama’s words took me on a journey from his tropical childhood in Hawaii to the suspenseful months leading up to the 2008 election to the major events of his first term, ending at the killing of bin Laden.
I would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook, clocking in at 29 hours and 10 minutes. Not only will you get through the book faster, but also you will vicariously experience Obama’s ups and downs. His occasional f-bomb was gratifying to my soul weary from 2020.
My highlights include:
🔎Travelling with Obama on his state visits to China, Russia, and India and international summits in London and Copenhagen.
🔎Simplified explanations for the lay people like me on issues such as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Great Recession.
🔎Overall just learning how a president can effect change in society.
The best quotes:
💫”And then there was the unsettling fact that, despite whatever my mother might claim, the bullies, cheats, and self-promoters seemed to be doing quite well, while those she considered good and decent people seemed to get screwed an awful lot.”
💫“But you don’t choose the time. The time chooses you. Either you seize what may turn out to be the only chance you have, or you decide you’re willing to live with the knowledge that the chance has passed you by.”
And the funniest quotes:
🤣“I’d met my share of highly credentialed, high-IQ morons”
🤣“Two hundred and thirty-two years and they wait until the country’s falling apart before they turn it over to the brother!”
Time to read: 56 days (with audiobook listening in between)
Who should read this book: people who want to try memoirs for the first time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Sexism and Torture
sionnac's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
I read Michelle Obama's book too and interesting to hear them talk about same period. He's a good writer and I will look forward to the next one. The crises and military operations were hard to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, and Islamophobia
Minor: Child death and Mass/school shootings
alylentz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
More readable and engrossing than I expected from a political memoir that's so hefty. Started to feel a little formulaic after a while, but I definitely learned a lot and feel like I got a lot out of reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Genocide, Gun violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, and Grief
Minor: Death, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, and Religious bigotry
fuzz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Let’s go back in time for a sec - It’s 2008. I am 19 years old, thinner and less beardy. I was at work, while my colleagues had the live election results on announcing Obama as the 44th president of the USA. At that time I had no idea how pivotal that moment was going to be. Narrated by the former POTUS himself, you’re invited into the life and history of Barack Obama and his beautiful family. You feel like you’re in conversation with the man himself. This is an intelligent, coherent and honest piece. Paired with the emotions felt through each part, I realised how big of a deal this book is. I can honestly say that I don’t have the strength nor the capability to bare all like Obama has. Beyond partisanship, whether you’re red or blue, this book is an inspirational true story. I found myself wanting to continue listening to this audiobook throughout the day (a tell-tale of a good book). So glad I read/listened to this book before the end of the year. Easily the best autobiography I’ve read this year. Get your copy today!! You won’t be disappointed!
Content Warnings
Minor: Death