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sagegreen19's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up because I have the book taste of a 40 year old dad who religiously watches the history channel. It’s very much like other presidential biographies in that it details their interactions with world leaders, political opponents, administrators, and serves as a defense of their policy decisions.
If anything this book proved that Obama’s hope and change rhetoric was merely a slogan to get elected. Outside of placing corporate lobbyists and clintonites in his administration, the drone strikes, and expansion of the police state, there is one section from the book that particularly irked me. On his inauguration day Obama and Bush rode the same car to the inaugural site and Obama notices people outside protesting the Iraq war. Instead of reflecting on the problem of US imperial violence, Obama chooses to dedicate a page to chastising these random protesters for not respecting Bush’s legacy as a public servant. This is an insane thing to say and says a lot about where Obama’s loyalties lie and his understanding of why people hate Bush and oppose the Iraq war in the first place. It’s typical elitist out of touch garbage portrayed as some enlightened mature position. Thousands of innocent people died and Bush is at fault. He is a war criminal who doesn’t deserve to be celebrated. F U Obama.
If anything this book proved that Obama’s hope and change rhetoric was merely a slogan to get elected. Outside of placing corporate lobbyists and clintonites in his administration, the drone strikes, and expansion of the police state, there is one section from the book that particularly irked me. On his inauguration day Obama and Bush rode the same car to the inaugural site and Obama notices people outside protesting the Iraq war. Instead of reflecting on the problem of US imperial violence, Obama chooses to dedicate a page to chastising these random protesters for not respecting Bush’s legacy as a public servant. This is an insane thing to say and says a lot about where Obama’s loyalties lie and his understanding of why people hate Bush and oppose the Iraq war in the first place. It’s typical elitist out of touch garbage portrayed as some enlightened mature position. Thousands of innocent people died and Bush is at fault. He is a war criminal who doesn’t deserve to be celebrated. F U Obama.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
President Obama reflects on his rise to the political stage and, eventually, his presidency. He offers behind-the-scenes look at some of the decisions he had to make while in office and ends the book with the capture of Osama Bin Laden.
emoser_9's review against another edition
4.0
This was great as an audiobook - I love listening to obama speak. It was so long but basically covered his entire election through presidency.
tmathews0330's review against another edition
5.0
The description alone is worth the five stars. The insight into an impossible job and the ability to look at all angles was priceless.
ash_trys's review against another edition
I do not usually do well with biographies in terms of keeping my interest, and unfortunately this one was the same. I had high hopes, and liked the information I was getting to read - I just found myself picking up the book like it was a homework assignment and hating every minute I made myself read.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, this is a time commitment and some parts feel a bit long, but, overall, the message is strong.
akleinri's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Wonderfully written and I loved Obama’s voice as narrator. An informative insight into Obama’s early life, election and first term in office. He of course lauds his accomplishments as is to be expected from a presidential memoir but he still maintains a humble and critical view of his own actions when appropriate.
ktaylorhurley's review against another edition
4.0
I'm so glad I choose to read the audio version. President Obama is a great narrator, and I was carried away by his story many times. However, there is also a fair amount of detailed policy analysis here, and I think I would have struggled to stay engaged through 700+ pages of a hardcover.
davinareads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
When I picked this memoir up, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. While it was still a political read, Barack Obama did an amazing job at simplifying his points to make it digestible. There were some parts that were really political that I found boring, but it was only a small portion, the overall story being very interesting.
I enjoyed reading about Barack's POV and why he was running for President. The way he presented himself and his overall vision for America made it easy for me to see why he got the votes needed to put his words into action. It was nice to read about all the things he had to consider when making a decision and the thoughtfulness of his choices as President. From dealing with the economy crises to pushing for accessible Healthcare or the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, Barack showed the sides of all the decisions, narrowing it down to the best choice to make for America.
He stayed true to his roots and even though I am not American, I was cheering for him in my head with the tough calls and fierce pushed backs he had to deal with. When he was President, I was still on the young side so I never paid much attention to the political impact he had on the world at that time. The things he managed to achieve in his first term as president was outstanding and the way he represented himself and the promise of what America can be is admirable.
Overall, a very reflective and inspiring read by the 44th President of the USA.
I enjoyed reading about Barack's POV and why he was running for President. The way he presented himself and his overall vision for America made it easy for me to see why he got the votes needed to put his words into action. It was nice to read about all the things he had to consider when making a decision and the thoughtfulness of his choices as President. From dealing with the economy crises to pushing for accessible Healthcare or the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, Barack showed the sides of all the decisions, narrowing it down to the best choice to make for America.
He stayed true to his roots and even though I am not American, I was cheering for him in my head with the tough calls and fierce pushed backs he had to deal with. When he was President, I was still on the young side so I never paid much attention to the political impact he had on the world at that time. The things he managed to achieve in his first term as president was outstanding and the way he represented himself and the promise of what America can be is admirable.
Overall, a very reflective and inspiring read by the 44th President of the USA.