Barack Obama, a black man raised by his white mother and grandparents, decided to journey to Kenya to learn more about his African father after receiving news of his death. This memoir is not about his father's life, but about Obama's, and he brings that home with an intimate tone rather than that of his public speeches. (His 2004 Democratic Convention keynote address is included at the end.)
Throughout the book, the U.S. Senator looks at race from the point of view of someone who has seen and been part of a variety of cultures, and he explains how his perspective shaped his views. The book, written in 1995, before his election to the Illinois Senate, gives listeners a chance to learn more about a young senator who has recently made news by speaking out on the Patriot Act and President Bush's next Supreme Court nomination.

TIME Magazine
November 6, 2006 Vol. 168 No. 19
Articles:
- It's Lonely At the Top - congressional election in the U.S.
- Can This Machine Be Trusted? - the U.S.'s new voting systems
- Election Guide - congressional election in the U.S.
- This Land Is My Land - Supreme Court decision
- The Disappeared - dozens of Iraqis kidnapped every day
- Breaking Up Is Easy To Do - "flash divorce" in China (women cut loose their cheating husbands)
- In Touch With Jesus - Bible-based worship is packing teens in pews now
- It's a Brand-You World - Personal-marketing
- Pressure on Your Health Benefits - companies are testing new ways to save
- From Fact To Friction - directors of documentaries are helping define a vital new form of "reality movies"