A Promised Land

Summary: The riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making – a record-breaking, critically-acclaimed no.1 bestseller, now out in paperback THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE ECONOMIST, THE GUARDIANThe riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—a record-breaking, critically-acclaimed no.1 bestseller, now out in paperback'Gorgeously written, humorous, compelling, life affirming' Justin Webb, Mail on SundayIn the stirring 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.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 forces that opposed him at home and abroad and bearing the expectation of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change”, 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. MEGA-SELLING HARDBACK: Viking’s edition of A Promised Land has sold more than 1.5m copies across all formats including 1.1m copies of the £35 hardbackCRITICALLY ACCLAIMED: ‘What is unexpected in A Promised Land is not its literary elegance but the former president’s candour’ (David Olusoga, Observer); ‘Remarkably candid and beautifully written’ (David Lammy, i); ‘Obama is as fine a writer as they come… the prose gorgeous in places, the detail granular and vivid’ (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, New York Times Book Review)LARGE TARGET AUDIENCES: Readers of President Obama’s multimillion-copy bestsellers, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, and Michelle Obama’s multimillion-copy memoir Becoming; readers of history and current affairs; younger readers who have become more interested in the Obama presidency and prefer a paperback editionHUGE AUTHOR PLATFORM: President Obama has more than 223m followers across social media (131m on Twitter, 56m on Facebook, 36m on Instagram)Author Bio: 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. Table of Contents:1: PREFACE2: PART ONE THE BET3: PART TWO YES WE CAN4: PART THREE RENEGADE5: PART FOUR THE GOOD FIGHT6: PART FIVE THE WORLD AS IT IS7: PART SIX IN THE BARREL8: PART SEVEN ON THE HIGH WIRE9: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS10: PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS11: INDEX