Former President Obama Joins L.A. Times Community Book Club to Discuss “A Promised Land” on April 21

Former President of the United States Barack Obama Joins the Los Angeles Times Community Book Club to Discuss His Bestselling Book “A Promised Land” with Filmmaker Ava DuVernay on April 21.

On Wed., April 21, the Los Angeles Times will present a special edition of its community book club with former President Barack Obama in conversation with filmmaker Ava DuVernay.

In the first volume of his bestselling presidential memoirs “A Promised Land” (published by Crown), Obama takes readers inside his improbable journey from young man searching for his identity, to his political awakening as a freshman at Occidental College, to finding his way as a community organizer and young senator from Chicago, to the day-to-day grind of his grassroots campaign to become the nation’s first Black president.

Obama will discuss his memoir with DuVernay, a Los Angeles writer, director, producer and film distributor who directed the Oscar-winning civil rights drama “Selma,” the social justice documentary “13^th” and the Disney adventure “A Wrinkle in Time.” In 2019, she created, wrote, produced and directed the Emmy Award-winning limited series “When They See Us.”

• When: Wed., April 21 at 7 p.m. PT
  
• Where: This free virtual community book club event will stream on the Los Angeles Times’ Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter profile. Register to receive an email with the video links on the day of the event.
  
• Booksellers: Copies of “A Promised Land” are available for purchase at these local booksellers: Book Soup; Chevalier’s; Diesel, A Bookstore; Eso Won Books; {Pages: a bookstore}; Skylight Books; Small World Books; and Vroman’s Bookstore.

In his L.A. Times review, White House Reporter Eli Stokols described the book as a fast-moving narrative that “puts the reader in the room at defining moments…Obama draws a textured portrait of himself as a rookie executive — seeking counsel from aides, sneaking cigarettes on the Truman Balcony, frustrated by the constraints on his ambitious agenda but undaunted in pursuing it, even at a steep political cost.”

The L.A. Times Book Club hosts community events with world-class authors and newsmakers each month. The book club began in 2019 to build on the annual Festival of Books and keep the storytelling and conversations going year-round. Since the pandemic, The Times pivoted to virtual events that have allowed guest authors and more readers than ever to connect from home. Sign up for the book club newsletter for the latest events and news.