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drraytay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
eldritch_flower's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Last year I read Becoming by the illustrious Michelle Obama. Reading her account of the events throughout her marriage with Barack and her role as First Lady was inspiring and a necessary voice in the world. And I knew I needed to read Barack Obama's book as well to see the other side of the this complex story.
And to be transparent, I admired both Obamas long before reading their books(and I still do).
I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook, read by Barack. It details his journey into politics, his marriage to Michelle, the birth of his children, and his career in his first four years as president. He is honest and blunt in his telling of events throughout his career. What I really appreciated though what his willingness to talk about what he wanted to do and the reasons why it couldn't happen, or his thoughts on a situation versus how he needed to conduct himself as President of the United States. It made me admire him all the more because I can actually see his thought process and his feelings when he had to do things he didn't agree with because the options were weighed against what he wanted to do.
I'll also be the first to say that he is in no way, shape or form perfect. But he acknowledges his shortcomings, his mistakes, and his struggles.
Overall, the 30 hour audiobook is well worth the listen. And I know I'll be buying physical copies and this book, and Michelle's book.
And to be transparent, I admired both Obamas long before reading their books(and I still do).
I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook, read by Barack. It details his journey into politics, his marriage to Michelle, the birth of his children, and his career in his first four years as president. He is honest and blunt in his telling of events throughout his career. What I really appreciated though what his willingness to talk about what he wanted to do and the reasons why it couldn't happen, or his thoughts on a situation versus how he needed to conduct himself as President of the United States. It made me admire him all the more because I can actually see his thought process and his feelings when he had to do things he didn't agree with because the options were weighed against what he wanted to do.
I'll also be the first to say that he is in no way, shape or form perfect. But he acknowledges his shortcomings, his mistakes, and his struggles.
Overall, the 30 hour audiobook is well worth the listen. And I know I'll be buying physical copies and this book, and Michelle's book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, War, and Classism
asturias's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Cancer, Slavery, Torture, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Classism
nick13's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I'm not one who says they hate politics in fiction and/or in real life, as I liked Game of Thrones (when it was good) and love Hamilton but I also don't love them, like politics rn. With that said, I loved this book.
In parts the paragraphs are blind, telling exactly how things happened, with other times being written beautifully when it's about something inside, philosophical, or spiritual. The way it informed the reader with the events of his term were put simply enough so that j could understand them even though during his term I was too young to understand any of what was happening.
Along with this, this novel also shows a light into Baracks personal life (not as much as Michelle's but still some) that shows the humanity of him that isn't shown through the press when a president is in office.
All of this combines to a very long novel packed full of information with some parts even having a bit of humor or introspection writing that really adds to the level of reading this novel.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a little bit of politics and want to understand exactly what was happening during this time period and/or what Barack was personally thinking at the time.
In parts the paragraphs are blind, telling exactly how things happened, with other times being written beautifully when it's about something inside, philosophical, or spiritual. The way it informed the reader with the events of his term were put simply enough so that j could understand them even though during his term I was too young to understand any of what was happening.
Along with this, this novel also shows a light into Baracks personal life (not as much as Michelle's but still some) that shows the humanity of him that isn't shown through the press when a president is in office.
All of this combines to a very long novel packed full of information with some parts even having a bit of humor or introspection writing that really adds to the level of reading this novel.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a little bit of politics and want to understand exactly what was happening during this time period and/or what Barack was personally thinking at the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Racism, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Gun violence, Violence, and Islamophobia
lectrixnoctis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
"A Promised Land" is the first volume by former USA president Barack Obama's highly anticipated presidential memoirs. In this volume, he defused in detail his early political rise, 2008 campaign to become the next president and how his administration was and what it has accomplished in the first 2.5 years in office. We follow him along through all the obstacles he had to succeed, like the 2008 financial crisis and the healthcare bill, Deep Horizon and the wars in the Middle East, of course.
For those interested in listening to the audiobook: It is read by Obama himself, and it en chances his voice by his steady voice. Nonetheless, it is an easily written and compelling account of the rise of Barack Obama, even if you're only reading this book.
It is mainly focused on Obama coming to terms with his ambitions and potion to make a real impact on the USA and its people. Considering his Prologue, he is still very concerned about racial injustice and social inequality. However, his administration did not focus on that topics immensely. Sometimes you will get a feeling of him being frustrated, but he does see it with a clear eye that some of his vision is too far in the eyes of the broad American public. It was eye-opting to get more information about how people in America think and view political issues. For Europeans like myself, some things he talked about were not publicly spoken in Europe because some of the mentioned issues only impacted the USA. However, I have to say that I was 6 to 10 years old when his first president all term was, and I was not invested in politics at the time.
My favourite part of this book was reading and listening to another part of "Becoming" by Michelle Obama. It goes hand in and with it, but it has a theme, mainly the political situations of his early years in the presidency. But I would recommend reading "Becoming" first if you would like to read both memoirs.
I enjoyed reading this 700 pages beast. Still, sometimes I did find it a tiny bit confusing since, in the beginning, Barack Obama sprung through time like to his childhood and then into the 2008 campaign, which was sometimes a lot to handle as a reader getting into this. However, the charm and its wit made that only a tiny flaw.
For those interested in listening to the audiobook: It is read by Obama himself, and it en chances his voice by his steady voice. Nonetheless, it is an easily written and compelling account of the rise of Barack Obama, even if you're only reading this book.
It is mainly focused on Obama coming to terms with his ambitions and potion to make a real impact on the USA and its people. Considering his Prologue, he is still very concerned about racial injustice and social inequality. However, his administration did not focus on that topics immensely. Sometimes you will get a feeling of him being frustrated, but he does see it with a clear eye that some of his vision is too far in the eyes of the broad American public. It was eye-opting to get more information about how people in America think and view political issues. For Europeans like myself, some things he talked about were not publicly spoken in Europe because some of the mentioned issues only impacted the USA. However, I have to say that I was 6 to 10 years old when his first president all term was, and I was not invested in politics at the time.
My favourite part of this book was reading and listening to another part of "Becoming" by Michelle Obama. It goes hand in and with it, but it has a theme, mainly the political situations of his early years in the presidency. But I would recommend reading "Becoming" first if you would like to read both memoirs.
I enjoyed reading this 700 pages beast. Still, sometimes I did find it a tiny bit confusing since, in the beginning, Barack Obama sprung through time like to his childhood and then into the 2008 campaign, which was sometimes a lot to handle as a reader getting into this. However, the charm and its wit made that only a tiny flaw.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Racism
jkiranjot's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Islamophobia, and War
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexism
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
While I really enjoyed A Promised Land as a whole, I have to admit it’s best enjoyed one bite at a time. The audiobook is nearly 30 hours – a fairly long read! Because this is a presidential memoir, it’s also filled with political churnings. Regardless of your personal perspective, politics get exhausting after 30 hours. But all that said, I found the behind-the-scenes look fascinating.
There is so much packed into this book. The pacing starts off pretty steadily, with Obama speaking about his early campaigns and setting Michelle. As the book goes on and we get into his presidency, the pace picks up and so does the amount of information. By the end of A Promised Land, one significant event was packed in after another without time to breathe. It was a little anxiety-inducing for me, so I can’t imagine how stressful it was to actually be in charge of or on the receiving end of so many of the things discussed during the second half of the book.
There is a balanced voice to many of the things discussed here, but the further into the presidency we get, the clearer his own personal frustrations are. Since this is a memoir and not purely a piece of historical non-fiction, this is both fine and accepted. However, I do want to mention that the exasperation with Mitch McConnell and Republican senators is clear, and his commentary on Donald Trump is more harsh. This book will not sit well with stalwart Republicans and Trump fans, though for those who are interested in a rounded view of politics, it is still an important read.
Please don’t take this to mean Obama spends the book in bi-partisan bashing. In fact, there is a clear frustration with bi-partisanism and there are several instances where he praises Republican senators or representatives. In fact, it’s an interesting perspective on the shift of priorities in the Republican party during his presidency, which ultimately lead to the party as it is today.
It’s challenging to talk about a political memoir like this without showing my biases. I will be honest and say that I’ve always liked Obama and my reading of the book is a bit biased – I find it easy to sympathize with the frustrations his voices because they are many of the same things I feel myself. While objectively this book is extremely well-written and accessible, enjoyment of it will certainly fall to individual political views. I’m not sure there’s any way around that in a presidential memoir.
A Promised Land is an excellent read if you are interested in the Obama family or administration. It’s also good insight for a well-rounded political view. However, it’s important to be aware of the inherent biases coming from a memoir… and also know it’s a bit thick so take it slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and Violence
madlads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
kennethwade's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
The first in a two-volume set, A Promised Land recounts Barack Obama’s presidency through the killing of Osama bin Laden. The memoir dips briefly into his youth and early political career, but the major focus is on the presidency. Obama is an excellent writer (a bit wordy at times, but not boring). This memoir emphasizes all the characteristics that made him a good President: he is optimistic, caring, and thoughtful. Although I don’t agree with all of his decisions or opinions, it is very easy to understand his perspective and respect him through this memoir.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
readandfindout's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Knowledge/perspective: 4.5 stars
This is actually really hard to rate! Because I thought everything was well done, and I really enjoyed Obama's perspective, but I struggled with the pacing and level of detail.
Themes: 4 stars
Knowledge/perspective: 4.5 stars
This is actually really hard to rate! Because I thought everything was well done, and I really enjoyed Obama's perspective, but I struggled with the pacing and level of detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Genocide, Violence, and Islamophobia
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Torture