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.