Recommendations based on A Promised Landby Barack Obama

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

    by Samantha Power
    A memoir of Samantha Power's journey from an immigrant to a war correspondent to a diplomat, and her efforts to promote human rights and democracy.

    Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power, widely known as a relentless advocate for promoting human rights, has been heralded by President Barack Obama as one of America's "foremost thinkers on foreign ... (Goodreads)

  2. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

    by Barack Obama
    An exploration of the Obama family history, tracing the threads of identity and race.

    In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New ... (Goodreads)

  3. Alexander Hamilton

    by Ron Chernow
    Comprehensive biography of the Founding Father, delving into his contributions to the American Revolution.

    An alternate cover edition can be found, here., Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

    by Kamala Harris
    Memoir of Kamala Harris, detailing her life and political career, and advocating for social justice and equality.

    From one of America's most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own ... (Goodreads)

  5. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

    by John Carreyrou
    The rise and fall of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing startup, and the deceitful actions of its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

    by Barack Obama
    A political memoir that explores Obama's vision for America and his hopes for the future of the country.

    The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics—a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's ... (Goodreads)

  7. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism

    by Robin DiAngelo
    A critical analysis of the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially. It explores the dynamics of white fragility and how it perpetuates racial inequality.

    Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt and by behaviors including argumentation ... (Goodreads)

  8. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    A comprehensive study of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the unique cabinet he assembled.

    Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from ... (Goodreads)

  9. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

    by James Clear
    A practical guide to creating and maintaining good habits, and breaking bad ones, using small, incremental changes.

    No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving–every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach ... (Goodreads)

  10. Bad Feminist

    by Roxane Gay
    A collection of essays exploring feminism, race, and gender, and their intersections.

    Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be, cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read, Vogue, and I’m not doing it ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

    by Bessel van der Kolk
    Examining the physical, psychological and emotional effects of trauma, and how to heal.

    A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing. Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful ... (Goodreads)

  12. Fear: Trump in the White House

    by Bob Woodward
    An inside look at the chaos and dysfunction within the Trump administration, revealing the president's erratic behavior and decision-making.

    With authoritative reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump’s White House ... (Goodreads)

  13. Long Walk to Freedom

    by Nelson Mandela
    A remarkable story of courage, perseverance and hope in the face of oppression.

    Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel ... (Goodreads)

  14. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  15. Gratitude

    by Oliver Sacks
    A collection of essays on the importance of gratitude in life, written by the renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sacks.

    “My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved. I have been given much and I have given something in return. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on ... (Goodreads)

  16. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

    by Yuval Noah Harari
    An exploration of humanity's future, and the potential paths of our species.

    Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed, New York Times, bestseller and international phenomenon, Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning ... (Goodreads)

  17. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

    by Robin Wall Kimmerer
    An exploration of the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, utilizing both Indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge.

    As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals ... (Goodreads)

  18. Thinking, Fast and Slow

    by Daniel Kahneman
    An exploration of the two systems of the mind, and how they influence decision-making.

    In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow , Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and ... (Goodreads)

  19. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

    by Patrick Radden Keefe
    A gripping account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, exploring the murder of a mother of ten and the secrets that were kept hidden for decades.

    In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Body: A Guide for Occupants

    by Bill Bryson
    A fascinating tour of the human body, its functions, and its quirks, from head to toe.

    In the bestselling, prize-winning A Short History of Nearly Everything , Bill Bryson achieved the seemingly impossible by making the science of our world both understandable and entertaining to ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds

    by Michael Lewis
    A fascinating examination of the two psychologists who changed the way we view the human mind.

    Forty years ago, Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. One of the greatest ... (Goodreads)

  22. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

    by Immaculée Ilibagiza
    True story of a woman's faith and resilience in the face of the Rwandan genocide.

    Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family ... (Goodreads)

  23. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

    by Daron Acemoğlu
    Examination of the economic and political forces that shape the success and failure of nations.

    Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail, answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health ... (Goodreads)

  24. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And other Questions about Dead Bodies

    by Caitlin Doughty
    A mortician answers curious questions about death and dead bodies in a humorous and informative way.

    New York Times Bestseller Winner of a Goodreads Choice Award “Funny, dark, and at times stunningly existential.” —Marianne Eloise, Guardian Everyone has questions about death. In, Will My Cat Eat My ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

    by Matthew Walker
    Exploring the science of sleep, uncovering its powerful effects on health, productivity, and wellbeing.

    “,Why We Sleep, is an important and fascinating book...Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates A, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    by Neil deGrasse Tyson
    An accessible exploration of the universe and its mysteries.

    Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold. The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

    by Phil Knight
    The story of one man's dream to start a business and the obstacles he encountered along the way.

    In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of ... (Goodreads)

  28. Fascism: A Warning

    by Madeleine K. Albright
    A warning against the rise of fascism and authoritarianism in the modern world, drawing on historical examples and personal experiences.

    A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as ... (Goodreads)

  29. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

    by Timothy Snyder
    A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. What Happened

    by Hillary Rodham Clinton
    A candid look into the 2016 election, exploring the events leading up to her defeat.

    “In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I’ve often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I’m letting my guard down.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the ... (Goodreads)