In 1961 Barack Obama Sr. and his wife Anna Dunham welcome the arrival of their newborn son, Barack Obama Jr. The couple had met during their time as coeds at the University of Hawaii. While Obama's mother is from Wichita, Kansas, his father is originally from Kenya. Having promised someday to return to his home country, Obama Sr. divorces Dunham in 1964. Before actually returning, however, he earns a Ph.D. in economics at Harvard. With this new boon, he returns to Kenya to work for the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance.
Obama writes about the strain of growing up without his father. He would ask his mom and her parents a thousand questions about his dad, trying to form a picture of the absent man. They met once, in 1971, when Obama Sr. came to Hawaii for one month. By 1982, he was dead, the result of a car accident in Kenya. While Obama respects his father and treasured his legacy, he expresses feeling the great weight of abandonment at his father's divorce and remarriage.
Dunham remarries to Lol Soetoro, a surveyor completing his graduate degree in Hawaii. The entire family moves to Indonesia, but Obama is sent back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents in 1971. In Hawaii he is able to attend Punahou School, a well-reputed establishment. While Obama loves his education, he often struggles for acceptance, being one of only six black students enrolled. The race relationship in Hawaii at the time is promising from a distance, but often frustrating up close. Obama meets a dear friend in Ray, AKA Keith Kakugawa, who welcomes Obama into the thriving local black community of the island.
Obama attends Occidental College in LA, quickly falling into an indulgent party life. He becomes invested in the local party scene, often abusing drugs and alcohol. Eventually he can't sustain the lifestyle and transfers to Columbia University in New York. His education is extremely important to his grandparents. They place a lot of pressure on him to represent their family with honor, desiring to continue to rise up through the social ranks.
After graduation, Obama works various endeavors. In Chicago, he works as a community organizer in the Altgeld Gardens housing projects. This time is a challenging one for him as he faces personal resistance from the community. Gang violence plays a huge role in the disconnect. In response to the emotional pressure of his work, Obama joins Trinity United Church of Christ, an institution which becomes a guiding force for him throughout the years to come.
In his twenties, Obama visits Kenya, hoping to make peace with his father's legacy. He spends time with his paternal grandparents while there, engaging in some difficult emotional healing along with them. The entire experience is transformational, reminding Obama of his heritage. Upon his return to the U.S. he enrolls in Harvard Law School, determined to become a politician.
