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A review by ikon_biotin_jungle_lumen
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
5.0
I love biographies, but this was a particularly good read. Obama is one of the few recent presidents who had a notable bibliography prior to election, and his literary merit was proven by the reception of "Dreams from My Father" (1995). I surprised myself by being disappointed at the abrupt end of "A Promised Land," which is the first in a planned 2-volume set. Usually my interest begins to flag around the 80% mark of a biography, but with the journalistic care and benefit of a decade of hind site between events and their documentation I think the choice to split Obama's memoir into two parts was a wise one.
I strongly recommend this book to individuals who were coming of age around the controversial 2008 election; my view of Barack Obama was so warped by my environment at the time that I'm appalled to recall it. "Obama can't legally be president, he wasn't even born in America." "He's a communist." "He's a member of the out-of-touch social Elite." "He's a Muslim who wants to destroy America." Even "he's the Antichrist, signaling the End Times and the last judgement!" — These are all statements I heard—and believed—as a credulous teenager growing up in a white Evangelical household, and views I would largely hold onto until they were shaken by the madness engulfing the 2016 election.
For anyone who relates to this, I cannot recommend "A Promised Land" highly enough. It serves particularly well with a side-by-side reading of "Betrayal" (Karl, 2021) though the experience may leave you with a few additional gray hairs.
I strongly recommend this book to individuals who were coming of age around the controversial 2008 election; my view of Barack Obama was so warped by my environment at the time that I'm appalled to recall it. "Obama can't legally be president, he wasn't even born in America." "He's a communist." "He's a member of the out-of-touch social Elite." "He's a Muslim who wants to destroy America." Even "he's the Antichrist, signaling the End Times and the last judgement!" — These are all statements I heard—and believed—as a credulous teenager growing up in a white Evangelical household, and views I would largely hold onto until they were shaken by the madness engulfing the 2016 election.
For anyone who relates to this, I cannot recommend "A Promised Land" highly enough. It serves particularly well with a side-by-side reading of "Betrayal" (Karl, 2021) though the experience may leave you with a few additional gray hairs.