Good morning, and welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter.
“My interest in books probably explains why I not only survived high school but arrived at Occidental College in 1979 with a thin but passable knowledge of political issues and a series of half-baked opinions that I’d toss out during late-night bull sessions in the dorm.”
This humble and self-effacing personal assessment comes from
Barack Obama in an excerpt from “A Promised Land,” the 44th president’s bestselling memoir. The book charts his improbable journey to the White House, including a pivotal time at L.A.’s Occidental College that spurred his interest in politics and the civil rights movement.