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Barack Obama continues reading from the first volume of his presidential memoirs A Promised Land, which offers a unique and deeply personal account of his first term at the White House.

In today’s episode, Obama is approaching the mid-term elections and must confront the fact that his popularity is draining away and the limitations of his presidential power are becoming all too apparent. The polls show that he has not transformed peoples’ lives in the way voters had hoped and now he must pay the price. He’s back on the campaign trail until Colonel Gaddafi orders his security forces to fire into a crowd of civilians. As the situation escalates Obama must make a very difficult decision, but a visit to see the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro with Michelle and the girls reassures him that all is not lost.

Elected in 2008, Obama became the 44th president of the United States and the first African American to sit in the Oval Office. This book documents the unrelenting demands of high office, and reveals intriguing glimpses of family life at one of the world's most famous addresses.

Abridged by Katrin Williams.
Produced by Julian Wilkinson; the editor is Di Speirs.