A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Why I recommend reading the presidential memoirs
I was born in the Soviet Union and raised in modern Russia. It doesn’t surprise me that the vast majority of my even progressive fellow homelanders see American politics as in House of Cards. The image of the president of the USA well fits the ill portrayal of Frank Underwood. Thank you, Mr. Trump.
That makes ‘A Promised Land’ by Barack Obama, the 44th President of the USA, an absolute revelation.
768 pages long book is a pleasure to read. Its prose is cinematographic with good pace and lively scenes. This, what appears to be the first volume of the autobiography, covers the period from the inception of Barack Obama political career towards the end of his first presidential term. The focus of the memoirs is on the politics with a seasoning of personal stories. It lacks the intimacy even though the insights into his relations with Michelle and their two daughters Malia and Sasha often appear on the pages.
I enjoyed good humour throughout the book and liked precise characterizations and vivid portraits painted of many people he had encountered with. Among them are the members of his administration, American politicians and the world leaders.
“President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, appeared…
