A Promised Land, Barack Obama (4.5)
What a joy to read a book written by a politician who is thoughtful, knowledgeable and not particularly cynical! I appreciated the insight given to understand major decisions and initiatives. The book is quite long and mainly covers his first presidential election and the first three years in office. I didn’t feel he covered too many topics, but he does give a lot of background to each. This was sometimes helpful and sometimes I could go through it quickly. For example, in order to understand our issues with Iran, he goes back to pre-Khomeini and walks the reader through their history with many of the major players highlighted. I had read a review of the book that said the book was not personal enough. I disagree – I was surprised how often he talked about how he really felt and about his family and friends. Always the gentleman, he was quite gracious about those he worked with or against- a little chippy when he pointed out that Sarkozy wears ‘lifts’ – but mostly gracious. I also liked that his digs at Trump were relatively subtle and mostly highlighted by the comparisons the reader will make. I believe this book shows why someone should pursue a government job and by example shows how it’s possible to remember than while deep in the muck.
