The History Book Club discussion

Hello everyone,

This will be the discussion thread for the Book of the Month Club Read - The Promised Land by Barack Obama. This is an extended read because the book is long.

by Barack Obama

by Barack Obama

Summary:

A Promised Land is Barack Obama’s memoir of his early political career and the first two years of his presidency. Obama takes us on his journey from relative obscurity as a biracial kid from Hawaii to becoming a transformative figure as the nation’s first African-American president. At every step of his career, Obama was guided by a deep faith in the fundamental unity of Americans; the potential and promise of America; the necessity of compromise and seeking common ground; and above all, the power of the democratic system to heal our divisions and effect real change for ordinary people.

Reviews:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAACP IMAGE AWARD NOMINEE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times • NPR • The Guardian • Marie Claire

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy

In the stirring, highly anticipated 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. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

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 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. 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.

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.

In Terms of Best Selling and Most Popular in Sales
#50 in Audible Books & Originals
#1 in Biographies of Presidents & Heads of State
#1 in US Presidents
#2 in Black & African American Biographies

Goodreads Choice Award, Memoir & Autobiography (2020), NAACP Image Award, Nonfiction (2021)

Chapter Summary and Overview:

Part One - The Bet

“I had made a bet a long time ago, and this was the point of reckoning.”

While remembering his open-air walks along the West Colonnade of the White House, Barack Obama takes us back to an earlier time, recalling the influences of his maternal grandparents and mother; his upbringing and education, from “lackadaisical student” to Harvard standout; his awakening to his mixed-race identity, “the very strangeness of my heritage”; and the power of social movements, where ordinary people joined together to make change. Where would Obama make his mark in the world?

Then he meets and falls in love with Michelle Robinson, and asks her the most important question of his life. There are challenges for him and Michelle. Driven to help better his community, Obama decides to enter politics and wins a hard-fought campaign to become an Illinois state senator while struggling to balance marriage and new fatherhood. Does the difference he is making justify the sacrifice?

After a disastrous run for Congress, Obama sets his sights on a more audacious target: the U.S. Senate. His victory, along with his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech, raises Obama’s profile to the stratosphere, and inspires some to wonder what’s next for the young senator.

After receiving insight from two Democratic heavyweights—and conferring with his most trusted advisor, Michelle—Barack Obama rolls the dice and makes a fateful decision, “one that would inexorably change my life.”

Chapter One - Discussion Questions:

1. Where would Obama make his mark in the world? That is a question that Barack Obama asks himself while he is a student at Harvard. How did Harvard and his other education opportunities and being away from his maternal grandparents and mother start to change Obama? What were some of the changes that transformed him?

2. How did meeting Michelle transform Obama? Does the difference he is making justify the sacrifice is a question that he asks himself when he decides to enter politics. What are the sacrifices he is talking about and what difference do you think Obama made?

3. Do you think that Obama was being audacious to lose one race and aspire to another? How do you explain his meteoric rise in politics?

4. What changed Obama's life and how did the Kennedy's impact that change?

5. As a young man, President Obama had a complex view of America informed by his sense of idealism. Even after a career in politics, he still believes in America’s promise. What parts of his upbringing formed this belief? How does he view that promise today, on the other side of his presidency? What does the book’s title—“A Promised Land”—mean to you?

6. Some folks have felt that Obama was arrogant and smug. Why would some folks feel that way? Was that warranted? Were some just jealous of his meteoric rise? Did some question his audacity to enter the race to become a Senator and after only briefly serving as Senator then decide to run for President? By entering the Presidential race when he did - did his entry into the race - hurt other more seasoned and experienced candidates?

PRAISE

“A powerful book with lots of insights into great leadership.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes

“Barack Obama is as fine a writer as they come. . . . [A Promised Land] is nearly always pleasurable to read, sentence by sentence, the prose gorgeous in places, the detail granular and vivid. . . . The story will continue in the second volume, but Barack Obama has already illuminated a pivotal moment in American history, and how America changed while also remaining unchanged.”—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The New York Times Book Review

Sign up here to join me. I have been wanting to read this for awhile.

O, fly and never tire, Fly and never tire, Fly and never tire, There’s a great camp-meeting in the Promised Land. —FROM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUAL - Barack Obama's quote in Preface

From “American Negro Songs”
by John W. Work, 1940

O, Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
Walk together children
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land
Talk together children
Don’t you get weary
Talk together children
Don’t you get weary
Talk together children

Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

Going to shout and never tire
Shout and never tire
Shout and never tire
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

O. Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
Get you ready children
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meting in the Promised Land
For Jesus is a-coming

Don’t you get weary
Jesus is a-coming
Don’t you get weary
Jesus is a-coming
Don’t you get weary
There’s a great camp meeting in the Promised Land

O, I feel the spirit….

Now I’m getting happy

This month in Outer Banks History: Robert Frost Inspired To Write "Kitty Hawk" - June 2021

Link: https://youtu.be/rEnCL1vwQ84

Source: Youtube

Kitty Hawk, O Kitty,
There was once a song,
Who knows but a great
Emblematic ditty,
I might well have sung
When I came here young
Out and down along
Past Elizabeth City
Sixty years ago.

What did men mean by
THE original?
Why was it so very,
Very necessary
To be first of all?
How about the lie
That he wasn’t first?
I was glad he laughed.
There was such a lie
Money and maneuver
Fostered over long
Until Herbert Hoover
Raised this tower shaft
To undo the wrong.
Of all crimes the worst
Is to steal the glory
From the great and brave,
Even more accused
Than to rob the grave.

When the chance went by
For my Muse to fly
From this Runway Beach
As a figure of speech
In a flight of words,
Little I imagined
Men would treat this sky
Some day to a pageant
Like a thousand birds.
Neither you nor I
Ever thought to fly.
Oh, but fly we did,
Literally fly……

Though our kiting ships
Prove but flying chips
From the science shop
And when motors stop
They may have to drop
Short of anywhere,
Though our leap in air
Prove as vain a hop
As the hop from grass
Of a grasshopper,
Don’t discount our powers;
We have made a pass
At the infinite,
Made it, as it were,
Rationally ours,
To the remote
Swirl of neon-lit
Particle afloat.

Pilot, though at best your
Flight is but a gesture,
And your rise and swoop,
But a loop the loop,
Lands on someone hard
In his own backyard
From no higher heaven
Than a bolt of levin,
I don’t say retard.
Keep on elevating.
But while meditating
What we can’t or can
Let’s keep starring man
In the royal role.

God of the machine,
Peregrine machine,
Some still think is Satan,
Unto you the thanks
For this token flight,
Thanks to you and thanks
To the brothers Wright
Once considered cranks
Like Darius Green
In their home town, Dayton.
End

“Frost is a philosopher, but his ideas are behind his poems, not in them-buried well, for us to guess at if we please.” (Mark Van Doren, The Atlantic Monthly, June 1951)

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface xiii

Part One: The Bet p. 1

Part Two: Yes We Can p. 79

Part Three: Renegade p. 203

Part Four: The Good Fight p. 331

Part Five: The World as It Is p. 427

Part Six: In the Barrel p. 517

Part Seven: On the High Wire p. 621

Acknowledgments p. 703

Photograph Credits p. 707

Index p. 713

Syllabus - This is an extremely long book - allowing 40 pages per week so folks can keep up

Week One: January 17th - January 23rd - Preface - (xiii - 1)

Week Two: January 24th - January 30th - Chapter One - The Bet (1 - 40)

Week Three: January 31st - February 6th - cont'd - Chapter One - The Bet (p. 41 - 80)

Week Four: February 7th - February 13th - Chapter Two - Yes We Can (p. 80 - 120)

Week Five: February 14th - February 20th - Chapter Two - Yes We Can (p. 121 - 161)

Week Six: February 21st - February 27th - Chapter Two - Yes We Can (p. 162 - 202)

Week Seven: February 28th - March 6th - Chapter Three - Renegade (p. 203 - 243)

Week Eight: March 7th - March 13th - Chapter Three - Renegade (p. 244 - 284)

Week Nine: March 14th - March 20th - Chapter Three - Renegade (p. 285 - 330)

Week Ten: March 21st - March 27th - Chapter Four - The Good Fight (p. 331 - 371)

Week Eleven: March 28th - April 3rd - Chapter Four - The Good Fight (p. 372 - 427)

Week Twelve: April 4th - April 10th - Chapter Five - The World as It Is (p. 428 - 468)

Week Thirteen: April 11th - April 17th - Chapter Five - The World as It Is (p. 469 - 516)

Week Fourteen: April 11th - April 17th - Chapter Six - In the Barrel (p. 517 - 557)

Week Fifteen: April 18th - April 24th - Chapter Six - In the Barrel (p. 558 - 598)

Week Sixteen: April 25th - May 1st - Chapter Six - In the Barrel (p. 599 - 620)

Week Seventeen: May 2nd - May 8th - Chapter Seven - On the High Wire (p. 621 - 661)

Week Eighteen: May 9th - May 15th - Chapter Seven - On the High Wire (p. 662 - 702)

Preface:




And so we begin:

PREFACE

I began writing this book shortly after the end of my presidency—after Michelle and I had boarded Air Force One for the last time and traveled west for a long-deferred break. The mood on the plane was bittersweet. Both of us were drained, physically and emotionally, not only by the labors of the previous eight years but by the unexpected results of an election in which someone diametrically opposed to everything we stood for had been chosen as my successor.

Still, having run our leg of the race to completion, we took satisfaction in knowing that we’d done our very best—and that however much I’d fallen short as president, whatever projects I’d hoped but failed to accomplish, the country was in better shape now than it had been when I’d started.

For a month, Michelle and I slept late, ate leisurely dinners, went for long walks, swam in the ocean, took stock, replenished our friendship, rediscovered our love, and planned for a less eventful but hopefully no less satisfying second act.

And by the time I was ready to get back to work and sat down with a pen and yellow pad (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), I had a clear outline of the book in my head.

Discussion Questions:

1. How had the election taken its toll on the Obamas? How was Barack diametrically opposed to everything that his successor held dear? How did the the election that followed the Obama presidency effect you?

2. Are any of you budding writers? How do you write - do you type your manuscripts and chapters when you are flushing out ideas or do you find comfort as did Obama in the written page?

3. In writing A Promised Land, President Obama wanted to give readers a real sense of what it’s like to be the president of the United States, to remind us that the presidency is ultimately just a job and that working in the White House brings the same daily mix of satisfaction, disappointment, friction, and small triumphs that ordinary citizens face.

Here are some ideas to think about while reading the book:

* Did your understanding of “the job” of being president change?

* What do you think are the most difficult aspects of the job? Which are most rewarding?

* What aspects of living and working in the White House surprised you the most?

4. Obama asks in the preface: Do we care to match the reality of America to its ideals? If so, do we really believe that our notions of self-government and individual freedom, equality of opportunity and equality before the law, apply to everybody? Or are we instead committed, in practice if not in statute, to reserving those things for a privileged few?

5. In describing the present moment, Obama writes that “our democracy seems to be teetering on the brink of crisis— a crisis rooted in a fundamental contest between two opposing visions of what America is and what it should be.” What are some things we need to do as a people to help the reality of America better live up to the promise of its ideals, including individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and equality under the law?

6. Obama writes: And so the world watches America—the only great power in history made up of people from every corner of the planet, comprising every race and faith and cultural practice— to see if our experiment in democracy can work. To see if we can do what no other nation has ever done. To see if we can actually live up to the meaning of our creed. Do you think that America is living up to the meaning of its creed and the foundation upon which it was founded? Why or why not?

7. In A Promised Land, President Obama extends an invitation to all of us—and especially to young people—to, “once again remake the world, and to bring about, through hard work, determination, and a big dose of imagination, an America that finally aligns with all that is best in us.” What are some ways that you—as an individual citizen—can respond to that invitation?

Please feel free to jump in and respond to the questions above or to post your viewpoints and ideas. Be civil and respectful, please.

Sign up here if you plan to participate. I will be not be sending out an event notification nor a broadcast.

This is a single thread discussion - where you can only discuss the chapters that are assigned on the non spoiler thread - here we insist that you use the spoiler html in order not to ruin the book for anybody else coming along later - so be careful if you go ahead.

If you do not go ahead and you are only talking about the pages in the weekly assignment then you do not have to use spoiler html - otherwise you do.

If you go ahead and you are averse to the spoiler html - you can always post on the glossary thread which is a spoiler thread. Since however - this is a non spoiler thread - if you go ahead of the weekly assignment - then you must simply use spoiler html here.

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

(view spoiler)[Put Text Here (hide spoiler)]

All, we do not have to do citations regarding the book or the author being discussed during the book discussion on these discussion threads - nor do we have to cite any personage in the book being discussed while on the discussion threads related to this book.

However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion.

Spoiler html is just like bolding or underlining - the only difference is that instead of a b or a u - you use the word spoiler.

If you go ahead of the assigned reading - then this is how the spoiler html would look.

For example:

Introduction
(view spoiler)[This is where your comments go (hide spoiler)]

Remember the following:

Everyone is welcome but make sure to use the goodreads spoiler function if you get ahead of the assigned weekly pages.

If you come to the discussion after folks have finished reading it, please feel free to post your comments as we will always come back to the thread to discuss the book.

The rules

You must follow the rules of the History Book Club and also:

First rule of Book of the Month discussions:
Respect other people's opinions, no matter how controversial you think they may be.

Second rule of Book of the Month discussions:
Always, always Chapter/page mark and spoiler alert your posts if you are discussing parts of the book that are ahead of the pages assigned or if you have become expansive it your topics.

To do these spoilers, follows these easy steps:

Step 1. enclose the word spoiler in forward and back arrows; < >

Step 2. write your spoiler comments in

Step 3. enclose the word /spoiler in arrows as above, BUT NOTE the forward slash in front of the word. You must put that forward slash in.

Your spoiler should appear like this:
(view spoiler)

And please mark your spoiler clearly like this:

State a Chapter and page if you can.
EG: Chapter 24, page 154

Or say Up to Chapter *___ (*insert chapter number) if your comment is more broad and not from a single chapter.

Chapter 1, p. 23
(view spoiler)[I know everything now about chapter one and I am going to post it here - oops I better place this in a spoiler alert so I do not ruin the book for others (hide spoiler)]

If you are raising a question/issue for the group about the book, you don't need to put that in a spoiler, but if you are citing something specific, it might be good to use a spoiler.

By using spoilers, you don't ruin the experience of someone who is reading slower or started later or is not reading the assigned pages.

Thanks.

We are about to begin. We will read and discuss the assigned pages each week. The assignments are always doable and we suggest you have another book to read on the side so that you can participate in the group discussion and keep up without going ahead.

Just check the table of contents and the syllabus. I will always post at the end of the evening or week where I am in terms of moderating. And where I will begin the next day or if I have added everything for the week I will also let you know.

I have opened up the discussion but for this week you should read the preface.

You can read a hardcover, a paperback, you can read the book on Kindle or you can listen to the book on audible. The format is really up to you and every medium is fine for this discussion.

If you read ahead, you can always use the spoiler html and read at your own pace. We just try to make it doable and a pleasant experience without pressure.

Post and introduce yourself and let us know where you are reading from - city (approximate), state or city, town, village (approximate) and in which country. And tell us what interested you about the book and your reason for wanting to read it.

My name is Bentley and I am the founder and group leader of the HBC and I want to welcome you to this Book of the Month Club read. Considering what we are all living through regarding Covid-19 - it is nice to get away from thinking about the pandemic and just lose yourself in a good book. And this book by Barack Obama should be just the ticket.

I promise you that we will get through this book with flying colors. And though it is long - it is very well written and should be an easy read.

I am from the Metro NYC area and I enjoy thoroughly big cities but likewise I also enjoy country settings, roads and vistas. I love the ocean and being by water in general. And I seem to love all things paper. Getting a kindle was tough when you love the smell and the feel of books. But honestly it has been easier when you are moderating many different books at the same time and need to keep all your notes straight.

2020 and 2021 have been horrific years for so many - we have had a serious and on going pandemic (the Coronavirus or Covid 19) and it seems to not be losing any steam like the Energizer Bunny. We are now wearing masks, shields, gloves and have sanitizer in a variety of shapes and sizes. And now we begin 2022 with the one thing that this year has going for it - HOPE.

We are saddened at the loss of so many wonderful people from this pandemic.

So turning our attention to books and to discussions is very much welcomed even though we find ourselves looking back at history to understand the current situation.

Please introduce yourself and tell us why you are interested in reading this book. Be sure to also tell us from what corner of the globe you are from - town, village, city and country or if you are from the US - city and state. We love to know where each of us is reading from. It can be of course be approximate.

It is always best to post and introduce yourself so folks know who you are when you post and feel more comfortable about posting back. We always introduce ourselves at the beginning of each discussion so folks know who is participating and we can get to know each other through the site.

Welcome to all.

Regards,
Bentley

We kick off today January 17th!

Our first week's reading assignment is as follows:

Week One: January 17th - January 23rd - Preface - (xiii - 1)

Please post and introduce yourself and it is never too late to join a discussion or a read at The History Book Club - so do not be shy.

How do you participate when you join a discussion?

* First, introduce yourself - say hello to everyone and the moderator so that they know you are there.

* Every week we will be posting new material regarding that week's reading assignment - so there will be lots to talk about. Each week just pick something that interests you in the chapter or in the ancillary material that you would like to comment on and post about that. You can answer and respond to one of the discussion questions and you can post as often and as much as you want or even just once for the assigned reading. If you stay with the assignments and you are on a single thread discussion like this one is - you do not need to use any spoiler html unless you go ahead. And then that is really easy. And you do not need to do citations on the book and author we are discussing - you only have to cite other books and authors; but never the one we are talking about. So there is nothing that should be holding anybody back and we are here to help. In fact, the sky is the limit on what you can discuss regarding any chapter.

Here is an example if you go ahead - then you must use the spoiler html: (don't have to - if you stay with us - but that is the option)

Chapter 10
(view spoiler)[I went ahead and I have this to say about this chapter. (hide spoiler)]

You can discuss anything on any of the pages that you are reading and you will always get a response. This discussion has sixteen weeks so you can post just once each week if you like - and just let us know what you are thinking about the book, what you are liking about each chapter or not and/or respond to a discussion question posted by the moderator or just tell us how you are doing! We try to keep things - easy, simple and not taking a lot of time.

*On the last week - we ask everyone who participated or read the book to just post an independent and honest review - your rating is up to you and this is your own recommendation - we only ask that folks are civil and respectful; but what you feel about any book is very much a personal experience so we leave it up to you. We just ask that you do not add links. Just do a copy and paste of your review and place it on the Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts thread. There is (of course) no self promotion.

And that is about it! It is easy to participate. Enjoy.

Folks, please let us know if you will be joining in this Book of the Month read. This will be a book of the month read and it will begin this week and you can go at your own pace. However, we do have weekly reading assignments but if you get behind that is fine - you can just post as you get caught up. If you go ahead - you have to use the spoiler html or post on the glossary spoiler thread.

Bentley will be leading the discussion. Everyone is welcome. The Table of Contents and the Syllabus have been posted on this thread.

Kickoff for discussion is today - January 17th.

You can post here in the meantime.

My name is Lorna and I am an assisting moderator in the History Book Club. Thank you for the opportunity, Bentley, as this is a book that I have been wanting to read for some time. I am looking forward to reading A Promised Land with everyone in the group. I will be joining you all from Denver, Colorado. I am excited to read this first volume of Barack Obama's presidential memoirs in what promises to be a compelling journey.

My name is Casey. I've been a History Book Club member for a while but this will be my first time participating. I'm a Texan living in Northern California and a great admirer of Obama and Michelle, and have read all their books up to this one. Some of the questions seem daunting, but I look forward to reading the responses and offering a few of my own.

Hello all, my name is Angela and this is also my first History Boo ik Club read. I am in Seattle, Washington, USA. I am a huge fan of Obama and his presidency so after 2016 - 2020 I wanted to learn more, if I could, about what a successful (in my opinion) President thought/did/learned/believed etc. Bentley, can I have some guidance on political talk here? This is a book about a politician who some loved, some hated who was followed by a politician that some hated, and some.....ok, I think you get where I am going with this. Of course it's understood that namecalling, personal attacks etc are unacceptable but I wonder if it will be possible to read this and discuss it without drawing comparisons between Obama and his successor. Thanks and looking forward!!

Good Afternoon, Everyone, especially Bentley … Oh, how I’ve missed you!!! As an American citizen, I am energised over this Book Club Read. I shall be re-reading this excellent book, and shall have to watch myself closely to avoid any spoilers … Thank you so much, Bentley, for getting us started!
Regards,
Andrea

Hi everyone, my name is Emily. I'm in Cape Town in South Africa. I recently finished A Promised Land but read it very slowly over the course of a year so I could absorb all of it and savour it. It's a really wonderful book, and I think I'll probably reread parts of it to participate in the discussions.

Hi everyone, my name is Vanessa and I see that I'm not the only person on this thread to be re-reading this book. I was in college during Obama's first term so it was very interesting not only reading about the events that I lived through from his perspective, but also to revisit these events myself as an adult. Looking forward to discussing with you!

I am really enjoying this book. It makes me feel that the perception I had of President Obama as a man of integrity, not power hungry but looking to make life better for the American people - was accurate whereas before I always wondered if it was an image carefully constructed by his advisors. Loving it!! Page 83 as of today.

Angela, I am enjoying the book as well.
It has just come to my attention that today marks fifteen years since Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President in front of the old Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

It was fascinating to me to read all the factors that influence a decision to run and the things you have to be aware of as far as the press watching your every move.....ugh. Don't think it would be worth it for me.

Angela, you bring up such an interesting point, especially today where there is such a divisiveness inherent in politics.

As I opened this book, I was struck by the epigraph from an African American spiritual that sings of a great camp-meeting in the Promised Land, hence the title.
I remember so often that Barack Obama said that he was able to achieve what he did because he stood on the shoulders of giants, namely civil rights icons such as Martin Luther King and John Lewis.

That is so true, Lorna but not just for Barack Obama … I think all of us in our different pursuits recognize that we indeed are standing on the shoulders of giants. Some suggestions for parallel readings (for those of you who like to have several books going at one time):
by Michelle Obama
by Barack Obama
Regards,
Andrea

Andrea, thank you so much for your excellent suggestions for additional reading. And I agree that we are all standing on the shoulders of giants in so many ways as we strive to make life better for those following.

by Michelle Obama
by Barack Obama

How is everyone coming along with the reading? You may want to refer to Post #11 to review Bentley's reading schedule for this book.

I'm at about 100 pages so a little behind schedule.

My book is Large Print at 1,000+ pages. I just realized that Chapter 3 (Renegade) starts on my Page 309. So thanks for including the chapters. (I'm farther behind than I thought!)

It sounds like many of us, me included, are behind schedule. It is a wonderful book, and we should all just continue reading and enjoying this incredible memoir and referencing Bentley's schedule as our North Star.

Caught up! Made it to The Renegade last night. Now I can sit back and read what you lovely people think about what I have read so far.

Chapter Summary and Overview:

Part Two - Yes We Can

"On a bright February morning in 2007, I stood on a stage before the Old State Capitol in Springfield--the same spot where Abe Lincoln had delivered his 'House Divided' speech while serving in the Illinois state legislature--and announced my candidacy for president."

This section details the presidential campaign launched that day in highlighting key people brought in to organize this grassroots campaign, namely David Axelrod, David Plouffe, and Robert Gibbs. And while by Barack Obama's own admission, he wasn't a particularly good candidate in the beginning, that began to change as his campaign realized that they had tapped into something essential and true about America, they were ready for change. The Obama campaign not only had a strong operations strategy and effective grassroots fundraising, but the work of their Iowa team in the form of field organizers throughout the state and aided by a digital program that was light-years ahead of the other campaigns.

As their victory in the Iowa caucus made news across the country, the race began to tighten in spite of its ups and downs with Barack Obama poised to be the nominee for the Democratic Party. As his campaign entered the summer of 2008, his campaign's first order of business was to unite the Democratic Party, particularly with Hilary Clinton and her campaign. In the face of domestic and foreign challenges, Barack Obama selected Joe Biden as his running mate. And at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, he walked out onto the stage on that warm August evening amidst the roar of the crowd to deliver his acceptance speech.

Barack Obama and Joseph Biden ultimately won the election with John McCain and Sarah Palin as their opponents. And the section ends much where it began, as Barack Obama and his family went to Grant Park that night with the stage facing Chicago's glittering skyline as over two hundred thousand people gathered.

Lorna, I’m curious: do we have any History Club members who were present at either the Obama announcement or the pertinent Democratic Convention who would like to share their experience?
Regards,
Andrea

Andrea, while I watched Obama's announcement in Springfield on CNN, I was present during the Democratic National Convention in Denver and there in Mile High Stadium that evening when Barack Obama took the stage to accept the nomination. I would be happy to share my experiences.

Lorna wrote: "... I was present during the Democratic National Convention in Denver and there in Mile High Stadium that evening when Barack Obama took the stage to accept the nomination. I would be happy to share my experiences."

Yes, Lorna, I'd love to hear your experiences at the convention and the stadium.

Lorna, Amen to what Casey wrote!
Regards,
Andrea

What can I say, the city of Denver in August 2008 was bursting at the seams, as it was the host of the Democratic National Convention. All of the major networks and cable news outlets had set up their outdoor studios in Lower Downtown Denver, our LoDo was an exciting place to be, particularly if you were political junkie, as everyone was enjoying the restaurants and bars and the excitement on the streets. It was a city filled with hope. Political forums, including authors, historians, and politicians were held, many open to the public, which we frequently took advantage of.

On August 28, 2008, as I made my way to Mile High Stadium in the company of tens of thousands of my friends, we all stood in line waiting for a security and credentials check before entering the stadium. Although it was a hot day and we had to wait a few hours, the mood was celebratory as everyone knew that history was about to be made when Barack Obama would accept the Democratic presidential nomination and we would be there to witness it. The preceding days of the convention were held at the Pepsi Center, but the Obama team wanted to move the last day of the convention to the outdoor venue of Mile High Stadium to be able to accommodate thousands more people, and all of the seats throughout the stadium were filled to capacity.

Barack Obama took the stage that evening to a standing ovation with unending applause and cheers throughout the stadium. It did not escape notice that Obama would be giving his acceptance speech that evening exactly forty-five years to the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. made his I Have a Dream speech. Barack Obama's acceptance speech was filled with hope and promise, those same emotions filling the hearts of those in attendance. Barack Obama was then joined on the stage by Michelle and his daughters, followed by Joe and Jill Biden. Confetti and balloons filled the stadium to cheering and applause as a spectacular display of fireworks lit up the sky over Denver.

I have posted Bentley's schedule for the next three weeks to cover the section Renegade.

February 28th - March 6th - Part Three - Renegade (p. 203 - 243)

March 7th - March 13th - Part Three - Renegade (p. 244 - 284)

March 14th - March 20th - Part Three - Renegade (p. 285 - 330)

Lorna wrote: "On August 28, 2008, as I made my way to Mile High Stadium..."

Thanks, Lorna. I found some videos on YouTube. Looking forward to them.

Enjoy!