Presidential memoirs are notoriously guarded exercises in protecting the author’s image. Uncomfortable truths are suppressed. Important backstories are ignored. Anecdotes are anodyne. This book is no different. Despite Obama’s obvious brilliance, charm and eloquence, he’s clearly determined to keep the reader at arm’s length. For anyone who paid attention to the events of his presidency, the bulk of this memoir will come across as a detailed description of old news. Fresh insights into the man himself are few, and stated regrets even fewer.
This leaves us with the politics. Obama tells us he and the Democrats got more done for the American people than any other government in the last 40 years. Probably true, but was it enough? There are no mentions of even his most obvious failures—no Syrian red line or Flint water crisis or mass deportations (though he does obliquely acknowledge that he put kids in cages before Trump did). The closest he comes to a “my bad” moment is the suggestion that perhaps, maybe, possibly, but not necessarily, he could have held Wall Street to higher account while rescuing banks and auto makers during the 2008 financial crisis.
The fact that he’s eons better than any Republican out there is no saving grace. The conciliator in chief brings the same self-restricting approach to this book that he brought to his presidency. The book, like the Obama years, feels like a lost opportunity—a story of a potentially great man who knew what was right but who chose to compromise rather than risk total failure. The tagline here could be, “Yes we can! But we choose to sacrifice our values in order to get something—anything—done!”
Happy Canada Day, y’all! Reviewed on July 1, 2021