Dreams from My Father

“’…They’re just so happy to see you there that they won’t tell you the truth. The real price of admission.’

‘And what is that?’

‘Leaving your race at the door.’”

Born in Hawaii, Barack Obama’s father is black and his mother is white. His father was from Kenya; he studied abroad at the University of Hawaii, where he met Barack’s mother. She was raised in Kansas. They lived during the time when a white person marrying a person of color wasn’t popular. His parents were only married a few years before their marriage ended; his father left for Harvard and his mother stayed in Hawaii to raise Barack.

In his memoir, Barack goes back to that time when he was that black kid, first in Hawaii, then in Indonesia, then in Hawaii again. Born in the 60’s, he was raised in the peak of racism. He lived through Martin Luther King Jr., and through all the after effects of the black movement. He tells his readers of a different world, one where being half and half was definitely not easy.

Though racism was very real, most of the conflict is inside. Barack fights with himself; mostly in wanting better but feeling condemned to black neighborhoods and “black” life. The internal struggle is inescapable; I had a strong desire to somehow help him. He also describes his emotional journey; to Chicago to become a community organizer, to Kenya to finally figure out who he is.

While reading this book, I felt enlightened. Though I’ve heard a lot about racism in school and in the news, I have never really looked into it, or heard what a black person had to say. I have thought about race many times before, and why it’s always such a big deal. I almost understood in a way that no matter how we try, humans separate each other by color. We continue to undo the past and correct our wrongs, but things somehow stay the same. Sometimes, however, racism is not only how others judge others but how others judge themselves.

Barack Obama really lets his readers in with this memoir; they see a side of him that they will never see in his political campaign ads or big speeches. As I was reading, I felt like I was getting to know an old friend all over again, except this time I was seeing him for who he was instead of who I thought he was. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is planning on voting for Barack Obama for president, or wants to know more about the candidates for the 2008 Election. Also, for people who appreciate good writing and a deeper outlook on life.

Dreams from My Father Crown, 1995, 442 pp., $25.95

Barack Obama ISBN 978-0-307-38341-9

Created by: Rachel Tan, October 31, 2007

Back to Topic Index

Back to Memorial Home Page

Back to Biography

Back to Election of 2008