New York: Former US president Barack Obama will come out with the first of his two-part memoir “A Promised Land” on November 17 in which he describes his presidential campaign and his time in office, the publisher announced on Thursday.
The autobiography of the 44th president of the US, published by Viking – an imprint of Penguin General Books at Penguin Random House, will be out just two weeks after the American elections on November 3.
The announcement was made by Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, which acquired world rights to the 768-page book.
Obama said, at a time when America is going through enormous upheavals, the book offers some of his broader thoughts on how one can heal the divisions in the country going forward and make its democracy work for everybody – a task that won’t depend on any single president, but on all people as engaged citizens.
“Along with being a fun and informative read, I hope more than anything that the book inspires young people across the country – and around the globe – to take up the baton, lift up their voices, and play their part in remaking the world for the better,” he said.
Obama, 59, will tell the story of his improbable odyssey from a young man searching for his identity to a leader of the free world, describing in 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.
Reflecting on the presidency, he will offer a thoughtful exploration of both the reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of US partisan politics and international diplomacy.
Obama will bring readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond, the publishers said.
“A Promised Land” is being billed as the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organiser 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, said a statement by the publishers.
“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,” it said.
The publishers said a publication date for the second, and concluding, volume of the memoirs has not yet been set and will be announced later. Details about Obama’s book tour will be announced later this fall.
Obama said there was no feeling like finishing a book, and he is proud of this one.
“I’ve spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in ‘A Promised Land’, I’ve tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office: the key events and people who shaped it; my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made; and the political, economic, and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then – and that as a nation we are grappling with still,” he added.
Obama has also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that he and his wife Michelle went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows.
Dohle said through his words and actions, Obama has had an indelible impact on the world and the course of history, serving as a beacon of hope and progress that has inspired so many.
He also describes Obama as a supremely gifted and accomplished writer. Obama has previously written two books: “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope”.