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A review by leviofmichigan
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
5.0
Four stars for the presidency. Five stars for the book.
This book taught me a lot about foreign policy, American politics, and how difficult it is to lead this country and accomplish anything as a Democratic president with an excuse for a person like Mitch McConnel in existence. I'm glad I made it (this is not a small book!) and I do plan on reading the next book whenever that one comes out.
I appreciate hearing about the ups and downs of his campaign and first term. Unfortunately, the book comes across, at times, as a long-winded explanation of all the reasons he couldn't accomplish various points on the progressive agenda. And while his explanations usually offer adequate justification, it's still easy to look back on those years and wish he had just done better, even with the obstacles. And maybe, if he had been a little more experienced when he entered office, he would have been able to push harder. I really can't speak too harshly, though, because during his time in office, I was 9-16 years old, and a staunched conservative Republican, just a tad less racist than my grandfather, who declared Obama was "a closet Muslim."
It also troubled me how the killing of Bin Laden served as the climax to the book. If anyone had it coming to him, he sure did, but I still don't really support state-endorsed killings, no matter who the person is, and all that aside, it still seems like a dark tone to leave off on. "Before I let you go, I just wanted to remind you of that time when I, Barack Hussein Obama, really did push for and order the killing of Bin Laden, amongst the women and children who surrounded him. We all celebrated afterword, and it was really a lovely day. I gave a very hopeful speech, and that, my fellow Americans, was my first term. This has been an unabridged production of..."
All in all, it was a quality book, Obama did a great job reading it, and overall, it's given me lots to ponder. Definitely recommend to anyone who would like to understand American politics better.
This book taught me a lot about foreign policy, American politics, and how difficult it is to lead this country and accomplish anything as a Democratic president with an excuse for a person like Mitch McConnel in existence. I'm glad I made it (this is not a small book!) and I do plan on reading the next book whenever that one comes out.
I appreciate hearing about the ups and downs of his campaign and first term. Unfortunately, the book comes across, at times, as a long-winded explanation of all the reasons he couldn't accomplish various points on the progressive agenda. And while his explanations usually offer adequate justification, it's still easy to look back on those years and wish he had just done better, even with the obstacles. And maybe, if he had been a little more experienced when he entered office, he would have been able to push harder. I really can't speak too harshly, though, because during his time in office, I was 9-16 years old, and a staunched conservative Republican, just a tad less racist than my grandfather, who declared Obama was "a closet Muslim."
It also troubled me how the killing of Bin Laden served as the climax to the book. If anyone had it coming to him, he sure did, but I still don't really support state-endorsed killings, no matter who the person is, and all that aside, it still seems like a dark tone to leave off on. "Before I let you go, I just wanted to remind you of that time when I, Barack Hussein Obama, really did push for and order the killing of Bin Laden, amongst the women and children who surrounded him. We all celebrated afterword, and it was really a lovely day. I gave a very hopeful speech, and that, my fellow Americans, was my first term. This has been an unabridged production of..."
All in all, it was a quality book, Obama did a great job reading it, and overall, it's given me lots to ponder. Definitely recommend to anyone who would like to understand American politics better.