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eloiseatthelibrary's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Took me a year, but a really interesting insight into Obama's presidency. Very detailed, as is his style. Did feel like it ended slightly abruptly for me, assume this means a sequel is coming.
biolexicon's review
5.0
I found that the best way to read this book wasn't to have my critiques of his presidential decisions in the front of my mind. Doing so would miss what I ended up finding brilliant about the book. This book provides tons of context surrounding each decision and does a masterful job of portraying the constraints that the office of the president puts on an individual’s moral decisions. I found it incredibly insightful on how decisions were made despite being contrary to personal beliefs. It’s this process that’s worth paying attention to because unless those constraints change, decisions like drone strikes/troop commitments/oil pipelines/not holding reckless bankers to account/whatever you and I disagree with - they won’t change. For me, I didn’t need a deep dive into each decision, even ones I feel passionately about because I understood the process and how the thinking and constraints could produce an outcome that I disagreed with.
What struck me was how overwhelming it all is. It's easy for me to read an article, for example, on an issue and form an opinion. But, in that moment, I'm focusing only on that issue and there really are no ripple effects from me forming that specific opinion. But the president has to weigh maintaining positive aspects of the status quo, educating the public, not causing a disaster, and pushing positive initiatives forward. It's some 3-D chess I would struggle to do and I think the book showed the amount of chess mastery Obama is capable of. Especially since he played "on hard mode" due to racism and a population increasingly hostile to intellectualism.
Beyond that, what a refreshing political read. Free from scandals. Free from the tawdry, morally bankrupt shit that's been "rinse and repeating" for the last 4 years.
Barack, what a likable guy. I loved the little glimpses into the sort of humor Barack and Michelle have with one another. I loved the slice of family life portraits and hearing his worries as a parent. I liked seeing how much a black president mattered to folks he encountered, and truly how historic it was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to the second installment.
What struck me was how overwhelming it all is. It's easy for me to read an article, for example, on an issue and form an opinion. But, in that moment, I'm focusing only on that issue and there really are no ripple effects from me forming that specific opinion. But the president has to weigh maintaining positive aspects of the status quo, educating the public, not causing a disaster, and pushing positive initiatives forward. It's some 3-D chess I would struggle to do and I think the book showed the amount of chess mastery Obama is capable of. Especially since he played "on hard mode" due to racism and a population increasingly hostile to intellectualism.
Beyond that, what a refreshing political read. Free from scandals. Free from the tawdry, morally bankrupt shit that's been "rinse and repeating" for the last 4 years.
Barack, what a likable guy. I loved the little glimpses into the sort of humor Barack and Michelle have with one another. I loved the slice of family life portraits and hearing his worries as a parent. I liked seeing how much a black president mattered to folks he encountered, and truly how historic it was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to the second installment.
lisakerd's review against another edition
2.0
Eesh, what a slog to get through if you’re not a politics/government enthusiast. Obama’s memoir lacked the heart and personality that filled Michelle’s book.
jfearing5's review
3.0
I absolutely love President Obama. His cool, calm and charisma led our country through troubled times and he is an inspiration for generations. Political chaos and long history of racism has led many in my home state to view him as evil, but I truly believe he’ll go down in history as one of our most ethical and monumental leaders. I can’t express how much I admire him.
But man this book is thick. Much of it is a somewhat dry telling of stories told more lively elsewhere. The best part was definitely having him read it himself, and I’d certainly recommend it to any one who wants to hear him read for 30 hours. Though, as a book and narrative, it doesn’t stand out to me compared to other tellings of the time period.
He is amazing, inspiring, kind, and wise. But honestly just read Michelle’s book
But man this book is thick. Much of it is a somewhat dry telling of stories told more lively elsewhere. The best part was definitely having him read it himself, and I’d certainly recommend it to any one who wants to hear him read for 30 hours. Though, as a book and narrative, it doesn’t stand out to me compared to other tellings of the time period.
He is amazing, inspiring, kind, and wise. But honestly just read Michelle’s book
salalamander's review
3.0
Not my usual genre. He writes how he speaks and I was a good read. Long and detailed.
natimat's review
4.0
I think this book shows how intricate politics is, how every well made decision has more to it than we think, and why the reality differs from our expectations.
tildahlia's review
3.0
After enjoying Michelle Obama's book, I was looking forward to triangulating her personal perspectives with Barack's. In that, it was a disappointment. In contrast to Michelle's candid vulnerability, I found a lot of this book defensive and aimed at managing his legacy. It went very much into the minutiae of public policy decisions, which I get was trying to show the complexity of presidential decision-making (which is no surprise to me) but felt tedious and self-serving in parts. I would have liked more personal reflection, possibly at a greater distance from his presidency, as having started writing immediately after his term finished, it felt he hadn't fully processed many aspects of his presidency. I will say though, he can definitely write. Good not great.