“An autobiography is only ‘a sort of life’ – it may contain less errors of fact than a biography but it is of necessity even more selective: it begins later and it ends prematurely”.
This is what Graham Greene wrote in the prologue to his own autobiography. And President Barack Obama, an admirer of this great author, followed the same path. This is why in this just-published first volume, out of his rich journey he chose to describe his deeds from 1989 to 2011. Years important to him, as well as the entire world.
This is a high task, as expectations from a politician who decided to appraise his own story are extraordinary. He is expected to be absolutely fair. He is expected to tell his story calmly, while at the same time demonstrating great skill in its narration.
And lastly, although this might be the most important point, he is expected not to get trapped in the graces of a mere retrospection, but in fact highlight the most important moments as a fertile deposit for the future.
It seems that this challenge has been met. In the 750 pithy pages of the volume presented here today, the 44th President of the United States fulfills these three expectations.
He constantly describes and evaluates, with a sharp and clear eye. At the same time, without openly admitting it, he crafts a complete model of political perception and function. As for his writing style, I would dare to say that it brings together the force of classic public speaking with the attractive flow that only literature can offer.
Indeed, Barack Obama’s writing style is calculated and well-processed. This points to another quality of his: the one of the gifted orator and the composed narrator.
But it also shows him to be a committed student of the language. Because, even in his long passages he reminds us of the great biographer Robert Caro. Perhaps because, as he has admitted, he forged his views on politics when he was young and starting out, based on the works of the American journalist that he read.
I have personally managed to read two thirds of the book, finding some time at night or sometimes during my flights, in travels that grant me some spare time. I belong to those who believe that his writing is indeed vivid. But it also matches the force of his ideas.
Besides, it is these ideas that made him a first-class leader, when he was deemed an outsider. It is also interesting to see the way in which he delineates these ideas now, after they have been tested by the realism of two presidential terms.
“A Promised Land” is, objectively speaking, a precious asset for all of us. Especially now that the author’s homeland seems to be undergoing a detachment from the values that he himself promoted. But also in the midst of this unprecedented crisis that threatens the resilience of democracies and the cohesion of societies all over the planet.
Under the conditions that the pandemic and international economic turbulence have brought about, Obama sets out his “signposts”, adding to the worldwide debate about the post-Covid era.
As a reader and a politician, I would stress the President’s commitment to the principles of liberal democracy, modernization and social welfare. But I would also point out his loyalty to moderation. The first black President of the United States confesses that he has always been a reformer rather than a rebel. A supporter of the open economy, who did not hesitate though to temporarily nationalize the automobile industry in order to save it. And, of course, he held the private sector accountable for the environmental tragedy that took place in 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Let me focus, though, on two main characteristics that appear throughout his entire book. Firstly, the President keeps asking himself every single time whether he made the right decision. I think that this concern keeps every leader focused on his goal, but also in touch with his fellow citizens.
And, secondly, let me focus on his slogan: “Yes, we can”. Three words, emancipated from his pre-election campaign to fuel the entirety of his policies. It is a conviction that when shared by many it becomes a collective movement that leads to real, tangible results.
Let me conclude with a wish. I wish that people will read this book and it will serve as food for thought and contemplation. The principles, the choices and the political behavior of Barack Obama deserve to cross the Atlantic and reach Europe and Greece. So that they can help us in our own effort to turn our continent and our country into a real “Promised Land”.
