A review by chan_fry
A Promised Land by Barack Obama

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

This is a detailed, heartfelt, vulnerable account of Obama’s early life through part of his first term as president (a second book is expected). I found it more honest than defensive, more willing to admit mistakes and failures than one would expect. More than anyone, Obama is aware of his critics on both the left and the right, and he seems to keenly understand the criticisms from both directions. Here, he doesn’t cast judgment on those critiquing him, but rather simply offers his experience: <i>This is what I did, and the reasons I did it: make of it what you will.</i>