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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
I wrote such a lovely review and the CyberNoid ate it!
Suffice to say, if you are up for play-by-plays of Obama's increasingly complex and challenging political life - from his first campaign to bin Laden's death - Obama's clear writing and fantastic delivery make that as painless as possible. You will learn a lot and if you voted for him, you will be heartily reminded why you did.
If on the other hand, you just need to be steadied in these bleak times, just read or listen to the Preface. It's Marvelous, Hopeful and Reassuring.
Suffice to say, if you are up for play-by-plays of Obama's increasingly complex and challenging political life - from his first campaign to bin Laden's death - Obama's clear writing and fantastic delivery make that as painless as possible. You will learn a lot and if you voted for him, you will be heartily reminded why you did.
If on the other hand, you just need to be steadied in these bleak times, just read or listen to the Preface. It's Marvelous, Hopeful and Reassuring.
As for most Americans, Barack Obama is an important figure in my life. He was the first presidential candidate for whom I voted; he, in part, inspired my interest in public service; and I have continually found his rhetoric inspiring and his perspective impressively sharp. At the same time, my thoughts on Obama and his presidency have changed over the years, generally shifting from unquestioned support, to, at times, disappointed understanding of his consistent choice of pragmatism over progressivism.
"A Promised Land" gave me the opportunity to revisit all that, to take stock on the first term of his presidency and reevaluate both my initial and evolved impression of the man and his time in office. It's an engaging story--in part because it's all familiar, in part because of the continued relevance and immediacy of the issues he faced, and, in part, because he's an excellent writer (like his oration, his writing manages to take complex problems, put them in context, and relate how his own perspective fits into that context; it's a satisfying and effective style, even if it does wear a bit thin over 700+ pages). In large part because of the years that followed them, it's hard to read the novel without feeling a wistful nostalgia for the early years of his presidency.
Obama splits the book into seven parts. Part One covers his early childhood through his decision to run for President; Part Two describes the 2008 presidential primary and general elections; Part Three, the first 100 days or so of his first term; Part Four, the passage of the ACA; Part Five, a hodgepodge of international efforts (e.g., COIN, Copenhagen Accords) made during the first year or so of his first term; Part Six, the difficulties of the second year of his presidency (the unexpected problems, the political failure of the 2010 midterms, but legislative success of the 2010/11 lame duck); and Part Seven, another hodgepodge of international efforts, but extending into the third year of his presidency (it ends with the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011). Of these, I found Parts Three and Six to be the most interesting--Part Three because it allows us to see the chaotic activeness of assuming the Presidency ("Everything is new, unfamiliar, fraught with import" (233)) while dishing on familiar public figures (Sen McConnell: "No close friends in his own caucus; nor did he appear to have any strong convictions beyond an almost religious opposition to any version of campaign finance reform" (245)), Part Six because it both shows Obama's feelings about the Presidency during tough times ("The job didn’t allow for boredom or existential paralysis, and when I sat down with my team to figure out the answer to a knotty problem, I usually came away energized rather than drained. . . The work, I loved. Even when it didn’t love me back" (539)), reminds the reader of how much was accomplished during the waning, post-election days of the 111th Congress (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act; START II; two-year extension of Bush tax cuts; legislative repeal of DADT; and, if not for five additional votes in the Senate, the DREAM Act), and reads as a good harbinger for the politics that followed for the rest of the decade (racism dressed up as political disagreement; self-interested partisanship). There were certain aspects of the book that I really didn't like (e.g., his complete shirking of responsibility on, and dishonest presentation of, the increased deportation of undocumented immigrants; his reminding the reader of his pretty conservative foreign policy perspective; his sort-of faux retrospection as to past decisions (“And yet even if it were possible for me to go back in time and get a do-over, I can't say that I would make any different choices" (305)), and it reads at times like a political campaign speech (e.g., describing the three-bedroom apartment that he and Michelle bought in 1993: it "wasn't large but . . . we furnished it as our budget allowed" (these are, at that time, HLS grads and private attorneys)), and, finally, there were things about Obama that made me think differently of him (e.g., his routine of listening to Eminem's "Lose Yourself"--at that time, a five-year-old song--to pump himself up before his debates with McCain during the 2008 race); still, I ate it all up.
In the preface of "A Promised Land," Obama explains that he had two goals in writing the book. The first--providing a peak behind the curtain of the Presidency--he easily accomplishes; indeed, the importance of the book is its (albeit, largely known and admittedly subjective) revelation of Obama's thinking and actions over the first term of his presidency. The second--inspiring young people to public service--seems much less clearly met. It's difficult to read "A Promised Land" without focusing on how slow the march of progress feels, how intransigent the opposition acts, and--because of the past four years--how little it seems we have to show for all that today. Obama remains an inspiring figure--and he does a good job at reminding us of all that he believes and stands for in "A Promised Land." But, at the end of the day, you close the book and think about how little all that actually does. Maybe it inspires on the individual level; but, you can't help but feel like there's a hollowness to that inspiration, absent action and change. I just wish there had been more to it all.
"A Promised Land" gave me the opportunity to revisit all that, to take stock on the first term of his presidency and reevaluate both my initial and evolved impression of the man and his time in office. It's an engaging story--in part because it's all familiar, in part because of the continued relevance and immediacy of the issues he faced, and, in part, because he's an excellent writer (like his oration, his writing manages to take complex problems, put them in context, and relate how his own perspective fits into that context; it's a satisfying and effective style, even if it does wear a bit thin over 700+ pages). In large part because of the years that followed them, it's hard to read the novel without feeling a wistful nostalgia for the early years of his presidency.
Obama splits the book into seven parts. Part One covers his early childhood through his decision to run for President; Part Two describes the 2008 presidential primary and general elections; Part Three, the first 100 days or so of his first term; Part Four, the passage of the ACA; Part Five, a hodgepodge of international efforts (e.g., COIN, Copenhagen Accords) made during the first year or so of his first term; Part Six, the difficulties of the second year of his presidency (the unexpected problems, the political failure of the 2010 midterms, but legislative success of the 2010/11 lame duck); and Part Seven, another hodgepodge of international efforts, but extending into the third year of his presidency (it ends with the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011). Of these, I found Parts Three and Six to be the most interesting--Part Three because it allows us to see the chaotic activeness of assuming the Presidency ("Everything is new, unfamiliar, fraught with import" (233)) while dishing on familiar public figures (Sen McConnell: "No close friends in his own caucus; nor did he appear to have any strong convictions beyond an almost religious opposition to any version of campaign finance reform" (245)), Part Six because it both shows Obama's feelings about the Presidency during tough times ("The job didn’t allow for boredom or existential paralysis, and when I sat down with my team to figure out the answer to a knotty problem, I usually came away energized rather than drained. . . The work, I loved. Even when it didn’t love me back" (539)), reminds the reader of how much was accomplished during the waning, post-election days of the 111th Congress (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act; START II; two-year extension of Bush tax cuts; legislative repeal of DADT; and, if not for five additional votes in the Senate, the DREAM Act), and reads as a good harbinger for the politics that followed for the rest of the decade (racism dressed up as political disagreement; self-interested partisanship). There were certain aspects of the book that I really didn't like (e.g., his complete shirking of responsibility on, and dishonest presentation of, the increased deportation of undocumented immigrants; his reminding the reader of his pretty conservative foreign policy perspective; his sort-of faux retrospection as to past decisions (“And yet even if it were possible for me to go back in time and get a do-over, I can't say that I would make any different choices" (305)), and it reads at times like a political campaign speech (e.g., describing the three-bedroom apartment that he and Michelle bought in 1993: it "wasn't large but . . . we furnished it as our budget allowed" (these are, at that time, HLS grads and private attorneys)), and, finally, there were things about Obama that made me think differently of him (e.g., his routine of listening to Eminem's "Lose Yourself"--at that time, a five-year-old song--to pump himself up before his debates with McCain during the 2008 race); still, I ate it all up.
In the preface of "A Promised Land," Obama explains that he had two goals in writing the book. The first--providing a peak behind the curtain of the Presidency--he easily accomplishes; indeed, the importance of the book is its (albeit, largely known and admittedly subjective) revelation of Obama's thinking and actions over the first term of his presidency. The second--inspiring young people to public service--seems much less clearly met. It's difficult to read "A Promised Land" without focusing on how slow the march of progress feels, how intransigent the opposition acts, and--because of the past four years--how little it seems we have to show for all that today. Obama remains an inspiring figure--and he does a good job at reminding us of all that he believes and stands for in "A Promised Land." But, at the end of the day, you close the book and think about how little all that actually does. Maybe it inspires on the individual level; but, you can't help but feel like there's a hollowness to that inspiration, absent action and change. I just wish there had been more to it all.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Dreams of My Father is still my all favorite audiobook, but I really enjoyed this 29-hour marathon of a listen. Is it really a harship to listen to President Obama for that long though? The book is a detailed account of almost the first half of his Presidency starting from when he chose to run for office. I thoroughly enjoyed the sarcastic moments towards the hypocrisy of the Republicans, especially Mitch McConnell. If you have the time, I'd recommend the audiobook!
hopeful
informative
slow-paced