This is largely a memoir about Obama’s desire to rediscover his roots and understand what it means to be a black man in the US. Certain scenes paint a picture of what this has meant for Obama. In the absence of his father, he describes trying to find black male role models in both Ralph Ellison and Langston Hughes, as well as by becoming more active in basketball in his neighborhood. At the same time, he describes encountering racism in high school, particularly when he heard a high school basketball coach refer to a group of black men as “niggers.” Eventually, he resolves to visit his father in Kenya. Sadly, before he can do this, his father dies. Nevertheless, he decides to visit Kenya, where meeting his father’s...

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