Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
I binge listened to this book in 2 days.
His story captivated me.
Here is a summary:
“In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father’s life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.”
This book was published in 1995…long before the author was President and long before he was a Senator.
After Troy and I listened to “Audacity of Hope” I immediately put this book on my library hold list. (you can read my review of that book here: https://brainglitterwithdani.com/the-audacity-of-hope/ )
The way Barack Obama writes is beautiful yet informative, vulnerable yet straightforward.
This book is a completely different kind of book than the other one of his I have read.
This book is his story of finding his identity as a biracial man…of discovering his familial roots as an adult and what his ancestry means to him.
To hear his struggles,joy, heartbreak and peace as he learned and processed so much about his own racial identity and about each of his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins history was emotionally moving and quite educational for me.
I appreciate and value his openness and willingness to share so much that is quite private and personal.
I definitely recommend this book…it is not a long read (or listen) but will stay with you long after you are done.
**If you want to hear my thoughts on Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming”, click here: https://brainglitterwithdani.com/becoming/