by Barack Obama
First published 2020
Barack Obama chronicles his transformation from a young man seeking his identity to the leader of the United States. He traces his political awakening through his early aspirations, the crucial Iowa caucus win that proved grassroots organizing could work, and the historic election night when he became America's first Black president. Obama takes readers into the Oval Office and Situation Room as he navigates a global financial meltdown, assembles his cabinet, and measures world leaders like Vladimir Putin. He details the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act against fierce opposition, debates military strategy in Afghanistan with his generals, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and authorizes the mission that kills Osama bin Laden. Obama examines the weight of running as a Black candidate while carrying a generation's hopes for change. He reveals how White House life affected his family and admits to moments of self-doubt. Throughout, he maintains his faith in democracy as something built through empathy and shared understanding rather than imposed from above.
Genres: politics, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, political-thriller
Setting: United States, Oval Office, Situation Room
Period: 21st Century
701 pages · Hardcover · Crown Publishing Group