A new book written by former US President Barack Obama about his time in office and his campaigns to the highest office in America will be released on 17 November, shortly after the country’s election.
The former leader of the world’s most powerful country took to his social media handles to announce the coming of his latest book A Promised Land on Thursday (17 September).
“There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,” he wrote.
“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.”
Obama, the first American president of African origin, gave further hints of what to expect in A Promised Land:
“In the book, I’ve also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows.
“And finally, at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval, the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody––a task that won’t depend on any single president, but on all of us 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.”
According to Obama’s publisher, Penguin Random House, the 768-page book will be the first of two volumes and will be released around the world in 25 languages, including Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Arabic, Czech, Finnish and Vietnamese.
Obama and his wife Michelle sold their memoirs to their publisher as a package deal for a record US$65 million. Mrs Obama’s book, Becoming, has sold more than 8.1 million copies in the United States and Canada alone since it was published in 2018.
Sola Jolaoso
READ ALSO Obama praises Biden for choosing Kamala Harris as running mate