A review by nytephoenyx
A Promised Land by Barack Obama

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

While I really enjoyed A Promised Land as a whole, I have to admit it’s best enjoyed one bite at a time.  The audiobook is nearly 30 hours – a fairly long read!  Because this is a presidential memoir, it’s also filled with political churnings.  Regardless of your personal perspective, politics get exhausting after 30 hours.  But all that said, I found the behind-the-scenes look fascinating.

There is so much packed into this book.  The pacing starts off pretty steadily, with Obama speaking about his early campaigns and setting Michelle.  As the book goes on and we get into his presidency, the pace picks up and so does the amount of information.  By the end of A Promised Land, one significant event was packed in after another without time to breathe.  It was a little anxiety-inducing for me, so I can’t imagine how stressful it was to actually be in charge of or on the receiving end of so many of the things discussed during the second half of the book.

There is a balanced voice to many of the things discussed here, but the further into the presidency we get, the clearer his own personal frustrations are.  Since this is a memoir and not purely a piece of historical non-fiction, this is both fine and accepted.  However, I do want to mention that the exasperation with Mitch McConnell and Republican senators is clear, and his commentary on Donald Trump is more harsh.  This book will not sit well with stalwart Republicans and Trump fans, though for those who are interested in a rounded view of politics, it is still an important read.

Please don’t take this to mean Obama spends the book in bi-partisan bashing.  In fact, there is a clear frustration with bi-partisanism and there are several instances where he praises Republican senators or representatives.  In fact, it’s an interesting perspective on the shift of priorities in the Republican party during his presidency, which ultimately lead to the party as it is today.

It’s challenging to talk about a political memoir like this without showing my biases.  I will be honest and say that I’ve always liked Obama and my reading of the book is a bit biased – I find it easy to sympathize with the frustrations his voices because they are many of the same things I feel myself.  While objectively this book is extremely well-written and accessible, enjoyment of it will certainly fall to individual political views.  I’m not sure there’s any way around that in a presidential memoir.

A Promised Land is an excellent read if you are interested in the Obama family or administration.  It’s also good insight for a well-rounded political view.  However, it’s important to be aware of the inherent biases coming from a memoir… and also know it’s a bit thick so take it slow.
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