Jan 2021 BOTM - A Promised Land by Barack Obama

[Gorab, TheGunman]

A Promised Land is a memoir by Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Published on November 17, 2020 by Crown Publishing Group in the United States and Viking in the United Kingdom, it is the first of a planned two-volume series. Remaining focused on his political career, the presidential memoir documents Obama's life from his early years through the events surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

[Ahtims]

Will join in if everyone else is raving about it. If not , shall give it a miss...
I read somewhere in passing that this book is part 1 of a series ..

[Pallavi]

I am in :)

[Bela]

I am already reading it. Shall try to join in whenever psbl

[Pallavi]

Started... I think I will be reading this one for whole month..

[Ahtims]

those who are reading do let know how you find it. I have so many other books planned and don't have time to squeeze in this mammoth, unless everyone starts raving about it and I am drawn in.

[Ahtims]

those who are reading do let know how you find it. I have so many other books planned and don't have time to squeeze in this mammoth, unless everyone starts raving about it and I am drawn in.

[Arpit]

will start today .

[Girish, The Good cop]

started the book. Barack Obama is one of the best orators of our times. His Yes we can acceptance speech in 2008 moved people across the globe.

Seeing he talks about how it is through emotion and not facts you can win elections and the fact that his alternate career choice was being an author - seems like he was a showman with a script!

[Priya]

Im in

[Arun]

Started, i am halfway through this book, it's quite interesting.

[Bela]

I am done almost 30%. Loving it so far. Though the American politics can get too complicated for us sometimes .

I have read both of his earlier books too and totally liked them both. Barack Obama comes across as a very honest likeable person.

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Started yesterday, and only thing i could think about was there's going to be a book 2? As it is this book is quite long for a memoir... Am assuming this is about his activities in first tenure and second will explore his second tenure at White House..

[Girish, The Good cop]

Agree Bela. I haven't read the other two books, but going by this book - I would imagine they would be rooted in a sense of honesty.

American political system and the POTUS halo is weird to someone exposed to Indian Political system.

[Girish, The Good cop]

Loving the PoTUS is also a normal family man narrative that makes this couple adorable.

Like of all the things to describe in the white House - he talks about how the valet who took care of his coat saved his marriage as hanging it on door knob earlier used to peeve Michelle :'D (relatable)

I think the book will be compared against Michelle Obama's Becoming than anything else.

[Renuka]

I started it today.

[Pallavi]

I am 7% into the book.. even though the book is interesting I find the chapters long and his way of narration is very different from Michelle obama.
I love the parts where he discusses his family...

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

Finished first part. Didn't know he was kind of a celebrity before he started his presidential campaign. All the blood, sweat & tear that he and his team pour into the campaign for Iowa. At the same time I was wondering what a Indian PM's memoir would be like...

[Girish, The Good cop]

Em Lost In Books wrote: "Finished first part. Didn't know he was kind of a celebrity before he started his presidential campaign. All the blood, sweat & tear that he and his team pour into the campaign for Iowa. At the sam..."

Agree. The American electorate seemed more or less clear with limited choices. Imagine what all other dimensions we will have to add to an Indian Electorate. :D

[Girish, The Good cop]

Midway through Part 2. I finally understood the global dynamics behind a lot of decisions - like the role of US in Palestinian scenario or why Afghanistan was a focus.

His description of the global counterparts in G10 summit was, in a way, a very honest view of how America views the rest of the world. India comes fairly poor and China a writeoff. If a humble honest sounding POTUS can have such impressions when his country was on a backfoot - imagine the viewpoint in such charged circumstances of a Republican president like Trump who wants to make America Great again!

[Girish, The Good cop]

Almost 80% done. Not liking the world as it is section - it's a long winding narration.

And Em- Now I agree with you. The guy is working on a multi book contract and his memoirs are going to be lenghty..

[Gorab, TheGunman]

at least 2 vols of thsi as per Wiki:

Published on November 17, 2020 by Crown Publishing Group in the United States and Viking in the United Kingdom, it is the first of a planned two-volume series.

[Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game]

You are raced through this one!!

Am around chapter 10. To be honest i didn't pay much attention to Mr. Obama when he became the president other than the obvious that he was the first black president of world's most powerful country. I never have to any other president either before him. I knew Hilary was in race and that piqued my interest and then there was Republican candidate Sarah. Her beautiful face was used to plaster on front page of every leading newspaper back then. And since the election system quite different from our country i never paid heed to the process as why waste time when it doesn't concern me directly or indirectly. My thoughts back then. But reading this book is giving me quite an insight into what it takes to be senator, presidential candidate. If there's one thing that prevails in politics is that it is dirty, irrespective of the country. All buttons are pushed to win the ultimate prize, they dug out what Obama said before he turned 10 or putting a crowd pleaser in as your second, they'd do everything.

(view spoiler)[Am still in the second part and there is a little part where Obama talks about how US is wasting their resources in Afghanistan and Iraq, while terrorists take refuge in Northern Pakistan. As far as I remember to till this date no one has come near to accepting this reality. Everybody shies away from touching this including this man who put it in his book but didn't do anything about this in his two terms. I could be wrong but i have never seen any action in that part of world... (hide spoiler)]