Sam Leith Sam Leith

Barack Obama was decidedly a man of action as well as words

Many of his triumphs, particularly the Affordable Care Act, were fought for with steely determination in the teeth of ferocious opposition

One of Obama’s tics is to describe himself, at some resonant moment, contemplating the scene and having a Deep Thought or a Meaningful Memory. Credit: Alamy
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  • A Promised Land

    Barack Obama

    Viking/Penguin, pp. 751, £35

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