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Former US President Barack Obama's new book "A Promised Land" is seen in a bookstore in Washington, DC, on November 17, 2020.© GettyImages

Barack Obama publishes the first volume of his presidential memoirs in Spanish

The Hispanic community will be able to enjoy “Una Tierra Prometida” — the story of Obama’s remarkable career.


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
UPDATED NOVEMBER 17, 2020 3:35 PM EST

Starting Tuesday, November 17, 2020, the Hispanic community will be able to enjoy “Una Tierra Prometida” (A Promised Land), the Spanish version of the most recent book by former President  Barack Obama . Published by DEBATE, from Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, a leading Spanish-language publishing and distribution company, the book — to be published in two volumes — narrates the presidential memoirs of the 44th president of the United States.

In “A Promised Land,” Barack Obama tells the story of his remarkable career: from being a young man searching for his identity to becoming a leader of the Western world and describing in incredible detail both his political training and the highlights of the first term of his historic presidency, a time of great upheaval and profound change.

Captivating and personal, Obama invites readers on a journey. Starting with his earliest political aspirations, and continuing with the decisive victory of the Iowa primaries, which demonstrated the power of community activism, to the emotional night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected the 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the highest office in the nation.

The author reflects on the presidency by offering a unique and in-depth analysis of both the vast scope of presidential power and its limits and provides a unique insight into US politics and international diplomacy’s workings. Obama takes readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Crisis Room, Moscow, Cairo, and Beijing, among other places. Readers would be able to know how he composed his cabinet, his grapples with a global financial crisis, and how he overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles, like getting health reform through, confronts generals on America‘s strategy in Afghanistan, tackles the Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and authorization of the operation that ends with the life of Osama bin Laden.

Obama, who is also the author of “Dreams From My Father,” and “The Audacity of Hope,” both New York Times bestsellers, said how proud he is to have been able to finish these memoirs. “No feeling is comparable to finish a book, and I am very proud of this one. I have spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in ‘A Promised Land’ I have tried to give an honest account of my presidential campaign and my mandate: the key events and people that shaped it, my opinion on where I got it right and what mistakes I made, and the political, economic and cultural forces that my team and I had to deal with, and that as a society we continue to grapple with,” Obama said.

“In the book, I have also tried to give readers an idea of the personal journey that Michelle and I traveled through those years, with their incredible ups and downs. Finally, when the United States is going through such a difficult period, the book presents some of my general ideas on how we can mend the divisions in our country in the future and make our democracy work for everyone. This task will not depend on any single president but all of us as committed citizens. An entertaining and informative read, I hope above all that the book inspires young people in this country and around the world to take the lead, raise their voices and play their part in remaking the world for the better,” he continued.

“A Promised Land” is an exceptionally intimate and thoughtful book, chronicling a man’s commitment to history, the faith of a community organizer put to the test before the world. Obama exposes the tricky balance between campaigning as an African American — bearing the expectations of a generation excited by ideals like “hope and change” — and facing the moral challenge of having to make far-reaching decisions. Obama speaks candidly about the forces that opposed him both at home and abroad, revealing how life in the White House affected his wife  Michelle Obama  and their daughters, Sasha and   Malia Obama . In “A Promised Land,” the former president is not afraid to confess his insecurities or disappointments. Yet, he never doubts his conviction that progress is always possible within the great American experiment.

The book is available in physical and digital format for the entire Latinx community in the United States and Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. In contrast, the book’s English edition will be published in both formats in the United States and Canada. The release date of the second and final volume of the memoirs has not yet been decided and will be announced later. Details of President Obama’s promotional tour will be released later this fall.

Barack Obama playing baseball as a child© Obama-Robinson Family File

Barack Obama

A young Barack Obama, playing baseball as a child.

Rare photo of Barack Obama with his mom and grandmother© Obama-Robinson Family File

Barack Obama

Barack Obama with his mother, Ann Dunham (left), and grandmother, Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham.

Barack and Michelle Obama with daughters Sasha and Malia.© Obama-Robinson Family File

Barack Obama

Barack and Michelle Obama with their daughters, Malia and Sasha, at Sasha‘s christening.

President Barack Obama with daughters Sasha and Malia at the White House.© Pete Souza / The White House

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama with daughters Sasha and Malia at the White House.

President Barack Obama speaks with Judge Sonia Sotomayor.© Pete Souza / The White House

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama speaks with Judge Sonia Sotomayor before his inauguration ceremony at the Supreme Court, Sept. 8, 2009.

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior officials in the Roosevelt Room.© Pete Souza / The White House

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior officials in the White House’s Roosevelt Room as the House pass the health reform bill, March 21, 2010.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team.© Pete Souza / The White House

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with the national security team members, receive news of the mission against Osama bin Laden at the White House on May 1, 2011. [Seated, from left: Brigadier General Marshall B. Webb, assistant commanding general, JSOC; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left: Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Blinken, national security advisor to the vice president; Audrey Tomason, director for counterterrorism; John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (out of frame). ]

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden© Pete Souza / The White House

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on their way to sign the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, July 21, 2010.