Barack Obama Jr.
Narrator and protagonist, Obama relates his formational years and early accomplishments in this memoir. He illustrates a cohesive narrative which directs his life toward Harvard Law School. Dealing with his mother's divorce and remarriage from a young age, Obama explains the impact of emotional trauma on his childhood. He felt the dramatic absence of his father, only meeting him on one occasion when he was 10-years-old. Nevertheless, his relationship to his father's legacy seems to define Obama's searching for purpose in his teens and twenties. Only after a reconciliatory trip to Kenya, to visit his paternal grandparents, does he find the closure he needs to take the next steps toward his career.
Barack Obama Sr.
Born in Kenya, Obama attends college at the University of Hawaii. He marries Stanley Ann Dunham in 1961, and they give birth to their son, Obama Jr. that same year. After a hasty divorce in 1964, he marries Ruth Beatrice Baker, his third wife. He pursues his own way in America for a few years after the divorce, earning a M.A. in economics from Harvard. Eventually he returns to Kenya where he accepts a series of important government positions. He visits Obama Jr. once, in 1971. He is killed tragically in a car accident in 1982.
Stanley Ann Dunham
Ann Dunham, Obama's mother, earned her undergrad degree in anthropology, specializing in rural Indonesia. Education was her passion, so she continued studying until she had earned a Ph.D in 1992. She divorces Obama Sr. after learning that he was already married to a woman in Kenya, although he had lied about the status of his marriage. She remarries, this time to Lolo Soetoro, a surveyor from Indonesia. Sharing a mutual passion for Indonesia, the family moves there in 1967.
Ray
Ray makes friends with Obama in grade school in Hawaii. He becomes Obama's link to the local black community, making him finally feel welcome. Ray's character is based upon the real life person of Keith Kakugawa, who remained friends with Obama for some years.
Old Ward Boss
Based upon the person of Emil Jones, Boss is an Illinois senator who takes an interest in Obama's budding political career. He introduces Obama to influential people and allows him to work on some important legislation which becomes key to Obama's later political career.
Frederick
This character is based upon Obama's childhood friends, Ronald Prescott and and his brother Terrence Loui. They meet in grade school. As his new friends, Frederick invites Obama into his community. They share many interests and stand by each other throughout the years. Ronald Prescott Louis goes on to become a renowned computer scientist known for his philosophical contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.
