A Promised Land
Barack Obama
★★★★★ 5/5
Non Fiction: Memoir, Political History
Long but rewarding read;
Politics and history are not really my preferred genres and so I hesitatingly picked up A Promised Land—the first part of President Obama’s memoirs—largely based on the high regard I have for him and his ability to connect with people and issues. The book at 700 pages is an expansive look at his presidential campaign and the first term of his presidency—a glorious view from the vantage point of the most powerful office in the world, and well worth a read.
A Natural Writer
By his own acknowledgment his wordiness was a problem on the campaign trail, especially early on before he honed his style to suit his political aspirations. Clearly he’s not overcome it entirely seeing as he needed 700 pages to describe events over just ~6 yrs. What’s surprising is that he actually writes things out longhand rather than on a computer.
A computer gives my roughest drafts too smooth a gloss and lends half baked thoughts the mask of tidiness
But there are some people—very few actually—whose writing and speeches you can’t get enough of. Mr. Obama is definitely one of them—a brilliant and captivating writer who can make even the dry politics of drumming up votes to pass a bill, engaging and interesting! With great story telling, wit, empathy and a characteristic knack of breaking problems down in a way everyone understands without seeming preachy, the former president gives us an inside view into what it is like becoming, and then being president—the weight of decisions, constant scrutiny of every word and action, travels and relations with other leaders, relentless onslaught from opponents, the impact on his family, the loneliness of high office and the satisfaction of accomplishments.
Enlightening
President Obama’s first term is recent history and his administration’s biggest challenges and projects: from the financial crisis, TARP rescue package, the Affordable Care Act, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are all familiar to most of us. The decisions his administration made continue to impact us for better or worse. The book provides unique insights into the politics and circumstances behind these and most importantly, Mr. Obama offers eloquent reasoning for his actions.
The several chapters devoted to his crusade of providing affordable healthcare to all American’s were particularly enlightening. That the United States is perhaps the only country in the developed world that does not guarantee access to health care for all its citizens is frankly embarrassing. That this is not seen as a right and on the contrary as forced socialism is incomprehensible. And that we could only get to the ACA with its insurance marketplace instead of a single payer healthcare was to me at the time quite disappointing. But Mr. Obama’s rendering of the events highlighting the reality of the constraints towards any solution at all, make me appreciate the outcome we have today. Even if flawed and distant from the goal, it still offers millions more a shot at having health insurance.
One sided, yet measured
President Obama is clearly the hero of his story, (but then, aren’t we all in ours?) portraying his administration and its accomplishments in glowing terms. Yet he is never self righteous—often expressing self doubt over several of his decisions and the true impact of his efforts.
By my own estimation, my impact on the lives of poor children and their families so far had been negligible – even in my own country.
He is also charitable towards his adversaries (Mitch McConnell, Boehner et. al.) describing their machinations with characteristic grace instead of the caustic invective which he might be entitled to. I found his framing of the current Republican platform, quite accurate.
And harder economic times strained civic trust. As the US growth rate started to slow in the 1970s—as incomes then stagnated and good jobs declined for those without a college degree, as parents started worrying about their kids doing at least as well as they had done—the scope of people’s concerns narrowed. We became more sensitive to the possibility that someone else was getting something we weren’t and more receptive to the notion that the government couldn’t be trusted to be fair. Promoting that story—a story that fed not trust but resentment—had come to define the modern Republican Party. With varying degrees of subtlety and varying degrees of success, GOP candidates adopted it as their central theme...it became a template for Fox News...The government was taking money, jobs, college slots, and status away from hardworking, deserving people like us and handing it all to people like them.
While an admirer, I am by no means a fanboy of the former president. A balanced perspective requires due consideration of the opposing viewpoints—the one word ‘Boring!!!!!’ amazon review doesn’t qualify in spite of over 4000 others having found this to be a compelling rebuttal!—and I should in principle devote time to critics of his administration.
Overall: Awaiting part II
I’ll leave this by saying I will be picking up part II whenever it’s out.