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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
President Obama's memoir is very well written and does a good job at providing context to every facet of his decision making. However, I do believe that, like all memoirs, the message he is providing is not a 100% retelling of the events as they happened.
With every memoir, the person who is writing it is going to always paint themselves in the best light possible. Part of this for Obama is the reluctant leader. His constant conversation piece at the beginning is how everything about his political career fell into his lap and he was along for the whirlwind of a ride. While I do not doubt how he felt in those moments, I do believe that writing it the way he does makes it seem like he's humble bragging at best and incredibly unsure of himself at worst, and I think that either image is not good for the image that he is attempting to craft with this book.
President Obama shines the best in the moments where he is telling the strict facts of what happened. He's able to shape the narrative in a way that makes sense, he provides relevant background for the topic, and he provide cogent insights to the implications. Where everything falls apart is when he starts providing his personal political opinions. Where this is most self-evident is in his discussions about fellow politicians. Prior to reading this book, I read John Boehner's memoir and he had multiple instances of butting heads with Obama. I knew going into this book that I would have some of the instances reevaluated here. In some cases, Obama had the same insight as Boehner. In others, they had completely different recollections. I know that the truth is in the middle somewhere. That President Obama and Boehner wouldn't intentionally lie about a situation, but they are veiled by their own biases and world views.
To grade the book because I may disagree with Obama on things isn't fair nor does it play into my rating. However, the fact that Obama seems to go overboard with his own opinion of events coupled with an overarching tone of being unsure of his decisions and not ready for the job, inhibit the message of hope and unity he's trying to promote. His prose is amazing for telling events as they happen and it is a very entertaining read.
4/5
With every memoir, the person who is writing it is going to always paint themselves in the best light possible. Part of this for Obama is the reluctant leader. His constant conversation piece at the beginning is how everything about his political career fell into his lap and he was along for the whirlwind of a ride. While I do not doubt how he felt in those moments, I do believe that writing it the way he does makes it seem like he's humble bragging at best and incredibly unsure of himself at worst, and I think that either image is not good for the image that he is attempting to craft with this book.
President Obama shines the best in the moments where he is telling the strict facts of what happened. He's able to shape the narrative in a way that makes sense, he provides relevant background for the topic, and he provide cogent insights to the implications. Where everything falls apart is when he starts providing his personal political opinions. Where this is most self-evident is in his discussions about fellow politicians. Prior to reading this book, I read John Boehner's memoir and he had multiple instances of butting heads with Obama. I knew going into this book that I would have some of the instances reevaluated here. In some cases, Obama had the same insight as Boehner. In others, they had completely different recollections. I know that the truth is in the middle somewhere. That President Obama and Boehner wouldn't intentionally lie about a situation, but they are veiled by their own biases and world views.
To grade the book because I may disagree with Obama on things isn't fair nor does it play into my rating. However, the fact that Obama seems to go overboard with his own opinion of events coupled with an overarching tone of being unsure of his decisions and not ready for the job, inhibit the message of hope and unity he's trying to promote. His prose is amazing for telling events as they happen and it is a very entertaining read.
4/5
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book took me almost 6 months to get through, but only because I can only take American politics in small doses. That being said, I found this book really interesting and I could hear Obama reading it in my head :) Definitely worth a read!
4.5 stars, rounded up. Regardless of your political leanings or what you think of Obama, the man can write (as can his wife!) -- While a bit dense with policy details at times (I suppose to be expected at 751 pages and only *part 1*), it was eye-opening to read and learn so much about what really was going on inside the White House 2008-11ish - the methodical decisions, the calculated proposals, allll the pork barrel legislation. I'll be honest, I wasn't terribly into/aware of politics during these years, so it was particularly interesting to understand details behind some of the stories I only vaguely knew about. Highly recommend to anyone remotely interested in politics or the Obama years and I know I'll be buying/reading Part 2 when it comes out someday.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Incredibly worthwhile read. You feel like you’re really getting a peek behind the curtain - very honest and transparent. He writes as well as he speaks - despite its length and the heavy subject matter, it was a real pleasure to read and went quickly.
As always, it was a great book as well as an opportunity to view things from the lens of the previous leader of the Western World.