A Promised Land

Obama (b. 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. His wife, Michelle (b. 1964), is also an attorney and author. Obama and Michelle share two daughters, Malia (1998) and Sasha (2001). Obama began writing his memoir shortly after his presidency ended, during a family vacation in his home state of Hawaii. Unlike many politicians and public figures, Obama did not use a ghostwriter, instead penning the book himself on a yellow pad. Obama explains this choice in his Preface: “I still like writing things out in longhand, finding that a computer gives even my roughest drafts too smooth a gloss and lends half-baked thoughts the mask of tidiness” (xv). Having a clear mental outline of his memoir allowed him to make swift progress, while starting soon after his second term ensured that his memories remained sharp.

Obama’s desire to create a more egalitarian society stems from his fiercely principled mother. Throughout his childhood, Dunham spoke to Obama about the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements, the calamity of the Vietnam War, and the moral imperative of the war on poverty. Although Dunham was not involved in politics, her worldview pointed Obama in the direction of public service. Obama was the first Black head of the Harvard Law Review. In addition, he graduated from Harvard law school magna cum laude. Rather than pursuing a lucrative position with a prestigious law firm, however, he moved to Chicago to run one of the largest voter registration drives in Illinois history. He entered politics few years later, serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, and in the US Senate from 2005 to 2008. Obama engaged in bipartisanship during this period, something he would continue to do as president.

Obama’s commitment to improving the lives of Americans grew after meeting with people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, most of whom were Black. Moved by their tales of hardship, Obama embarked on a media tour to discuss racism, intergenerational poverty, and the lack of opportunities in large parts of the country, issues he continued to address during his presidency. Indeed, the ACA, the DREAM Act, and many other Obama-era policies aim to help Americans live better. Obama’s most consequential domestic policies include healthcare and immigration reform, economic stimulus and tax changes, and climate change action. His approach to foreign policy also helped Americans by making the world a safer place. Obama’s major foreign policy achievements include rebuilding alliances and engaging in multilateral relationships with Russia, China, Europe, and others, strengthening NATO, and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He also began to withdraw US troops from Iraq, increased troops to fight the resurging Taliban in Afghanistan, initiated the closing Guantánamo Bay, organized a NATO-led intervention in Libya to topple Gaddafi, and presided over the mission that led to the death of bin Laden.