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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.
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
challenging informative reflective medium-paced
hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

I’m interested in part two

After a long, difficult year fraught with disease, devastation, and waves of political unease, I decided to treat myself to this book. There’s something about President Obama’s voice that is soothing (it soothes my son to sleep, as it turns out). I was deeply appreciative that he narrated this book himself. But it wasn’t just his voice that I looked forward to. I also looked forward to hearing one of my heroes talk about his life (and presidency) in detail in his own words.

This book is very good. It is exceptionally well-written and easy to follow. President Obama did an excellent job of organizing his thoughts both chronologically and by topic. While I didn’t find myself particularly compelled by his early history, I was very interested to hear his thoughts on how to came to become the President. His recounting of his local, state, and national elections and their outcomes was fascinating to me. But, above all, it was the chapters on his presidency that really held my attention.

Fortunately, most of the book is spent recounting his first term in office. He details his responses to the financial crises he helped resolve, military decisions he made, and healthcare reform bill he helped pass. The sections on the healthcare bill were especially important to me as a diabetic. I could feel President Obama’s emotion in the text (although he does a good job of keeping his voice unemotional throughout most of the book). The book concludes with his summarization of Operation Neptune Spear and his reasoning for ordering the mission. It was a natural spot to end the book.

All that aside, you can tell he has a bone to pick. Not just with President Trump, but also the Republicans that fought him tooth and nail on just about every issue. I could tell he held many party members in contempt, although he did his best to avoid calling most out. He made his feelings for the policies of President Bush, Senator McCain, Senator McConnell, and Representative Boehner well known, but he also applauded them for their accomplishments. I appreciated that even when he strongly disagreed with people, he still dedicated space to making sure the reader understood that it wasn’t necessarily the PEOPLE he didn’t like; just their policies and choices.

I ultimately gave this book 4/5 stars because of this. This book is a memoir, but it is also an on-the-record testament of his belief in his policies and decisions. While I pretty much agree with his decisions, I was very slightly disappointed at times that he would continue the partisan fighting.

That being said, who can blame him? It’s hard to fault him for saying things I would also say. I recommend this book, especially the audiobook.
inspiring

This reads better as a history than a memoir, and I'd recommend it as such. Obama goes to great lengths to explain the major events and issues he faced in office, and as I result I feel like I understand them better. Still, it is clear Obama is writing to vindicate his place in history.

As a writer, Obama's authenticity is reflected in the book itself: at its worst, sanctimonious, long-winded, and editorialized; at its best, earnest, insightful, and inspiring. He structures most chapters by introducing and deconstructing a topic with the mix of idealism and pragmatism he was known for in office. This method ranges from powerful and engaging to superfluous and repetitive, ultimately leading to my biggest issue with the book: it probably could've been about 200 pages shorter. My secondary critique is that I often sensed someone who still felt the need to satisfy a variety of constituencies.

Still, despite Obama's inability to completely break the spell of being a professional politician, this autobiographical account of his presidency's first term is thoughtful and reflective: perhaps Obama's greatest traits.

This was a project but a worthwhile read. I enjoyed the retelling of Obama’s path to the presidency, a nice companion to Dreams From My Father. It was also an interesting walkthrough of the events of his first term.