Review: A Promised Land by Barack Obama
I have so many Thoughts about A Promised Land that it’s hard to know where to start. I shall do my best, and begin with the first thing most people will notice about it - its sheer size. At around 700 print pages, or nearly 30 hours at 1.0x speed for the audiobook, it’s something of an epic - and A Promised Land only covers up to the end of Obama’s first presidential term. A further book is apparently in the works, release date unknown. This volume does spend time going over Obama’s early years - his family and schooling, his gradual introduction to political discussion and ideas, then recounts his activism and early political appointments before his election as a senator. You can sense consistent passion and drive, but also his occasional doubts regarding his own suitability and capability at each stage of the journey - right through to his decision to run for the presidency. Imposter syndrome strikes even future presidents of the US, it seems.
A Promised Land
Crown Publishing / Penguin UK, 2020
“Which kind of person do you want to be?”
To address the orange elephant in the room, it’s hard not to compare and contrast Obama’s measured tones, thoughtful delivery, and considered actions with those of the current-though-soon-to-be-ex POTUS. This volume actually speaks very little about Trump, although it touches on the birth certificate furore from the early days of Obama’s first term, as well as Trump’s offer to first assist in plugging the Deepwater Horizon leak, and then to build a “beautiful ballroom” at the White House - neither of which was accepted, though for different reasons. For me the greatest comparison - no, contrast - is the reasoned and constantly self-assessing manner that Obama displays at almost all times. I was listening to the audiobook while protestors (rioters? Terrorists?) over-ran the Capitol building, apparently incited by Trump’s indignant and incoherent social media claims of rigged elections and fake votes. I don’t hesitate to tell you that I cried more than once at the monumental distance from seeming sanity to apparent uncontrolled narcissism, and the speed at which we have plumbed those depths.
When reviewing a political autobiography it is of course hard to keep political bias and viewpoints entirely to the side. It will surprise no-one who knows me that I would more naturally align with Obama’s views than Trump’s. Nevertheless there were aspects of Obama’s time in role that I wasn’t comfortable with, particularly some of his foreign policy, and I was really interested to hear how he recounted those. Even allowing for some rose-tinting and revisionism, Obama is incredibly honest about mistakes he made and things he wished he had done differently (albeit these didn’t always align with what I would have thought!). He talks through the different factors he considered for many decisions he took; he introduces us to the experts he consulted and the diversity of voices he ensured were around him to avoid operating in an echo chamber. Added to the fact that he was party to significantly greater information than you, I, or the media would ever be, I was left with the impression that while I may still not agree 100% of the time with the decisions he took, I could have nothing but respect for his process and the controls he introduced.
In terms of the structure of A Promised Land, I’ve already mentioned that his early life and ascendancy to the White House is covered in earlier parts of the tome. Later in the book, he examines in greater detail key strands of his policy implementation, with detail on political context, media involvement, his team’s decision making process, and the curveballs that were thrown in along the way. He also looks at the outcomes of his actions, both the intended and unexpected, inside of the USA and across the world. If I were to have a quibble with this structure, it is that it occasionally over-simplified the various situations - if economic decisions were made in a vacuum of “save the car manufacturers then fix the medical provision then help out Egypt” it would probably be easier, but real life doesn’t work like that. However, it does avoid the “and then, and then” nature of some sequentially chronological (auto)biographies, so I shall let it pass. I’m sure Obama’s relieved.
The US economy is discussed in detail (especially the 2008+ banking and financial crisis) and how the White House team sought to protect the country from the worst effects of the crash, driving recovery and reform. He covers foreign policy, especially the Arab Spring and his involvement in the Middle East peace process. The chapters on medical care reform made me want to wail for the scaled impact of sheer greed on a commercialised industry, the missed opportunities, and my fear for the potential loss of a nationalised health service in my own country. The book ends with the location and capture of Bin Laden, in 2011: even though I knew the outcome of the raid, I was still holding my breath as Obama recounts the hours leading up to it.
“No-one cares that “things could have been worse””
One of the most engaging factors for me in A Promised Land was the sheer humanity that Obama displays. For his own family (he speaks in relatable terms about the challenges of balancing work and home life, putting my own struggles very much into perspective!) but also for the people he met daily and for what they represented - ordinary Americans just trying to live their lives. He talks movingly of meeting injured soldiers and bereaved relatives; senior industry figures and refuse collectors; young children and foreign dignitaries. I sensed a genuine care for the rights and dignity of all people, and regret for the times he felt he could not honour them fully. He mentions more than once the frustration when being judged for actions he took, when only a small fraction of the story was ever and could ever be widely known. While the stakes are rarely so high as for the POTUS, we all know the pain of people forming opinions on us when they know only a portion of what is really going on.
I gifted the hardback of A Promised Land to more than one person this Christmas, although I personally listened to the audiobook. If you have been on the fence about Audible, let me encourage you to use A Promised Land as your first book in your free trial. Obama reads it himself, and the reassuring timbre of his voice may now become my “read me to sleep” soundtrack of choice for some time to come. However there are certain sections I will want to revisit more easily, so this may be one book I pick up in paperback too, once available.
No matter the medium you choose to read A Promised Land, I would strongly encourage that you do read it. Regardless of your political leanings, it is so helpful to be reminded that nothing is cut and dried. Very rarely on either a micro or macro level is any course of action all good or all bad. Life is messy and people are complicated. If we elect leaders who will gather and review facts, analyse information, listen to an inclusive range of opinions, commit to courses of action and adapt as required - leaders who will communicate clearly, and who above all will acknowledge and value the diverse humanity of individuals - then perhaps we will find a way to get through the messiness of life, and to do so together rather than at the expense of one another. Yes We Can.
