Barack Obama's memoir 'A Promised Land' releases today
Whether you plan to read Obama’s upcoming memoir ‘A Promised Land’ or gift it, here’s what to know (and where to find Obama's playlist for it).
Sydney Williams
Sydney Williams
Other than recounting the past, Obama noted he’ll offer his take on what “can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody…” If 2020 has been a year of unprecedented events and circumstances, Obama’s memoir might serve as a glimpse into what his priorities were, how they’ve evolved and where they’ve since landed. “A Promised Land” offers Obama’s take on some of his most notable moments in office, from wrestling a global financial crisis to passing the Affordable Care Act. The publisher has yet to announce the release date of the second volume.
This will be Obama’s third book so far. His first, “Dreams from My Father,” published in 1995 and “The Audacity of Hope” came out in 2006. As the holiday season approaches, Obama’s might help you check off giftees on your list as a (substantial) stocking stuffer for any politics buff or fan of the Obamas. And if you’re behind on or otherwise interested in Obama’s other books, we listed them below.
Writing during his tenure in Congress, then-Senator Obama explores his stances on key issues within the realms of democracy and public policy. In 362 pages, Obama shares some of the inspiration leading to his eventual presidential run. “And in these pages he often speaks to the reader as if he were an old friend from back in the day, salting policy recommendations with colorful asides about the absurdities of political life,” noted a New York Times book review.
Originally published in 1995, Obama’s first memoir highlights the most important moments from his formative years. Obama explores his youth in Honolulu and Indonesia, his early adult years in Chicago and his path to Harvard Law School. He also shares his thinking on race, class and identity, among other ruminations. “Obama is anything but a solipsist; he is always looking beyond himself, at family, community, the wider world. He is a polished writer, with a novelist’s skill in describing a place or a person and framing a scene,” The LA Times noted in its 1995 review of the book.
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