Having read "The Audacity of Hope" and been incredibly inspired by it, I expected more of the same thoughtful discussion when I moved on to "Dreams From My Father." Was I ever surprised to discover an American Novel - with soaring descriptions, gifted human characterization, and appropriate suspense. Those who read this book hoping to get an inside look at a potential president will get what they paid for. Those just hoping to read a good story about the American experience will find what they want as well - even if they had never heard of Barack Obama (due to living on another planet, no doubt). As a white woman in the younger generation, with a less jaundiced view of race relations, I cringed early on at all the racial obsessions Barack entertained as a young man. Then I was grateful to get this inside look at what are true issues for my fellow citizens of color. (It's been a while since I read Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.) Once I understood that Obama was presenting his struggles with identity as an honest attempt to explain the complex issues that being interracial present, I relaxed and appreciated the candor. My only criticism, from a casual reader's perspective, is that the departures from narrative on his MULTIPLE soul-searching musings go on for pages and pages and toward the end of the book seem extensive. His editor should have just trimmed some of those for the sake of flow. The ease of reading isn't quite what it is in "Audacity," but obviously it is far and away above what most attorneys can produce in attempts at entertaining fiction.

Anyone who reads this story will be touched by the humanity and journey of a man who had a long way to go in any endeavor. His humility and determination along the journey is inspiring and touching. His path gives all American's the encouragement that the "American Dream" is still alive and possible to achieve.

I wish that every American could read this book! I was moved and impressed as I learned about who Barack Obama is. This book was written shortly after graduating from law school and before Obama entered politics. It highlights what an intelligent, perceptive, philosophical and principled person he is.

This is so much more than a simple bio. Obama's relections about the events of his life are poignant and insightful. I learned so much about the man as he recounted his real education (the one he got on the south side of Chicago) after Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard Law.

Obama's capacity to weave something handsome and strong from the disparate threads of his inheritance gives me hope that through his vision and leadership he can help our country appreciate and make good use of our diversity.

Obviously, I only bought and read the book, because Mr. Obama is in the race to become the next President.

The book is easy reading, the story he tells is interesting enough so you will not put the book away because you are bored. The father he searches for was a gifted man, who wasted his gifts, became an alcoholic and an abuse, yet is Mr. Obama's eyes, he had one redeeming quality - he was BLACK!

The book is full of racism! Not the "Red neck" kind of dumb racism, but a more sophisticated one - YET STILL RACISM!
After having read this book, it is easy to understand, why Mr. Obama had such a difficult time to separate himself from Reverend Wright - he simply believes the same racist agenda, Mr. Wright does!

Being a German national, the question of who to vote for does not arise, but I certainly feel, those Americans who contemplate voting for Mr. Obama should read this book.

Though I am not an American citizen and therefore I do not get a vote in the Nov election, I still find Obama an inspiring and interesting person.

As for the book, it's interesting but not that engaging. It should be noted that the book was written over ten years ago and is not about his recent public political success and more about a young black boy growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia being raised by a white mother and her white grandparents.

I found the real star of the book is Barack's mother. What an amazing woman. She put everything into raising him. At the beginning of the book, Barack writes, had he known his mother would not survive her cancer illness, he may have instead written a book about her (as a great parent) and not about the absent one.

The book is about growing up, making decisions and reconciliation - going back to Africa to meet his brothers, sisters and grandparents.

Growing up in Hawaii is the first part of the book. Going to university in California and New York is the second part of the book and the final part is Barack going home to meet his relatives. I find the latter half was better than the first half.

Reading the book, I found it astounding the level of detail he goes into describing each scene and what everyone said. I later learned that names of characters have been changed to protect their privacy and the story is an approximation of what happened. Barack is quite the storyteller.

I thought the book could have been edited a bit as it was long.

Interesting read as I didn't realize how strong he feels attached to his black roots. There is so much separation in every scene who is black who is white. I was surprised by that. Very strong lines drawn between blacks and whites in his opinions.

Overall, if you want to know about the man before age 25, and how he formed his views and values, I think you may find this book to be an interesting insight. It's not a page-turner but it does provide insight into the man and his thought processes.

The young Barack Obama, going to a school in Hawaii, flips through a library book in search of information about the Luo tribe of Africa from which his Grandfather and Father are descendants. His mind has entertained thoughts of his ancestor tribe as glorious kings, adorned in colorful traditional clothes. The book he is reading tells him that the Luo were a kind of nomadic farmers who wore a loincloth. He leaves the book open and walks out of the library.

This incident is one of many that nicely illustrate the power and ultimate disillusionment of generational myths and how we have to reconcile truths with our affections. The author conveys a restless, impatient nature and a palpable unease with his heritage and his place in American society.

This is not a book about a presidential candidate, it was written well before the author was seriously considering even his national Senate run.
Actually, Dreams of My Father more closely hews to the conventions of 1st generation fiction, than it does to autobiography or memoir. The author has a nice way with language, though at times he crosses to cliche and seems too enamored with the literary scenes he has constructed. In the introduction to my paperback edition, Obama admits that on the republication of the book, he was tempted to edit it down a bit.

The book is split into three main sections. First he lays out his "Origins," by talking about his parents and his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia. He segues into his time of becoming a young man of color in the United States.

In the second part, he tells of his days as an activist/organizer in Chicago. Working in one of the worst neighborhoods, Obama tries to accomplish little victories by gaining enough grass roots support from neighborhood residents for things like employment centers and increased policing.

In the final act, he visits Kenya to meet his African family and learn more about his Father and his Grandfather, and he finds, not to his or our surpise, that the stories are complicated and not always flattering. Polygamy, violence, debt, political uprisings and betrayals are all part of the fabric of his heritage.

The story could get there quicker, and, at key points, Obama would rather detach and look at a painful or heart wrenching event with a somewhat clinical or philosophical lens. I agree with other reviewers here that it is the type of book that you CAN put down. However, it does speak with with an authentic disaffected voice, one that you can hear a little in Obama's second book The Audacity of Hope, which is far less personal and more political.

Would be a better title from his polygamist alcoholic father who abanonded everyone in his family. Read closely and you will see the roots of the radical rage that we will all inherit from this corrupt loser...the father and the son...if he is ever elected. I dare you to delve into his past and believe he is a good man. Chicago anyone?

America is desperate for change. I fear how far the country will continue to spiral downward without it. Collectively, let us bless this man (and his family) with our thoughts, prayers and good intentions.

I just finished this book and it was one of the better books I have read recently. It was very easy to read. Obama was very candid and I was impressed at how open and real he was in this book.... I feel like I know Barack Obama better now.

I think anybody who is thinking about voting for this man needs to read this book. Obama comes across as an angry black man who is extremely prejudice against whites. I can't figure out how so many people like him, he is truly a racist and to see so, all you have to do is read this book!

Is this an autobiography? What is the point of this book? What about the majority of Obama's life and relationships? I see no real mention of his mother and maternal sister as he became a adult.

This is the book that introduced me to Barack Obama and made me a fan. You will understand Obama by reading this book and why his American experience is closer to today's America than other Presidential candidates.

A noble, dignified man, a great politician and a terrific writer! I did not want to put this book down. A wonderful insight into the makings of this man of refreshing character. Obama's story brings laughter, tears and wonder; it bridges ages, genders, races and creeds; it draws up memories of our own coming of age. I cannot wait to start on his second book!

Interesting perspective. I enjoyed reading this book while on vacation this summer. It gave me a lot of insight into what kind of person Barack Obama is and where he came from. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the man who will be our next president of the United States.

Very objective, almost arm's length narrative. While one wonders how any child can come through such a childhood unscathed, I missed his own emotional responses to the people and events in his life. In particular, I would have welcomed a sense of his mother's personality. While one got a reasonably good image of his maternal grandparents, the mother remained an enigma.
I read the book in the hope of learning more about Obama, the person, but came away with more questions than answers.

In terms of insight to the man, it is a rather disappointing memoir. Not to take anything away from him though, as he does appear to be the real deal in US politics, since JFK.

I expected the book to be a revelation as to how he developed his character and ideas. To understand the circumstances that had forged his personality. And I was let down. As it turns out the book is merely an account of his life-journey just before getting into Harvard. In the end, you get to see that his is an ordinary life, except maybe for the fact that he has an 'international' family background. Even that, does not explain the makings of the man.

So, if you're looking to understand what made Barack Obama into the phenom that he is today, this is not the book my friends.

Just when my faith in America was at an all-time low, along comes Barack Obama and his very human, extraordinary memoir, full of hope, suffering, loss, joy, redemption, and an abiding faith in God. This is an amazing life: born of a white, American mother and a Kenyan father, he embodies the world spirit at its best. If Obama becomes President, I just know that the whole world will praise America and rejoice. Just think about it for a moment. Fathers and mothers all around the globe will know that their grandchild can potentially grow up to become President of the United States of America. The respect and love America will receive shall eclipse anything She has ever known. It will know no bounds. People we never thought would love America will shed tears of joy. Obama is a Godsend. This memoir is quite explicit, describing even his drug use and loneliness. But it's refreshing to see such a forthright, honest account of a politician's life. Barack Obama made me fall in love with America all over again. God bless this wonderful Country! Finally, a politician I can believe in! I'm so excited for the Future. I had first read "The Audacity of Hope," which I enjoyed, but it already reads like somebody writing as a politician. I much prefer "Dreams from My Father" for its candidness. This is truly a man to remember. Here's to hope!

Update: After Barack's Berlin speech, a handful of pundits accused him of communism. But if I had caught the slightest whiff of communism in either of his books, I would not have written a positive review. Mr. Obama is out there repairing the damage to America's reputation, uniting the world behind us. Last time I checked, Bush's "coalition of the willing" had disintegrated. America has been given a golden opportunity in Barack, an opportunity that comes only once in a generation (if that). Either we leap ahead into the future and continue to lead, or remain stuck and mired in old prejudices. Which will it be?

Just when my faith in America was at an all-time low, along comes Barack Obama and his very human, extraordinary memoir, full of hope, suffering, loss, joy, redemption, and an abiding faith in God. This is an amazing life: born of a white, American mother and a Kenyan father, he embodies the world spirit at its best. If Obama becomes President, I just know that the whole world will praise America and rejoice. Just think about it for a moment. Fathers and mothers all around the globe will know that their grandchild can potentially grow up to become President of the United States of America. The respect and love America will receive shall eclipse anything She has ever known. It will know no bounds. People we never thought would love America will shed tears of joy. Obama is a Godsend. This memoir is quite explicit, describing even his drug use and loneliness. But it's refreshing to see such a forthright, honest account of a politician's life. Barack Obama made me fall in love with America all over again. God bless this wonderful Country! Finally, a politician I can believe in! I'm so excited for the Future. I had first read "The Audacity of Hope," which I enjoyed, but it already reads like somebody writing as a politician. I much prefer "Dreams from My Father" for its candidness. This is truly a man to remember. Here's to hope!

A great story, made all the more interesting by the political prominence that the author has achieved subsequent to its publication.

Barack Obama has a gift of writing. This is my second book from him. I liked this book because it was only speaking on how things were.As I've seen some people have had issues and called him a racist. If you really read the book then I would not know why you would call him that.They obviosly missed the point.
Because of his backround i believe that he can unite people within the states and he can also unite America with other countries again.GO OBAMA!

I will admit that I was among those Republicans early on who were intrigued, almost swept away, by Obama-mania. His oratory skills, his charisma, his down to earth style had me almost believing that he could join our two warring parties and make everything all right again. Knowing this, my husband nestled Barack's autobiography in with my valentines gifts last February. With great eagerness I began to read and at first I was totally absorbed. I loved Obama's writing style and his honest reflections. But as I turned the pages I began to find myself asking that old commercial question "Where's the beef?". It was an interesting story but, after I got well past the middle of the book I found that he was, in fact, just like thousands of successful social activists, idealistic, self-reflective and magnetic. But what else set him apart? The fact that he is bi-racial? Or that he did not know his father? That he was raised by his grandparents? No, these are common experiences for many Americans. Instead of revealing what kind of leader Obama would be, the book seemed a very long and winding story that never really found its point. I was let down, not by the style of the book (Obama does all his own writing and it is very good), but rather that, in the end, I knew so little of his political views on any subject of importance. On one level I can recommend this book as a well written, easy to read story of a young man finding his way. But if you are looking for guidance as to how to cast your vote, I suggest you skip this book and go on your knees.

This is truly an amzing story that provides much insight into the life of Barack Obama. It was hard to put down for even a moment. His life has been one incredible journey that has led him to where he is today. The details of his life and the impact on him help you better understand what drives him and has given him the strength to pursue his goals. Great read and a must for everyone.

First of all, it's hard for me to like somebody who doesn't like me (the gun wielding white bible thumper). So, I'll be as objective as I can stand it. Too his credit, Obama has made Jesse Jackson incredibly jealous. I just love that part. Jesse wishes he had the opportunity that Obama has. Jesse is a race baiter, and Obama has avoided that to a certain extent. To Jesse's credit, his son got a beer distributorship for harassing Busch beer. Obama tries to court the hispanic vote by telling Americans (he really means "white" Americans) to learn spanish. Although learning spanish would only benefit Americans and make them understand their own language better, nobody should push anything on anybody. Furthermore, considering the hatred hispanics have for whites in L.A., why should I care about their culture? I don't see hispanics demanding an end to anti-white discrimination. But why is it safe to hate white people but not safe to hate Hispanic people? Is it because white people have thicker skin? If so, it implies white people possess a quality of character lacking in juwes and minorities. That's the message he sends in his speeches. Obama clings heartily to his Harvard education, as is evident by his rhetoric herein and in his speeches. He uses words like "change" but doesn't clarify what "change" means: change for the better or worse? Obviously, he is deferring to Marx's concept of change just as Clinton did a la Carroll Quigley. This shows that Harvard made an impact on his thinking. For this reason, it shows that his thinking is dominated by ideas invented by leftwing juwes and white anglo liberals, neither of which reflects a black American achieving independence of thought. Obama is being marketed as a modern day Frederick Douglass or Booker T Washington. However, they possessed an eloquent writing style. Obama's writing style reduces to leftwing political cliche's and idealistic slogans that can be interpreted according to whatever political party one belongs to. This gives his book a feeling of being ghost written. For this reason, it reminds me of those weird books Pat Robertson (ghost)writes. With regard to his statements about white America, Obama has the tact of a porcupine and can only win votes from whites who have an appetite for self-loathing. Obama had a chance at the highest political office in the land, but has handicapped that opportunity by expressing his disdain for the white Americans. It looks like McCain is, unfortunately, our next president. Having read most of this book and listening to his speeches on television, it seems Obama is preoccupied with reclaiming Israel's dream of dominating American foreign policy in return for obtaining money from Israeli lobbies who will guarantee getting the highest job in the land. I hope the casting couch was worth it. Obama has succeeded in showing that prostitution crosses racial lines when it comes to politics. Speaking before Israeli lobbies, he showed his allegiance to Israeli interests by proving his disdain for white bible thumping Americans who pay taxes that end up in Israeli pockets to the tune of 6.7 million dollars a day.

So, who is this Barack Obama who is likely to become the next President of the United States? Dreams from My Father answers those questions in the words of Mr. Obama himself. By now, most people know that Barack Obama is a gifted speaker; but I doubt that many know his talent as writer and story teller. This book introduces us to the difficulties involved in growing up in a multiracial and multicultural environment and trying to fit in. Raised by his Caucasian mother and grandparents, his absentee father was a black African and his step father was Asian. Mr. Obama grew up in Hawaii and Kansas and Asia and traveled to Africa where he met his brothers and other relatives who stemmed from his interesting Grandfather and father. Like his father, he was academically gifted and graduated from Harvard.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in learning who Barack Obama is and where his thoughts and belief's originated from. Through this book I feel like I know Barack much better than I did before. He is a special and intelligent human being whose experiences are varied, unusual and interesting. I can hardly wait to read his other book the Audacity of Hope.

Read this book and you will learn much more about Barack Obama than what is reported in the news. It may change your vote.

I am torn about who to vote for in the upcoming election, so I wanted to educate myself as best as I can about the nominees. I've been impressed with Barack Obama's message, but I thought that reading his autobiography (especially one written before he went into office) would help me understand him better. Obama is the son of a Kenyan man who married an 18-year-old girl named Stanley in Hawaii. There have been many misconceptions about Obama and his family in the media and online, but reading this book dispelled them. He describes his life and upbringing with remarkable honesty, even about his foibles and mistakes. He has a knack for description and capturing a moment with almost Kodakesque clarity. While much has been made in the news about the influence on him of his father and mother (TIME Magazine devoted an entire cover story to her), I can't help but think that his white grandfather may have had a larger impact than acknowledged. Obama describes his grandfather's life as: single mother, hint of scandal, raised by grandparents, realizes he's not the fair-haired boy, that he appears more like a "wop". Substitute "wop" for any racial term for African-American, and you could be describing Obama. The book is compelling, not only to learn about the man who may become the first black President of the United States, but also as a story of self-discovery and the quest for purpose.

This book is a wonderfully written description of Barack Obama's life in his own words. It offers insight into the man who is now the democratic candidate for the president of the United States. It provides the chance to know Barack before he entered politics, as he was just returning to Chicago after finishing Harvard Law School, in a way that generally only old friends or family do. It is a must read for anyone who will be voting in this presidential election or is just looking for a great summer book to read.

And, unfortunately, he's not that interesting. If he weren't running for president, I would have chucked the book after Indonesia. Black, white, black, white...whine, whine...yawn.

This man has no acomplishments to justify anyone voting for him.

When I first heard the name Obama, I thought where did he come from, and I did not take him too seriously at first. I do not know if it is proper to mention politics here, but I am a staunch Democrat. Now, I have friends and relatives who are just as stauch Republicans, and that does not matter the least bit to me. I am just so thankful that we live in a country where we can vote according to the dictates of our own hearts and minds. Leaving that thought, I voted for Hillary in the primary and believed she would get the nomination. Well, the rest is history. After a few weeks, I soon realized with the coverage on the medica that Obama was not going away any time soon. Therefore, I went to Amazon to see what I could get to learn who he is. I bought this book and the Audacity of Hope from Amazon.
I was amazed at how well written and interesting this book is by such a young man. He is so diversified in various cultures, and has a deep understanding of human nature with regard to expressing themselves in these cultures.
He speaks of the difficulty of his youth with living in a white family while his grandfather taking him to the black bars for entertainment. He lives in Indonesia, and one gets an incite to the Asian customs which are quite different from us as Americans.
He later goes to Kenya and gives us detail into the people and customs of that land. The struggles that face his people whom he has not known. He only saw his father once when he was ten years old.
But the way he meets his siter Auma after they are both grown, and yet he connects with her is amazing.
It appears to me that he is trying to be truthful and candid about such important matters. He gives us an insight into the deep feelings of people who are affected by proverty and race. It would be unkind of me to say I understand those feelings because as a white American, I have not experienced them. However, I have great empathy for those who must endure this life. Yet, I am seeing that today we have many white people who are living in the area of poverty and uneducated. I am now old and see a trend that I do not like.
Obama chose willingly to serve in the Chicago area where he could see firsthand the poverty and see if he could make change. He did. He was persevering, tolerant, patient, a man on a mission to accomplish, and he did with much success.
He has the leadership skills to lead our great country. He has a charismatic way, his speeches inspire and uplift. I think he is the most highly intelligent and educated person to be in the office of President since President Kennedy. President Kennedy came on the scene to give hope to the young and old with his speeches challenging the people to do something. President Kennedy was opposed by many evangelicals because he was Catholic, we have never had a Catholic in office before; however, the bias did not prevail.
This race is a challenge we in America like to pride ourselves in the fact of being equal for all and past the racial crisis. However, I think we are seeing that America is in denial on this issue, and now many are having to deal with this issue head-on.
Yes, this book answered my question as to who is he. I will be voting for him, and after reading this book, it is with great confidence I do so. I have not begun the Audacity of Hope yet but am looking forward to it if it is written with the same honesty and thought.
I highly recommend.

I would not have had any intention of reading this book or any by Barack Obama as I viewed him with both distaste and a bit of fear feeding into the slanderous campaign being run against him and being a die-hard Republican. So why did I read this book? Well my boss has his Kindle on a business trip and knowing I wanted a Kindle he lent me his to read one night. He had this book in his Kindle, so out of curiousity I started to read it. I can honestly say I was blown away and determined to read the rest of the book. I wanted to know more.

I finally purchased my Kindle(love it)and as soon as it came yesterday I ordered this book first and have been reading it since. My opinion has pretty much reversed on what I thought about this man, and I can say I am impressed and want to know more. I am not quite done with the book but decided to write this as a possible encouragement to someone who like me thinks ill of this man. Am I a total convert, not yet, but I will now listen more closely as to what he is saying and think long and hard about what to do in November. And those e-mails that were pure poison, I'll just delete them unread and make my own decision.

As the most progressive of our generation evolve toward a global race, Obama's search for his place in the world is a journey that many who sometimes feel caught between worlds can relate to. With the influence of multiple nationalities, lifestyles and mentalities, Barack explores social norms and mores across continents and cultures.

Working hard to make changes within a tight system of non-action in Chicago, the first few chapters of the book conjured a whole new world for me. To read about the condition of particular neighborhoods, the lack of infrastructure and the slow demise of neglected communities there was very interesting.

However, it's the last few chapters of the book in particular that resonated with me - as Barack travels to Kenya for the first time in search of his father. Here, we circle back to an idea that I like; We don't know where we are going unless we know where we come from. By tracing through the family tree, as close as possible to his origins, Baracks unveils the history he needs to propel him in to the future.

The revelation of his father's identity through the landscape and an array of good and bad narratives doesn't answer all his questions but it definitely intertwines him into the fabric of his past and with a present day community that is a part of his heritage. Trekking through the shanty towns in the outskirts of Nairobi, exposing himself to the harsh realities of lineage and strangely accepted customs, he tunes in to his surroundings and, as the story unfolds, there is a noticeable difference between the first few chapters of dissaray and the last ones of belonging. Some of the longing is satisfied.

Obama strives to complete that core circle of self-discovery, of race and inheritance, before he can move on to the outer rings of law and politics. In a world where families are rarely perfect, poverty pervades and we sometimes learn who we want to be by avoiding repeating other's mistakes, Obama makes himself kindly vulnerable in sharing the truths of his foundation and perhaps even the source of his strength.

In his new endeavours, whether he wants to carry the baton righteously forward or make amends for a path gone wrong, Barack Obama definitely carries the torch of a new era.

Sure, read it.

As the most progressive of our generation evolve toward a global race, Obama's depiction of searching for his place in the world is something that many who are susceptible to feeling stuck in the middle can relate to. With the influence of multiple nationalities, lifestyles and mentalities, Barack, as a side effect of his circumstances, explores the world of social norms and mores across continents and cultures.

The chapters in Chicago where he offers his organizing services and works hard to make changes within a tight system of non-action were new to me but it's the last few chapters in particular that resonate with me - as he travels to Kenya in search of an understanding of his deceased father.

We circle back to the idea that we don't know where we are going unless we know where we come from. By tracing through the family tree, as close as possible to his origins, I believe he finds the history he needs to inspire him forward. The revelation of his father's identity through the landscape and an array of good and bad narratives doesn't quite answer all his questions but it does intertwine him into the fabric of his past and a present day community that is a part of his heritage. Trekking through the shanty towns in the outskirts of the city, exposing himself to the harsh realities of lineage, he seems to get in tune with himself and, as the journey unfolds, there is a noticeable difference between the first few chapters and the last.

In Dreams From My Father, Obama strives to complete that core circle of self-discovery, of "Race and Inheritance" before he can move on to the outer rings of law and politics. He makes himself vulnerable by sharing the truths of his foundation in a world where families are rarely perfect, poverty pervades and we sometimes learn who we want to be by witnessing other's mistakes and through the process of elimination.

Whether he wants to carry the baton righteously forward or make amends for a path gone wrong, Barack Obama definitely carries the torch of a new era.

Sure, read it.

Politically me and Senator Obama are pretty closely aligned for the exception of Sen. Obama being a litle warmer to the idea of government sponsored solutions to our nation's most pressing problems. In this book you see that way of thinking exposed at key moments. Take for instance when he is helping some folks with housing, in which he fails to call out that government sponsored housing has been one of the most socially disastrous actions ever undertaken. His stories are still profoundly moving and show how they shape the man that we see today. It is a must read if you are planning on voting! It quickly and strongly explains some of the nonsense that conservatives will cling on to in order to undermine him.

Was educational as to Barack's life. Just started another one of his books, "The Audacity of Hope".

Barack Obama's autobiography or "coming of age" memoir of his childhood and young adulthood is a wonderful read--engrossing, inspiring--it reads like a novel in its intensity. The influences on the maturing of this young black/white man seem to make him a man of the future: one of multi-ethnicity, multicultures, at home all over the world with all nationalities of people as well as people in every economic and social group, knowing Christian and non-Christian religions, fluent in several languages and from all this, developing a gift for communication, inspiration and leadership. His strong values of honesty and compassion derive from direct experience while young and role modeling of strong elders. This is a book that people can enjoy, regardless of political affiliations and Obama comes across as a man people can't help but admire for strength, commitment, perception and the one characteristic of all humans--"hope."

...which I read before anyone began to take Obama's chances of being nominated for president seriously. Still, it had the tenor of a campaign biography -- careful, modest, strategic, and yes, evasive at times. The most any campaign biography ever provides is a sense of the subject's priorities; in other words, you won't find many clues to Obama's specific positions on world issues in the account of his childhood. You will, however, get a feeling of the man, and you will discover an American who has far wider experience of other cultures, and far greater optimism about a multi-cultural society, than any other politician on the scene. Those who proclaim that Obama lacks "experience" in foreign policy are dead wrong; the best foundation for foreign policy is a knowledge of the rest of the world.

I'm reviewing this book today because I found a story in the morning newspaper, telling how young Obama supporters on the internet are adding his middle name, Hussein, to their tags and even to the real names. Hey, I'm a young supporter at heart! Henceforth, call me Giordano Hussein Bruno!

This is a well-written and inspiring non-political account of an American's life like no other. We can be a better people.

This book is not a memoir or even Memoirs. It is a novel, a non-fictional true novel because life is a novel and even at times poetry, and Barack Obama is an absolutely perfect writer who captures the living texture of this life with gusto, taste and style. The book of course is a chase and search for the author's father by the author himself as far as far can be, including in the green hills of Africa. But it is also a lot more. It is the discovery of family roots growing in two different soils, continents or even universes. But Barack Obama is not psychotic nor schizophrenic, so he tells us the story of how he brought unity to himself without in any way negating the dual carriage way of his personality. He shows and even demonstrates how one cannot be anything in life if one does not build that personal unity from the patchwork of their lives. Some of his brothers, or sisters, or parents succeed with various methods. Some others fail or at least linger in unsuccessful attempts. Now, that is only the first element of the book that makes it an autobiography of sort. It is though and yet a lot more and I am going to give only a few examples. I like his "Home Squared" or even Home Power Three or Home Tripled, or whatever. I will insist on the power element because this approach of home gives power to the subject. This power comes from the ability of the subject to join the immediate home environment in which he or she lives to the original family home from which he or she comes, that is to say the parents' home that is in Obama's case double since he knew his father at first as coming from Kenya seen as his home and he discovers that he came from what this father called his Home Squared, that is to say the home base of his father's father. Obama's conception of a human being seems to be such a piled up pyramid made of many tiers, strata, layers, one on top of the other in the present, one deeper than the other into the past, and what about the future that gets its inspiration from this heap of potentials and possible realizations of one's dreams. This leads to a remark on authenticity that cannot be attached to one personal parameter connected to the outside world, including African-ness. Authenticity is attached to the contradictory unified patchwork that makes us what we are inside. I think Obama could easily reach beyond and add "at any discrete moment of one's life", no two moments even in close temporal succession being ever the same. We are ever changing and yet always the same, because we are what we see or even dream ourselves. The last point I will make is about his dynamic vision of the law. He knows the law can be seen as reflecting narrow-minded interests and greed. But he also knows that the law is a human creation that comes from the conversation between and among various individuals and circumstances reflecting the complex conflictive context of humanity at any moment in its history, a conversation that is aiming at creating balance and equilibrium even if in many cases it is biased and severely one-sided. But his phrase "a nation arguing with its conscience" is beautiful and worth sitting in any sacred corpus of canonical texts, including Goethe's Faust Second Part. It is, and should always be, a canon of American culture because we hold such truths to be self evident.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

A revelation of the struggles of blacks in general to find a place where the color of a person's skin makes no difference whatever in the way he is treated by the over all population no matter where he might be. Extremely well written.

I picked this book up because Obama most likely will be our next President. It seemed strange that this might happen and I had not yet read what was said to be his well received memoir. The book was published 13 years ago by someone whom Im sure never expected he would be a candidate for President. What politician with those ambitions would reveal so much about him self in a memoir? I wondered as I read along what my reaction might have been if I had picked this up in 1995. In presenting a review of the book one has a hard time separating Politian Obama from writer Obama. Obama is a good writer and he does a fairly good job of letting the reader into his thoughts and conflicts as he tries to search for an identify through his black father (and his extended family during visits to Kenya). Most of the book is a coming of age perspective on how Obama was raised by his white mother and grandparents in tolerant multi racial Hawaii and his search for his identity as a tolerant black man. You sense that Obama is observant of others, their views, cultures and belief systems. He seems interested in how various people establish their own value judgments. He makes observations much like a novelist and at one point I felt Obamas book read a bit like a Paul Theroux travel book without the sarcasm (Black Star Safari I think my recommendation of the book is contingent upon what you as a reader and voter want to know about Obamas background. What Obama offers up is more than you will get from any other politician. I doubt, however, that I would have finished the book if I had tried to read it in 1995. Although interesting, the narrative is not very compelling unless you read it through the prism of current events. (My three star review is based on reading this without the prism of current events.)

Quotes from this book. Talented? Eloquent? Complex? Inspiring? Come on people wake up before it is too late.

'I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.'
'I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race.'
'There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.'
'I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself , the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.'

Don't let other people tell you what's in Obama's autobiography. Just read it yourself. You may be surprised.

Whether you agree with him or not, Barack Obama is worth getting to know. You may find, as I did, Obama is thoughtful, self-critical, and honest about his personal journey, which has not been an easy one. Not only that, he's a heck of a writer.

Instead of relying on other people's opinions (including mine) via e-mails and blogs, think for yourself, and read the book. Get it from the library if you don't want to buy it.

Anyone interested in knowing more about a person that may be our next president would benefit from reading his own written material. I do not think he is qualified to be president but I wanted to know the facts and skip the rumors.

Im am scratching my head over this book and wonder what Obama is trying to proove here?

This book is written about:
the ability to recognize,
the butterfly at a caterpillar,
the bald eagle at an egg,
the Saint in a selfish person.

It's seldom longbreathed.
It's love, hope-up and trust in one.
It's the american dream for down-to-earth people.

This is a wonderful, detailed, and heartfelt trek through the life of Barack, including memories of his grandparents, his step-father, and mostly his beloved mom. He also explores repeatedly the impact of an absent father - something I have experienced first-hand and with startling intensity in my own daughter and my step children. He is a gifted writer, and listening to the audio edition (read by Barack himself) adds a stunningly personal dimension to the book. I read "The Audacity of Hope" first, and I wish I had read it second. This is a man with true depth of character. I love it! I love him! BARACK FOR PRESIDENT!

I have followed Obama's career since the keynote speech in 2004 when my mother and I spoke, almost in unison, saying that 'this wonderful man will be our first African American president'. Soon after followed the purchase and reading of all his books. Dreams From My Father, I re-read rather often. If Obama doesn't make it to the White House (And I pray he will) he has an easy option for an alternative career as an author. "Dreams From My Father is a masterful book, poetic in nature and detailing an incredible array of gifted and very special relatives that figured into Barack's life and DNA. Even if you aren't an Obama zealot as I am, you will love the rich detail of an extraordinary life beautifully written and well crafted. This book is worth several reads.

"Dreams from my Father" is a well-written and interesting memoir by the emotionally disturbed neurotic who just captured the Democratic nomination for president. Mr. Obama- whose therapeutic efforts at dealing with abandonment, self-esteem and identity issues involve writing books, running for public office and generally sticking it to Whitey- here reveals the detailed roots of his very obvious mental problems. Despite being debunked as self-serving fiction by the very people populating this narrative, this book nevertheless serves a valuable function as insight into Obama's imaginary personal mythology. What's important here isn't the literal truth of the events described but what this inventive tale that Obama has woven about himself actually tells us about the man. And what that story tells us about the Man Who Would Be King is that this country is on the verge of enthroning a delusional Black nationalist fanatic with a Messiah complex and daddy issues. Just as the world had no excuse for being unaware of Hitler's ambitions, since he had detailed them quite openly in "Mein Kampf", we are unable to plead ignorance of the fact that Obama should be in a psychiatrist's office, not the Oval Office. Don't say you haven't been warned, America.

As I mentioned, this is a well-written book with an engaging story. I find it hard to believe that it wasn't written without the help of a ghost-writer, since it seems to employ way too many slick novelistic tricks for a young, first-time author to have mastered, but since no attribution is given we'll have to give the devil his due. Obama is a sympathetic protagonist; one can well understand his anger and obsession with a horndog father who abandoned him. We feel his confusion and pain growing up without a clear racial identity. And we can see his frustration with a irresponsible mother whose sole purpose in life seems to have been to chase after dark-skinned men, whatever the consequences for her children. I think we can understand why Obama was driven to become a drug-abusing, emotionally fragile, half-crazed, Black nationalist SOB. The only problem is that he doesn't seem to have gotten over his problems at the time of this book's writing, and I am unaware that he has overcome them now that he's running for president.

Despite the fact that it was his mother and grandparents who raised him, Obama displays little love or sympathy towards them. Instead, throughout the book, Obama's attitude towards his White family (the only one he knew) seems to be one of dismissive scorn. He constantly cuts down his grandparents and derides them as clueless buffoons, i.e. the "typical White" people of recent political controversy. His mother he reduces to nothing more than a silly liberal girl with a bad case of jungle fever, which was probably true, but it's still a good example of the man's egotistical callousness that he could trash his own mother like that, especially when she did a darn sight more for him than the rutting dog who sired him. What's funny is that other accounts describe his relationship with his mother and grandparents as warm and close. Perhaps he threw them under the bus here to gain a little "street cred" in the Black community. Towards White people in general he has nothing but contempt. From around the age of 12 he began to identify himself as Black and see the world through a Black nationalist lens. One example of his madness is his admission that the presence of a White Santa Claus in a Sears catalogue drove him to rage. We are given no indication that his views have ever changed, especially since he attended a racist Black church up until a few weeks ago and only disavowed its pastor under political pressure. Far from being the post-racial candidate that idiotic college students see him as, Obama is utterly obsessed with the issue of race and the advancement of the people he sees as his own. However, Black people should take cold comfort in his racial and political loyalty; in an unending series of internal monologues redolent of JD from "Scrubs", Obama critically analyzes the character and motivation of everyone he comes across and almost invariably finds them- Black and White- pitiable in comparison to his Royal Superciliousness. Barack Obama is the Black Holden Caulfield- he's the only pure and righteous teenager in a world full of phonies.

Obama's famous trip to Kenya may have given him the satisfaction of knowing (half) his roots, but we have no evidence that it quieted the demons that disturb him. Even at the end of the book, Obama admits that he longs for "a time before Babel" when, presumably, there are no races, nations, or bad people, where cupcakes are plentiful and he can have his daddy back. Such sentiments are fine for poets and small children, but the man with his finger on the button needs to have his feet on the ground. Get over it already! Barack Obama reveals himself here to be an angry and arrogant 34 year old man who sees White people as the enemy, who is still pining over an absent daddy, and whose childhood scars seem to have left him with a juvenile desire to live in a fantasy world unrelated to realistic possibilities. Has he really changed that much in the intervening years? I'm not carrying water for McCain- I think they're both certifiable. As a wise man once said- "If Obama and McCain are the answer, then it must have been a pretty stupid question."

This is a novel based on the author himself. Interesting, but deceptive, of course..Not a pure auto-biography. A display of conceit..

Although the title says the book is about race, after reading it, I don't agree. The issues of race are there, because after all, he is bi-racial, but that is not what the book is about.

Any young man who never really got to know his father starts out with a disadvantage in the "search for who I am" department. His search was complicated by distance, culture, racism, family dynamics on an island, two continents and an archipelago, polygamy and more. It's no wonder that he came to a place where he just had to figure it out.

The book is divided into roughly three parts. The first covers his childhood growing up in Hawaii, Indonesia, back to Hawaii and school, the second encompasses his time as a organizer in Chicago, and the third is his first trip to Kenya where he met his father's family and learned his father's story from them.

This man may very well be our next president. It is not only a good read, but it will let you know just who he is. For that reason, I encourage everyone to buy it.

Even though it is related to very personal feelings of the author and reflections on his family and personal development, it has a great speed. It will instantly capture you!