Cover Image: To Obama

To Obama

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Member Reviews

An interesting piece of American history looking at the letters and writers to President Obama. Unfortunately I don't think this downloaded correctly for me as I didn't get the full book, but am keen to read it in full based on the start so it's on my TBR list.

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Thus was a great insight into President Obama and the way he interacted with the public. I think this was especially important and interesting in contrast to President Trump, now in office.

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Beautiful and heartbreaking - what an incredibly powerful book. I adored it. Easy to dip in and out of too, which I really loved.

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Anyone could think that a book of letters would be boring, but this is no ordinary book of letters. Here is a treasure-trove of emails, notes, and missives both long and short, which members of the American public wrote to President Obama between 2008-2017. Each one gives you a glimpse into what it means to be an American in today’s world, whether Democrat, Republican, or independent. There are letters from schoolchildren, patients, doctors, husbands, wives, veterans, and so many more. Each is a sample of the letters which President Obama read every day of his presidency, and each day President Obama would write a reply to ten of these letters.

This collection is a fascinating insight into the inner workings of both the White House and a president very much connected to his humanity. Between the samples are the experiences and stories of those who wrote to the president, the staffers who read the letters before passing them along, and Laskas herself as she brings these letters and the people behind them to the fore. We are given a glimpse into a president whose focus on the country and people he served is absolute; at times we feel his pain and frustration at policy decisions just as much as we feel his delight at some of the communication he received.

I found this to be a riveting and thought-provoking read; as far as the Western world has come, we could and can do better. It is just a shame that we seem to have stepped backwards from the days of Obama’s presidency now, but the resilience and courage that appears in these pages gives me hope for the future.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Bloomsbury, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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President Obama read a representative selection of 10 letters per day (out of the perhaps 40,000 received at the White House daily) and answered many of them by hand. Ordinary Americans shared their struggles with him: veterans, people with disabilities or diseases that limited their ability to work, college kids trying to pay their own way. Some told heartwarming stories of accomplishment against the odds; others admitted their desperation and made pleas for help; plenty expressed frustration with the administration or disapproval of specific policies. In these cases, Obama’s responses were courteous but to the point, politely disagreeing and setting the writers straight if they had misinterpreted his intentions.

The letter idea was down to Pete Rouse, one of Obama’s right-hand men. Rouse told Laskas, “My view has always been that the quality of the communication says something about how the elected official views his or her role in terms of serving the public, regardless of party affiliation or political philosophy.” Obama added, “Ten a day is what I figured I could do. It was a small gesture, I thought, at least to resist the bubble. It was a way for me to, every day, remember that what I was doing was not about me. It wasn’t about the Washington calculus. It wasn’t about the political scoreboard. It was about the people who were out there living their lives who were either looking for some help or angry about how I was screwing something up.”

I was interested enough to skim through the facsimile letters and read most of Obama’s replies, but not to read Laskas’s connective narrative. Mostly I kept thinking, what I wouldn’t give to have a president so intelligent, engaged and respectful again!

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The letters are the most interesting part of this book both in the side of America they show but we rarely hear about but also for the way Obama responds. This book really highlights the hope that he represented and also the disappointment and frustration that people felt when the politics got in the way of the changes.

Unfortunately, the bits in-between the letters are less engaging which is a shame as they have the making of an interesting back story in how the White House works but the quality of the writing made the story clunky and tricky to follow.

With thanks to Netgalley for a fee copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This book was such an interesting read. I was entirely unfamiliar with the whole concept of letters to the president, this book was such a good introduction to the types of letter people send and to the comprehensive approach Obama's administration took towards them. I really enjoyed learning about how the department that dealt with the letters had been formed as well as how it operated, and getting to read both letters and their responses, and to hear the stories behind some of the letters made for a fascinating book.

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Memorable, eye-opening collection of letters to President Obama. A piece of history to slowly savour.

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Unfortunately I couldn't get through this one. The letters themselves were emotional and heartfelt but all of that was ruined by Jeanne Marie Laskas' writing style in the chapters themselves. It felt unedited and sloppy, especially in contrast to the eloquence with which the letters were portrayed.

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An interesting collection of Obama’s “LADs” - the 10 letters a day selected by his staff for the purposes of fulfilling his commitment to corresponding with the citizens of the USA during his presidency. This was an insightful book and reading Obama’s responses to all types of letters (born from a range of emotions - happiness, anger, frustration, elation..) was riveting.

I would say that it was more a book to dip in and out of as the letters did tend to get a bit repetitive but otherwise it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

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This didn't disappoint. I love the Obamas and am reading Michelle Obama's book at the moment too. These letters just make me have even more respect for the pair of them. Just wow.

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I’ve read the Obamas’ autobiographies and been very impressed with both of them, and this book just added to that admiration.
I am sure that it would have been very easy for President Obama to stay within his own comfort bubble/echo chamber but this proof that he reached out and talked with dissenters as well as accepting the praise was wonderful to read.
Also what a job to have to pick the daily 10 letters/emails - this team had to be incredibly strong too.
Here’s hoping America returns to such magnanimous times again soon.

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I'm a huge fan of Obama and his family so jumped at the chance to get a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book collects some of the many thousands of letters written to Obama between 2008 and 2017 with added narrative around specific letters and the processes behind the mailroom itself. It focuses on the 10LADS (letters a day) selected by mailroom staff to be sent to Obama for review and a response. The team working behind the scenes to read, categorise and prioritise thousands of letters were clearly so dedicated to the task. And it's impressive that Obama always made time to read these ten selected letters (which where by no means always positive ones).

I really enjoyed this book and found it better suited to be dipped in and out of as it was slow going at times. My favourite part was reading the emails and letters sent in the aftermath of Trump's election victory and how the mailroom staff dealt with it. I do wish there had been more topical chapters similar to this - dealing with a specific important or controversial time during Obama's presidency and the reaction from the public. This would have added a bit more excitement and pacing to the book.

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I really enjoyed this, although I had to read it in smaller chunks because it made me quite emotional at times. This tells the story of the letter office in the Obama White House and gives you a window into the correspondence they received and how they dealt with it.

There are some incredibly sad stories in here - but there are optimistic ones too - and a little bit of the magic of the responses may be dulled by reading the book, but ultimately it’s a very good window into what made the 44th president tick and how he kept in touch with the people that he was serving.

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I felt this should have been a rather fascinating look at little known function of Obama's White House with a scattering of moving moments, as well as heart-wrenching real life stories. Instead, I couldn't help come away from this title with anything expect a profound sense of loss.

I do genuinely think others will take the book in the spirit that it was intended, and get far more out of it than I did. Perhaps it was poor timing on my part, either way To Obama is an excellent read.

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review. With thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury.

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This is a memorable book about a memorable man made all the more important by recent events. Barack Obama wasn't my president,  I don't live in America nor have I, unfortunately, ever visited there. In our global world, that makes little difference as far as this book, and many other things, are concerned.
Dear Obama is about the little people, the ones who make a nation, keep it safe, keep it working, and ready for the next generation and beyond. Some of them, whatever their age, race, gender, sexual persuasion, political affiliation, or vocation have two things in common; they needed to tell their story and they chose their president as the recipient.
It isn't, however, just about the letters or replies, even though that would have been a powerful enough read given the content; it is also about the authors of the letters, the staff who work in the department at the White House who received the letters or emails and the President himself.
The author worked in the Office of Presidential Correspondence or OPC as a volunteer to get a better understanding of what happens and it is clear on every page, other than those containing only the letters, or 'samples' themselves, that she was both surprised and deeply affected by what she found. It is also very apparent just how much importance President Obama treats these letters with as he is interviewed both whilst still in office  and after he has, regrettably, had to step aside.
The only thing I wondered, and without this book it would have never occurred to me, is whether Mrs Obama also received letters in this way. Nothing is said about this understandably given the private nature of the subject which only adds to the impact of those who graciously allowed their letters to be included in the first place.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and found it far more moving, engaging and compulsive than I thought I would. This isn't a book about politics or policies but those who are on the receiving end of the machinations on the new and old laws of the land. In my opinion it should be required reading for any current or prospective politician who wishes to sucessfully and efficiently serve their country.

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Because of the structure to this book, I lost interest very quickly in the content. It's designed for a certain kind of reader, perhaps most specifically an American one, and being European I felt out of the loop when it came to understanding some of the personal sentiments of this collection. It just wasn't for me, unfortunately, despite the obvious importance of this book and its reflection on the presidency of Barack Obama.

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This moved me deeply. Heart-warming, stirring letters to a President open to listening.

Whatever side of the political spectrum you happen to subscribe to, this account of Barack Obama's Office for Presidential Correspondence (OPC) is both worthy of acknowledgment and played a material role in an eight year presidency.

The author details her conversations with OPC staff as well as the letter writers themselves who wrote to Obama about his policies, world events, their lives. Even Obama is interviewed about the role the OPC played in his terms of office, his speeches and his policy decisions. From the youngest to the oldest, immigrants, prisoners, teachers, students, mothers, grieving partners, veterans, the sick, homosexual couples - every demographic is represented in this slice of Americana.

Each day, the OPC team read hundreds of letters, cutting them down to 10LADs, the 'ten letters a day' that represented the nation's mood, concerns and questions for the President, both positive and negative. Each evening they would be read and responded so, either by Obama himself or by his team, with notes from the Commander-in-Chief to guide them.

Letters from the American people to their President are included here and hit you hard, I'll warn you. I cried multiple times, both at the letters themselves and their responses. I found the technique of writing the chapters about certain letter writers in more detail were emotive, written in their words, clearly from interviews.

The story of the OPC from its inception as Obama's team take the reins through to the election of his successor is interspersed among the letters from his countrymen. I would never have guessed at the emotions that would run through me during a book of letters, and letters from citizens of another country to a leader not my own.

When I finished the book earlier today, I felt a deep respect for the team who read and categorised these missives, and to the man who couldn't "walk down a street and see what it normally looks like" so requested and stuck to his decision to read ten letters every day of his Presidency.

I had hoped to listen to an audio version of this. I did have issues a few times with the letters that weren't typed (including a few of Obama's handwritten notes) - the handwriting made some illegible at times and a second copy typed would have helped greatly. It was rare, but did happen that I couldn't read a letter due to indecipherable handwriting (others may not find this a problem).

"This whole thing was just supposed to be about the president getting ten letters a day, but it grew into something else; letters informed policy proposals and speeches , and they affected people personally." At the end of the book we are given short briefings on the lives of letter writers after they wrote to Obama. By this point, I couldn't recall individual names, but the Kindle version links back to their letters.

An important, uplifting read. I'm so glad this initiative is now documented and the public know the role their own lives and words played by a man who read more letters from his country than any other. I for one am inspired.

With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.

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This book is a series of letters that President Obama received from members of the American public during his time in office. He actively encouraged the public to write to him,
The contents of the letters are varied. I feel that the fact Obama encouraged the public to write to him just shows the kind of human being he actually is. He would on occasions meet these people. Showing empathy and having a genuine interest in them.
Thank you to both Netgalley and Bloomsbury Uk for giving me the opportunity to read ’To Obama with love joy, hate and despair ’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

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I’m unable to download the file, please help!

I’m unable to download the file, please help!

I’m unable to download the file, please help!

I’m unable to download the file, please help!

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