Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Barack Obama is just sprouting his wings as a U.S. Senator from Illinois. And with this guy's talent for writing and speaking, as far as I'm concerned, he's probably the shiniest up-and-coming bright star for the Democrat party yet. But Obama need not worry if he chooses to walk away from a political career anytime in the near future, because he's a lawyer. The guy is sharp as a razor, and probably one of the best writers of non-fiction that I've had the pleasure to read, if not the best. Obama took a true story and wrote like it was fiction. Now that takes talent in my book. So if nothing else, he could set his mind to just writing books and make a pretty good living. If he remains on the political scene for very long, no doubt he'll have some great writing material. Unfortunately, I missed Obama's keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Too bad, too, because after reading his speech at the end of this book, I'd have enjoyed hearing every word of it, I'm sure. The guy is a gifted speaker, has a way with words that's his very own style, and appears to care deeply for his people. Let's hope, as he's said and written, that his deep concern for helping others can, and will, extend to all races...as it should.The reviews that have already been written about Obama's book pretty well explain its content, except for the negative reviews which were only a few. And after reading some of those negative reviews, makes one think they were written by some neo-cons that view Obama as a threat to the present reigning political party. And with good cause, because Obama will go as far as his heart desires no matter what his future endeavors might be.I'm for Barack Obama whether he's writing a book, practicing law, or running for President of the United States.

Favorite book I’ve read this year! Obama is a great story teller and I look forward to reading more of his books.

Yes, I was able to peek into Kenya's complicated history, but even more importantly, into the soul of the greatest President of all time. The complex family and equally dense culture, along with Barry's reactions, questions, and conclusions, help me to understand what makes this man great.

Very interesting. The book is broken up into three parts. The first part deals with Barack Obama's childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia. His life is normal except for the part about his missing father. His grandparents are down to earth people who are there for him in his childhood. His mother is a free spirit which makes her leave Hawaii and live in Indonesia with her new husband. Obama's life in both Hawaii and Indonesia is not exactly idyllic. I liked how even though he has idealized his father when all is said and done he acknowledges who really raised and reared him. The second a part of the book takes place in Chicago. Here Obama is a community activist trying to make thing better. It is so sad how easy it is to get demoralized and I loved that Obama did not try to paint a better picture of his years living in Chicago. When Obama gets accepted to Harvard, he decides to finally visit the land of his father Kenya. This section of the book was fascinating. Again, Obama does not try to paint a picture of a perfect land but you can feel that love of Obama for Kenya.

Already an admirer, my respect for Barack Obama grew immensely while reading this book. Not only is he a skilled and gifted writer, he’s also a storyteller with a mind for details and flair for engaging the reader. His descriptions of an African dawn: “To the east, the sky lightens above a black grove of trees, deep blue, then orange, hen creamy yellow. The clouds lose their purple tint slowly, then dissipate, leaving behind a single star. As we pull out of camp, we see a caravan of giraffe, their long necks at a common slant, seemingly black before the rising red sun, strange marking against an ancient sky.”It’s a book about race, yes, but it’s also about family, inheritance, culture, background and how those factors (and more) combine to make us who we are. While most people know Obama’s father was Kenyan and his mother an American from Kansas, most don’t know that much about how they met and later parted ways, his Indonesian stepfather, his white grandparents, Toot and Gramps, with whom he lived in Hawaii during his youth….I’m no biographer, but I do know that Obama’s life was much more complicated than mine.“How?” ran like a thread through each chapter I read. How does a person develop the strength, capacity, confidence, and character to serve as the President of the United States? It’s an office available to only one person at a time and one that had never been open to a person of color. Learning about his experiences with his family of orientation, especially his grandparents, his time in Indonesia, his college years, the devoted years as a community organizer, and his time spent in Kenya becoming acquainted with brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and a grandparent added some answers to pieces to the puzzle.What the book did was remind me once again of how many ways there are to live, love, and serve as we navigate our ways through life. There are no shortcuts to excellence.