SKU: 60186861437

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

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Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF ESSENCE'S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS In this iconic memoir of his early days, Barack Obama "guides us straight to the intersection of the most serious questions of identity, class, and race" (The Washington Post Book World). "Quite extraordinary." Toni Morrison In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - ONE OF ESSENCE'S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS

In this iconic memoir of his early days, Barack Obama "guides us straight to the intersection of the most serious questions of identity, class, and race" (The Washington Post Book World).

"Quite extraordinary."--Toni Morrison

In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father--a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man--has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey--first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother's family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father's life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance.

Praise for Dreams from My Father

"Beautifully crafted . . . moving and candid . . . This book belongs on the shelf beside works like James McBride's The Color of Water and Gregory Howard Williams's Life on the Color Line as a tale of living astride America's racial categories."--Scott Turow

"Provocative . . . Persuasively describes the phenomenon of belonging to two different worlds, and thus belonging to neither."--The New York Times Book Review

"Obama's writing is incisive yet forgiving. This is a book worth savoring."--Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here

"One of the most powerful books of self-discovery I've ever read, all the more so for its illuminating insights into the problems not only of race, class, and color, but of culture and ethnicity. It is also beautifully written, skillfully layered, and paced like a good novel."--Charlayne Hunter-Gault, author of In My Place

"Dreams from My Father is an exquisite, sensitive study of this wonderful young author's journey into adulthood, his search for community and his place in it, his quest for an understanding of his roots, and his discovery of the poetry of human life. Perceptive and wise, this book will tell you something about yourself whether you are black or white."--Marian Wright Edelman

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Published: 01/09/2007
ISBN: 9780307383419
Pages: 442
Weight: 1.58lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.50d

Review Citations: Chronicle of Higher Education 09/19/2008 pg. 17
Essence 01/01/2009 pg. 73
Publishers Weekly Best Books 03/23/2009 pg. 22
Ebony 02/01/2013 pg. 73

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 113511 / Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Reading Level: 7.1 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 26
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SKU: 60186861437

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Jessica Miser
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
love the story
Format: Kindle
Fun story. Love the main coon cat. Love the kindness that Charlie has for everyone he meets. Surprised by The Who dun it.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2026
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Jean Kant
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
An enjoyable new series with promise
Format: Mass Market Paperback
This is the first in a series. I have already ordered the next one so I like it. The main character Charlie Harris is a widowed library archivist. He lives in his late aunt's house and takes in borders and he owns a Maine coon large cat named Diesel. This is already a somewhat unusual cozy mystery because the main character and devoted cat owner is male. Charlie is a very personable character. He loved his wife (she died of cancer) and his late Aunt. He has 2 grown-up children that he cares about and he likes his job. He gets involved in a murder because his boarder, a young college, student is involved. His archival skills come in handy in providing clues to the murder. The deputy in charge of the investigation is the daughter of his long-time housekeeper. I didn't peek ahead to see who-did-it and I enjoyed the story til the end.. I don't think it's the type of mystery where all the clues are available and the reader tries to figure it out. The reader gets the clues as Charlie . gets them and finds out who the murderer is when Charlie finds out. Yet, the characters are engaging, the setting is interesting and it is a fast and enjoyable read. The plot is credible I like it.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2014
K
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Kindle Customer
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Good read!
Format: Kindle
I wanted a break from some tense mysteries. This provided me with an enjoyable break by reading a good story with an unexpected ending. I recommend it to anyone looking for a very good cozy read!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2026
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JJ
Grantham, US
★★★★★ 5
Very good, entertaining mystery.
Format: Mass Market Paperback
I don't know if this author has written other books before beginning this series but it is a very good FIRST in what is so far just a 3 book series. I ordered all 3 but am reading them in order as I always do. The author tends to go into too much detail about mundane things about things like fixing a meal, etc., but it isn't too distracting from the story. I like a little hominess but this is overdone just a tad. The story moved right along establishing characters without throwing in so many that you simply can't keep them all straight as some authors do. A thoroughly despicable victim so nobody cares if he dies violently. And, to me, a reeeely surprise ending. For someone who has read as many mysteries as I have, this was a pleasant surprise and the author doesn't give you hints till you are almost at the reveal so that you feel clever at figuring it out but you don't figure it out too early and you are still a bit surprised that you were "right" about who did it. Also, the "hero" is a thoroughly likeable guy. Don't you hate it when the "hero" or "heroine" just comes across as someone you don't really like much. You know, the one that if he or she gets beat up, you sort of feel like they deserved it and you've not really sorry. Well, if something bad had happened to "Charlie" I'd have been very upset. Now, if #2 will just show up I'll get on with the series. This is a series I'll be keeping in my library to reread in a couple of years.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2012
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Susan Irving
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 3
OK book
Format: Kindle
I read this for our book club, got the book on Kindle, so the "back of the book" description was not there...It took me a while to get into the book. I'm used to female lead characters, and I had to adjust for the lead character to be Mr. Charlie. The manners shown by the characters are a bit dated, by about 40 years, but it's nice to be re-exposed to good manners. Loved Deisel the cat, but whenever he's mentioned (which is a lot) it tells he's a cat. That got to be old, fast. Otherwise, it was a good book, quick read. I was rather shocked to learn that Miranda James is just a pen name for a male writer.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2014

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