The Other Barack

August 8, 2011
In this fantastic biography, Boston Globe reporter Jacobs shows how Barack Obama, Sr. transcended the circumstances of his youth in colonial Kenya (where "No Africans or Dogs Allowed" was the norm), only to succumb to alcoholism and womanizing. Having gained entrance to the best secondary school available to a native, the remarkably gifted Obama, Sr. was dismissed after four years, in part due to his impetuousness and contrarian personalityâa pattern that would continue throughout his life. However, with the providential help of Elizabeth Mooney, an American teacher in Nairobi, he attended the University of Hawaii. After three years, his second marriage (to Ann Dunham, president Obama's mother), fatherhood, and an undergraduate degree, he left for Harvard, where he was investigated by the INS for conflicting reports of his marital status and number of wives, as well as his claim that his child in Hawaii was to be put up for adoption. Dismissed by Harvard, the arrogant Obama, Sr. returned to Kenya without a Ph.D., but nonetheless expected an important position in the new government. Within this compelling story of Obama, Sr.'s squandered talents and opportunities, Jacobs weaves a picture of Kenya as colony and new nation. Photos.