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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
I was going to give 3.5 and round down due to the events happening (in the books timeline) when it ends, however given its part 1 and he has a follow up planned the timing makes a lot of sense. If it was only the one book, it felt too much like justification for violence and war, which didn't match well with the described inner conflict regarding the difficult decisions he had inherited and the emphasis given to how layered and interconnected so many of the problems he was aiming to fix really were.
I appreciated how open he was to the possibility of mistakes made, and the recognition that decisions made with the best intentions based off the information he had may not always end up with his desired outcome. Even if there were areas I disagreed with, his humility increased my respect for him.
I appreciated how open he was to the possibility of mistakes made, and the recognition that decisions made with the best intentions based off the information he had may not always end up with his desired outcome. Even if there were areas I disagreed with, his humility increased my respect for him.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
The former president is not one for brevity. Great read both as a memoir and as a little geopolitical teacher. Really enjoyed the behind the scenes of the Arab spring and other large decisions he made.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I enjoyed this a lot. It was really interesting to hear about a lot of the events that happened during his presidency from his point of view.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Obama is a terrific writer. Every sentence is extremely detailed and carefully crafted. You feel like you are there living in the moment. This book is informative, emotional, and deeply reflective. That said, I found it quite challenging even as a frequent adult reader. It is very dense with long chapters that often read like a history textbook, and it took me a very long time to read because some days I could only handle a few pages. However I found it immensely refreshing and rewarding and I think everyone could benefit from reading this.
I really enjoyed this, despite its length. Am super happy I heard a recommendation to listen to the audiobook. Obama reading it I think made it much better. Was interesting to me as a government worker, it was like a crash course in public service with the talk of briefing notes and bilats. He was very good to also give context of a situation the general public might not know about in like 60 seconds. Also, despite in reality everything happening at the same time, it was well segmented in the book. I'm wondering if the H1N1 portion was inserted only at the end as Covid has become such a big deal. I also wonder if the China chapter exists if it is translated into Chinese.
I feel everyone could do with a read of this book to know more about the intricacies of running a country. Likely my favourite part was his rant after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and basically blaming our own lack of wanting change and demand for cheap oil as to why this will continue to happen. It's a book that seems to be where he says what maybe he wanted to say at the time, but couldn't. I await part 2.
I feel everyone could do with a read of this book to know more about the intricacies of running a country. Likely my favourite part was his rant after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and basically blaming our own lack of wanting change and demand for cheap oil as to why this will continue to happen. It's a book that seems to be where he says what maybe he wanted to say at the time, but couldn't. I await part 2.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This was an absolute marathon read/listen, but I didn't really mind it. It's heavier on American politics than I expected it to be, but I found it somewhat interesting. My favourite parts were the insights into the personal moments or thoughts, and less about the political stuff. I tell you what though - it left me shaking my head at the US and how they went from him to Trump. In light of Trump's current presidency, it was even more poignant. If volume 2 gets released, I'd be keen to hear about how that election played out and what life looked like after the presidency