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A review by meekoh
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
4.0
Obama has never been known for his brevity, and with this 700-page volume, he does not start now. If you pick up this book, prepare for an in-depth journey through the first half of his presidency. If you are not interested in the inner working of the White House and foreign affairs, this book will feel long and tedious.
I enjoyed being given more insight into White House culture and exploring Obama's deliberation process. Politics is a field where everyone is quick to pass judgment but are often uninterested in understanding the full context in which decisions are made.
Obama uses this volume as an opportunity to shine a light on members of his administration whose successful work behind the scenes often went unnoticed. Obama never misses an opportunity to thank the participants in his journey knowing the impact of being recognized by name, in print, by the POTUS. Obama takes time to ponder alternate outcomes of policy decisions and does not hesitate to acknowledge his mistakes. I was, however, disappointed that the use of "enhanced interrogation" methods by the CIA was only briefly mentioned not adequately reflecting the issue's moral importance. I hope during his next volume he will spend time discussing the Dan Jones report and the McCain-Feinstein amendment.
The memoir closes with the Navy SEAL mission to kill Osama Bin Laden which occurred in May 2011. Obama's admiration of the military will resonate with many readers because it reflects the shared values we would all like to see more of among our elected officials.
Combating external threats has always been a rallying point that unites the country like nothing else. We can only imagine how productive American democracy could be if it found a way to harness that shared sense of purpose in all aspects of the public realm.
I enjoyed being given more insight into White House culture and exploring Obama's deliberation process. Politics is a field where everyone is quick to pass judgment but are often uninterested in understanding the full context in which decisions are made.
Obama uses this volume as an opportunity to shine a light on members of his administration whose successful work behind the scenes often went unnoticed. Obama never misses an opportunity to thank the participants in his journey knowing the impact of being recognized by name, in print, by the POTUS. Obama takes time to ponder alternate outcomes of policy decisions and does not hesitate to acknowledge his mistakes. I was, however, disappointed that the use of "enhanced interrogation" methods by the CIA was only briefly mentioned not adequately reflecting the issue's moral importance. I hope during his next volume he will spend time discussing the Dan Jones report and the McCain-Feinstein amendment.
The memoir closes with the Navy SEAL mission to kill Osama Bin Laden which occurred in May 2011. Obama's admiration of the military will resonate with many readers because it reflects the shared values we would all like to see more of among our elected officials.
"they had all worked together seamlessly and selflessly, without regard to credit or turf or political preferences, to achieve a shared goal."
Combating external threats has always been a rallying point that unites the country like nothing else. We can only imagine how productive American democracy could be if it found a way to harness that shared sense of purpose in all aspects of the public realm.