A Promised Land

A Promised Land is a memoir by Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, serving from 2009 to 2017. It is the first of a planned two-volume series. The title gestures to the promises of the founding fathers and to Obama’s first presidential campaign slogan, which expressed hope for the creation of a more perfect union. Obama writes in elegant prose and organizes the material chronologically and thematically, from his childhood in Hawaii to the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. The memoir addresses all readers, but in particular, young people, who are invited to make the world a better place. This summary refers to the 2020 edition published by Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House.

Following a brief preface explaining the book’s genesis, Obama divides his memoir into seven parts. Part 1, “The Bet,” centers on Obama’s childhood, formative years, early relationship with his wife Michelle, and initial foray into politics. Part 2, “Yes We Can,” shifts the emphasis to Obama’s first presidential campaign, addressing his rivalry with Hillary Clinton and his innovative use of digital technology to reach voters. Part 3, “Renegade,” focuses on Obama’s inauguration, the economic fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis, and the country’s ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Part 4, “The Good Fight,” describes Obama’s first G20 summit, the battle against terrorism, and healthcare reform. Part 5, “The World as It Is,” delves into Obama’s foreign policies, including the wars in the Middle East and South Asia, the Iran nuclear treaty, and the Paris Climate Agreement. Part 6, “In the Barrel,” describes the obstacles Obama faced in his first term as president, notably, public outcry over the bank bailouts and the devastating setbacks his administration suffered during the midterm elections. The memoir concludes with Part 7, “On the High Wire,” which addresses the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Arab Spring, and the killing of Osama bin Laden, the architect behind the September 11 attacks.