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Barack Obama, His Essential Wisdom
Barack His Essential Wisdom invites readers to experience the powerful oratory of our forty-fourth president. Obama’s skill at expressing deep empathy and thoughtful idealism made him a best-selling author at an early age. Speaking as a law professor, politician, and eventually the nation’s first African American president, he continued to hone a view of America as a unique place where all races and classes could achieve equality. These selections have been drawn from his speeches, interviews, essays, books, social media posts, and other writings over the past twenty years, and they reveal a great intellect, dynamic leadership style, and steadfast determination. Arranged thematically, the selections reveal his thoughts and feelings, and even the occasional joke, about the many issues he faced during his two terms as president—universal healthcare, same-sex equality, racial equality, and the threat of terrorism among them.
142 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 14, 2026
A generous selection of quotations from the speeches and interactions of Barack Obama up until 2016 … wide-ranging and eloquent, Obama shows off his wit and wisdom in this slim volume … For example, this is part of his reply to an 8-year-old girl: “Wherever your hard work and talents take you — whether it’s becoming a cardiovascular surgeon, the President of the United States, or chasing a dream you’ve yet to discover — always remember that you have a big role to play in shaping the world and making a difference in people’s lives. …” … inspiring …
February 20, 2023
A good collection of extracts from Obama's speeches, public statements and social media posts, but somewhat repetitive. There are actually only a couple of repeated statements, the organization into categories is what for me detracts from the power of the wisdom. The presentation and flow would have been much more powerful chronologically with short interceding observations to set the tone.
January 21, 2020
A very easy read as it is filled with quotes from President Obama. If you feel like giving up on hope with the way this country is going right now, this is the perfect quick read and will take you back to a time not too long ago when the country actually felt great and heading in a wonderful direction
July 27, 2020
As admitted in the introduction, “it will take decades for historians to achieve clarity and consensus” on Obama’s presidency. In the meantime, the editor shares what she considers to be his most impressive quotes, some of which are duplicated, some sound good, some are laughable.
November 24, 2019
God I miss his voice!
July 9, 2020
Great source of inspiration. I see how I will be quoting his "wisdom" in the future, especially that related to parenthood.
September 8, 2020
A compilation of quotes from articles, interviews, and speeches from Barack Obama which captures many of the important moments of Barack Obama's terms as President.
October 13, 2020
A nice collection of quotes given by the one and only Barack Obama through 2016. Nice little history lesson of some of the things that have happened during his two terms in office.
January 22, 2021
Great book to read during the Biden inauguration. If words matter, then Obama got them right again and again.
June 6, 2024
Completely changed my view of Barack Obama. Great insight. W President.
May 25, 2025
The eloquent musings of a war criminal.
February 14, 2022
3.0-3.5
"Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom" is a fairly short read and flashback to "simpler" times. On the one hand it's a quaint little collection of quotes from a POTUS that spoke with far more dignity, wit, and intelligence than his successor. At the same time I kind of feel like the assembled quotes are overly saccharine and a repeat of the HR strategy that made him a celebrity candidate but a bit of a let down of a President. The quotes it contains are wise but I don't think they completely reflect the actions and policies of a well-meaning man who wasn't the knockout force for change many had hoped he'd be. The book isn't without its merits and some substance but all the same feels a bit like fluff. My teenage self, not yet cynical of America and a little star struck of Barack Obama probably would have given this a higher score.
"Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom" is a fairly short read and flashback to "simpler" times. On the one hand it's a quaint little collection of quotes from a POTUS that spoke with far more dignity, wit, and intelligence than his successor. At the same time I kind of feel like the assembled quotes are overly saccharine and a repeat of the HR strategy that made him a celebrity candidate but a bit of a let down of a President. The quotes it contains are wise but I don't think they completely reflect the actions and policies of a well-meaning man who wasn't the knockout force for change many had hoped he'd be. The book isn't without its merits and some substance but all the same feels a bit like fluff. My teenage self, not yet cynical of America and a little star struck of Barack Obama probably would have given this a higher score.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews