Dreams from My Father (Adapted for Young Adults): A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Published by Delacorte Press on October 5, 2021
ISBN: 0385738722
Pages: 320
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
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Dreams From My Father

 

Barack Obama has adapted his biography, first published in 1995, for Young Adults.  In it he explores his roots, especially his meeting with his many relatives in Kenya.  These were at the core of his personality and were a major influence for his future endeavors.  There are a number of photographs included, which add to the appeal.  Adding this information, one can see how complex Barack Obama’s life was, and the feeling of responsibility he felt for others, and how this will affect his life as the President.  He was especially affected as a Black man with the injustices and racism he endured.  The major emphasis was on his visit to Kenya, but it also covered his time in New York, Indonesia, and his time as a social organizer in Chicago.  I kept waiting for the book to extend to his political career, but it still stopped just before his time at Harvard.  For those wanting to know what Barack Obama’s life was like as a child and want to get to know the people that influenced his formative years, this book works.

 

Reviewed by Ellen Spring, Oceanside High School, Rockland