A Promised Land

The preface emphasizes two key themes: danger and hope. Conspiracy theories, fake news, and increasingly vitriolic politics threaten American democracy. The fight between two diametrically opposed visions for the country has divided the body politic, resulted in anger and mistrust, and allowed for unprecedented breaches of institutional norms and procedural safeguards. Despite this crisis, however, Obama remains hopeful for the future of American democracy: “What I can say for certain is that I’m not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America–not just for the sake of future generations of Americans but for all of humankind” (xvi). Obama’s hope rests on his conviction that Americans, in particular young people, will do the work required to create a better future.

Obama is acutely aware that what happens in the United States can reverberate around the world. Attacks on American democracy can weaken democracies globally. Thus, he urges fellow citizens to strive to match the country’s present reality to its founding ideals of self-governance, individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and equality before the law. Obama questions certain aspects of his presidency, notably, his inclination to take the high road when reality may have demanded more direct and forceful responses. However, he maintains that he did the best he could to steer the country toward “the America we’ve been promised” (xvi). Obama is confident that after eight years as POTUS, he left the country in a better state than it was when he first took office.