Barack Obama memoir to be released in November

Former President Barack Obama will release the first volume of his memoir Nov. 17, two weeks after Election Day.

The 768-page book, “A Promised Land” will cover the 44th president’s historic rise to the White House and first term in office.

“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,” Obama said in a statement Thursday.

The book will also touch on the relationships within the Obama family.

“In the book, I’ve also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows,” Obama said.

Obama hopes the book will inspire its readers.

“And finally, at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval, the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody — a task that won’t depend on any single president, but on all of us as engaged citizens,” he said.

The Obamas struck a $65 million deal in 2017 to publish their memoirs with Crown, a part of Penguin Random House. It is one of the most anticipated presidential memoirs and publishers plan a first printing of more than 3 million copies, The New York Times reported. The book will be printed in 25 languages for dissemination across the globe.

Michelle Obama’s 2019 memoir “Becoming” sold more than 8.1 million copies, according to The Times. She also won a Grammy Award for the audiobook version.

The book’s release in the fall is when many of the biggest books of the year are released. It also coincides with what could still be an undecided election. The release after the election is also planned so Obama can help campaign for his former vice president Joe Biden, the Times reported.

It has taken longer than the memoirs of other recent presidents to complete. Obama started writing the book shortly after leaving office and recently finished it over the summer during a stay at Martha’s Vineyard. Former President George W. Bush’s “Decision Points” was released two years after he left office.

Barack Obama’s 1995 memoir “Dreams From My Father” covered his early life growing up in Hawaii and Chicago through his start at law school. He wrote the book while he was a law professor. It has sold more than 3.3 million copies. His 2006 book “The Audacity of Hope” has sold 4.2 million copies. Obama won a Grammy Award for the audiobook versions of both of those books. He plans to produce an audiobook version of “The Promised Land” as well.

The decision to create two volumes came as Obama was drafting the book.

“As his writing progressed and the scope of the memoirs continued to grow, he ultimately decided to write two volumes,” publisher David Drake said.

The publication date for the second volume has not been determined.

“There’s no feeling like finishing a book, and I’m proud of this one,” Obama said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group