A riveting deeply personal account of history in the making-from the president who inspired us
to believe in the power of democracy In the stirring highly anticipated first volume of his
presidential memoirs Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man
searching for his identity to leader of the free world describing in strikingly personal
detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic
presidency-a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Obama takes readers on a compelling
journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that
demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4 2008 when
he was elected 44th president of the United States becoming the first African American to hold
the nation's highest office. Reflecting on the presidency he offers a unique and thoughtful
exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power as well as singular
insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings
readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room and to Moscow Cairo
Beijing and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet wrestles
with a global financial crisis takes the measure of Vladimir Putin overcomes seemingly
insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act clashes with generals about
U.S. strategy in Afghanistan tackles Wall Street reform responds to the devastating Deepwater
Horizon blowout and authorizes Operation Neptune's Spear which leads to the death of Osama
bin Laden. A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective-the story of one man's
bet with history the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid
about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American bearing the expectations of
a generation buoyed by messages of hope and change and meeting the moral challenges of
high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad
open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters and unafraid to
reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great
ongoing American experiment progress is always possible. This beautifully written and powerful
book captures Barack Obama's conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something
founded on empathy and common understanding and built together day by day.
