A Promised Land by Barrack Obama

Began reading: January 2, 2021

Finished reading: February 25, 2021

Rating: 4.3/5

Review

*Heavily opinionated! Also my writing is trash but trying to improve so… swag*

This book restored my respect for the government.

These past few months, my perspective on the government has been tainted by media that continually highlights its incompetence. Although I believe the government is systemically unjust and requires progressive change, Obama helped me notice that I take my opportunity to live in America for granted. Many of my everyday life activity is a dream for a vast population globally, and our freedom is possible not because the government provides us with rights, but because we have a voice. Our democracy is far from perfect but closest to the “ideal society” compared to other nations. It gave me a burning desire to contribute to better this world to the best of my ability, starting from small deeds, like recycling, to bigger ones like pursuing a career in teaching/mentoring.

“Obama is a war criminal”, “Obama killed hundreds of innocent lives in the Middle East”. I have heard this phrase many times and I also believe what Obama has done in the Middle East was not right. But, as you read along, you begin to notice many of Obama’s diplomatic peace efforts and his strong humanitarian consideration. He did not write much about the incidents of the drone strikes but he did emphasize the difficulty in spearheading a divided country split into parties that prioritized their power over the people. His decision-making was filibustered by many “experienced” Republicans who only sought to increase and retain their power in Congress. But our system is like that. It’s like a game of capture the flag. Both teams scrambling to achieve their agenda while doing whatever it takes to prevent the other to succeed.

I was relieved to see political leaders like Obama, who truly cares for the people, still exist in this world (I know, I am heavily biased lol). It is common to see power-hungry tyrants who seem to care more about their status than their people’s conditions.

Overall, I loved Obama’s writing style. The book was a long read but a good one. I recommend this to everyone; it gives you a new perspective — a president’s — and hopefully, it restores your respect for our government as it did for me.