avatarKatherine G. MacRae

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A Promised Land

Barack Obama’s Promisingly Great Audiobook

A Promised Land book cover

If you love politics and have a penchant for intelligence, critical thinkers and leaders with heart, be certain to add this wonderfully narrated memoir by the man himself, to the top of your audiobook list.

Goodreads Best Memoir and Autobiography 2020 Winner, ‘A Promised Land’, written and narrated by the Author, President Barack Obama was totally enthralling to listen to and one of the very best audiobooks I’ve enjoyed to date.

An inside look into the White House, an incredible man and President who led with high functioning acumen, empathy and grace, despite opposition every step of the way by the Republican party’s rich, white, racist men’s club, determined to undermine him.

President Obama is a masterful writer, narrator, and leader. Possessing a rare and thoughtful emotional quotient, coupled with his superior intelligence and driven by an unwavering determination to do what is right, as he considers all who would be impacted by his actions, not just his personal aspirations.

“I don’t know. What I can say for certain is that I’m not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America — not just for the sake of future generations of Americans, but for all of humankind. For I’m convinced that the pandemic we’re currently living through is both a manifestation of and a mere interruption in the relentless march toward an interconnected world, one in which peoples and cultures can’t help but collide. In that world — of global supply chains, instantaneous capital transfers, social media, transnational terrorist networks, climate change, mass migration, and ever-increasing complexity — we will learn to live together, cooperate with one another, and recognize the dignity of others, or we will perish. And so the world watches America — the only great power in history made up of people from every corner of the planet, comprising every race and faith and cultural practice — to see if our experiment in democracy can work. To see if we can do what no other nation has ever done. To see if we can actually live up to the meaning of our creed.” Barack Obama, A Promised Land

One cannot help but note the stark differences between the 44th President’s thirst for knowledge and understanding, as he sought and assembled the best experts available for his teams, and listened to and gave thoughtful consideration to their wise counsel before taking action, contrasted with the current president who listens to no one unless they are singing his own over-bloated false praises, to the peril of the country, resulting in the unfathomable death toll of the Covid pandemic and the rise of organized racist violence and civil unrest playing out across America.

President Obama’s innate desire to serve his country and its people to the very best of his ability, despite personal sacrifice, are the hallmarks of a genuine leader. He governed for the people using a wide lens for those in need of help the most.

Now we are witnessing the exact opposite with a crazed president who thinks he knows more than any highly trained actual life experienced expert, who is out to only serve himself and take whatever he can use for his own benefit while bulldozing democracy. Trump’s entitled self-aggrandizement shows a total lack of intelligence, leadership, decency or mental stability.

There are so many lessons one can take away from A Promised Land. The highly complex job of a President requires depth and breadth of knowledge of its own history and issues on home soil, as well as challenging and dangerous global affairs with very different goalposts.

The highest office in the land, in any land, has the tendency to attract power-hungry maniacs and self-serving narcissists. Dictators in the making.

But the real crux of the job is to serve the people, not oneself.

Not least of all is the fact that emotional intelligence and empathy have far-reaching consequences of greater positive impact, and real intelligence means knowing one person cannot possibly have all the answers. Expert opinions must be sought out and seriously considered, as decisions and their results are not made in a vacuum.

Despite the marathon 29+ hours of audio, I was sad when this fascinating memoir came to a close.

Barack Obama is a class act all the way. I felt enriched having listened to this audiobook in its entirety and I came away with an even deeper respect for the author as a President, an individual, a husband, a father, a writer, and a man that seeks a better way of life for all of us, as global citizens of this planet, all in this life together.

President
Barack Obama
Life Lessons
Memoir
Globalization
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