A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making--from the
president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy #1 NEW YORK
TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW
YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The
Washington Post * Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times * NPR * The Guardian
* Marie Claire In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his
presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable
odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free
world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political
education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic
presidency--a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Obama takes
readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to
the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots
activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected
44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to
hold the nation's highest office. Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a
unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits
of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of
U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers
inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow,
Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he
assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the
measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to
secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S.
strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the
devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune's
Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden. A Promised Land is
extraordinarily intimate and introspective--the story of one man's bet with
history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage.
Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black
American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of
hope and change, and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes
decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and
abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and
daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he
never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American
experiment, progress is always possible. This beautifully written and
powerful book captures Barack Obama's conviction that democracy is not a
gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding
and built together, day by day.