I Wonder...#1

The book opens up with Obama talking about his past; mostly about his father, Barack Obama Sr. Within the first few pages, Obama talks of when he was about 19 years old and living on his own when he gets a call from his Aunt in Africa, saying that his father had been killed. Obama never really knew his dad - he had just heard stories from his grandparents and his mother. From what Obama had heard, his father was born in Africa and was raised there until he was selected to go to college in America through a scholarship. That's where he met ' and the two were married and had Obama, but when Obama was just two years old, Barack Sr. moved across the country to get his Ph.D at Harvard after winning yet another scholarship. The mother and Obama were left back in Hawaii, never to see the father again. It's one of those noble stories where the father is made to look like a noble man so that a child would not know if that were really the case or not. Obama opened up with the tale of his father and how his relationship (or lack thereof) effects him because that is where his story starts - a little boy raised by his mother and grandparents, moving all across the United States just to have a chance at a good life after being left behind by a father who just wants a better life for himself (Plus, it IS the title - Dreams For My Father). The tale of his father sheds a little light on the kind of life Obama had as a young child, and I think it is a strong opening. While it might not be obvious to all readers, it still makes sense and I am excited to see where Obama goes with his story next.