Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sarakomo 's review for:
A Promised Land
by Barack Obama
2021: 10/10 would recommend the audiobook for this read
Look, I love Obama, so listening to 29 hours of his dulcet tones was really not a hard sell for me. But the entire premise of this book was Obama saying, "now let me walk you through every decision I made between 2000 and 2011, and tell you *my* side of the story". Not a bad premise, but a weary one over time. He spends a good chunk of time talking about how Jon Favreau kept telling him his speeches were too long, and then Obama goes and writes a book that is too long.
I really enjoyed reading this additional perspective of a time period that a) I lived through and b) I have read extensively about. Obviously, [b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006] is an ideal partner for this book, but also [b:Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House|31176294|Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House|Alyssa Mastromonaco|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480286429l/31176294._SX50_.jpg|51813578] (which I read a couple of years ago and LOVED), and [b:The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir|42872088|The Education of an Idealist A Memoir|Samantha Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565398168l/42872088._SY75_.jpg|66662066] (which I read last year - definitely check all of these books out!) Next up on the TBR is going to have to be [b:What Happened|34114362|What Happened|Hillary Rodham Clinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501171573l/34114362._SY75_.jpg|55143253] by Hillary Clinton.
I mean, again, I agree with the vast majority of Obama's policy decisions, so I was already inclined to really like this book. I thought his description of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of someone in power, someone who could actually affect change in the region, and still felt powerless to help was particularly compelling. It was also pretty trippy to be listening to the final chapter of this book on my run today - it ends with the killing of Bin Laden, and today happens to have been the final day that Biden had American troops in Afghanistan.
tl;dr - go read [b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006] if you haven't already, this one (and its upcoming brothers) will be waiting for you when you're done.
Look, I love Obama, so listening to 29 hours of his dulcet tones was really not a hard sell for me. But the entire premise of this book was Obama saying, "now let me walk you through every decision I made between 2000 and 2011, and tell you *my* side of the story". Not a bad premise, but a weary one over time. He spends a good chunk of time talking about how Jon Favreau kept telling him his speeches were too long, and then Obama goes and writes a book that is too long.
I really enjoyed reading this additional perspective of a time period that a) I lived through and b) I have read extensively about. Obviously, [b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006] is an ideal partner for this book, but also [b:Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House|31176294|Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House|Alyssa Mastromonaco|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480286429l/31176294._SX50_.jpg|51813578] (which I read a couple of years ago and LOVED), and [b:The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir|42872088|The Education of an Idealist A Memoir|Samantha Power|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565398168l/42872088._SY75_.jpg|66662066] (which I read last year - definitely check all of these books out!) Next up on the TBR is going to have to be [b:What Happened|34114362|What Happened|Hillary Rodham Clinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501171573l/34114362._SY75_.jpg|55143253] by Hillary Clinton.
I mean, again, I agree with the vast majority of Obama's policy decisions, so I was already inclined to really like this book. I thought his description of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of someone in power, someone who could actually affect change in the region, and still felt powerless to help was particularly compelling. It was also pretty trippy to be listening to the final chapter of this book on my run today - it ends with the killing of Bin Laden, and today happens to have been the final day that Biden had American troops in Afghanistan.
tl;dr - go read [b:Becoming|38746485|Becoming|Michelle Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SY75_.jpg|60334006] if you haven't already, this one (and its upcoming brothers) will be waiting for you when you're done.