books

Barack Obama’s Presidential Memoir, A Promised Land, Is Coming This November

Photo: Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images

Best-selling author Michelle Obama’s husband is releasing a new book of his own. Good for him! Former president Barack Obama’s presidential memoir will be published in November, just weeks after the fate of the country is decided in the election, publisher Random House announced Thursday per the New York Times. Over 700 pages long, A Promised Land is the first of two volumes. In this one, Obama reflects on his early political career and the 2008 presidential campaign, and he concludes with the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. “There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,†Obama said in a statement. “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.†He adds that the book will include “highs and lows†from his personal relationship with his wife. He also hopes the book will inspire young people to “play their part in remaking the world for the better.â€

As for him, he’s retired to a life of book-writing and Netflix-producing. Barack and Michelle Obama signed sold their memoirs to Crown for a massive $65 million. Her debut, Becoming, has sold more than 8 million units in the U.S. and Canada since 2018, and the book tour became an Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary. Crown is anticipating just as much excitement for 44, printing 3 million books for the U.S. alone. And, of course, you’ll have to factor in everyone who’ll opt for the audiobook, narrated by Obama himself. A Promised Land is out November 17, just in time to make it to the top of Obama’s yearly list of favorite books.

Barack Obama’s Presidential Memoir Is Coming This November