A Promised Land

Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, elected in November 2008 and holding office for two terms. He is the author of two previous New York Times bestselling books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, and the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Michelle. They have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

出版者:Crown

作者:Barack Obama

页数:768

出版时间:2020-11-17

价格:USD 45.00

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9781524763169

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.

读后感

从11月份断断续续看完了奥巴马的新自传《应许之地》，虽然这本书有700页，但读起来并不枯燥难懂。之所以读了这么长时间，是这次特意放慢速度温习了书中提到的历史事件，金融危机、健保改革、阿富汗战争、阿拉伯之春、海底石油泄漏，射杀本拉登等，我都去网上回顾视频和文字资料...  

2008年，奥巴马以芝加哥为总部竞选美国总统一举成功。那时的我对美国政治还不甚了解，只是为他无以伦比的亲和力所感染。到了2012年，那时的美国有了Sarah Palin，有了一种令人不安的胡搞气氛。所以奥巴马当选，令我松了一口气。转而到了2016年，希拉里在选票领先的同时大选失利...  

从11月份断断续续看完了奥巴马的新自传《应许之地》，虽然这本书有700页，但读起来并不枯燥难懂。之所以读了这么长时间，是这次特意放慢速度温习了书中提到的历史事件，金融危机、健保改革、阿富汗战争、阿拉伯之春、海底石油泄漏，射杀本拉登等，我都去网上回顾视频和文字资料...  

我不喜欢奥巴马，更准确来说我对他这样仪表堂堂夸夸其谈的政客总是心存疑虑。当年马英九选台北市长，我就颇不以为然，不是替阿扁抱屈，偏见来自于我心中叼根火柴才是风流倜傥小马哥，也看不上identity politics，靠阿辉振臂一呼什么新台湾人不是民粹又是什么。 PBS班农的专访非...  

用户评价

讲他自己从议会议员到美国总统 讲他参与各种回忆，obama care，漏油，保护环境等等，政治生涯的每一个决策 我期待看到的是中美关系（少量）家庭关系（极少）有效阅读部分不足20%吧

【有聲書】先拋開政治不說，作為一個人，奧巴馬是十分值得尊重和學習的。回憶錄字裡行間流露出他的真誠和謙遜。他把美國總統這個名號視為自己的使命和義務而不是優越。在行使總統職責的同時承認自己的不足，尊重和鼓勵下屬給予他意見和建議。難怪奧巴馬有著極強的人格魅力。政治上，他能認清美國存在的種種根深蒂固的政治、經濟和社會問題，也希望能盡自己最大努力去解決。但是不足在於他意識不到或者不願意承認那些問題存在的根源在於美國的經濟政治體質的弊端。通過他對幾項重要法案“做香腸”過程的回憶也能看出美國政治體制的癥結。整個回憶錄十分詳盡：對共事人員和外國政要的描述涵蓋外貌和性格特徵；對國際事物有其來龍去脈的複述；甚至對一些事件的天氣和環境也有提及，可以說是細緻入微。另外在有聲書裡聽奧巴馬本人親口說髒字挺有意思。

期望很高，实际也超过期望。 充满智慧，真诚，思辨，和高超的写作表达。读这书也把我拉回了逐渐了解和认识BO下的灯国和世界，把liberal bubble当成世界常态的我自己的formative years.

【有聲書】先拋開政治不說，作為一個人，奧巴馬是十分值得尊重和學習的。回憶錄字裡行間流露出他的真誠和謙遜。他把美國總統這個名號視為自己的使命和義務而不是優越。在行使總統職責的同時承認自己的不足，尊重和鼓勵下屬給予他意見和建議。難怪奧巴馬有著極強的人格魅力。政治上，他能認清美國存在的種種根深蒂固的政治、經濟和社會問題，也希望能盡自己最大努力去解決。但是不足在於他意識不到或者不願意承認那些問題存在的根源在於美國的經濟政治體質的弊端。通過他對幾項重要法案“做香腸”過程的回憶也能看出美國政治體制的癥結。整個回憶錄十分詳盡：對共事人員和外國政要的描述涵蓋外貌和性格特徵；對國際事物有其來龍去脈的複述；甚至對一些事件的天氣和環境也有提及，可以說是細緻入微。另外在有聲書裡聽奧巴馬本人親口說髒字挺有意思。

读了michelle的becoming前十章，本来以为会有很多重合部分，结果完全没有，和michelle的恋爱故事精简却充满了真情，非常实在地讨论了自己作为初生牛犊在政坛的成长，也许是因为作者亲自读的，就像他在我旁边讲述这些anecdotes