It would be grossly unfair to accuse Garen Thomas of jumping on the bandwagon for penning this biography of Barack Obama. Thomas's book hit the shelves three months or so before the presidential spectacle and, at the time, the name Obama carried less significance in the United States and the world. But those who now have time to thumb through this work on this "nonentity" will have no regrets and, in fact, might have difficulty putting it down.
With Obama having spectacularly trounced his geriatric opponent, the printing presses must be running reprints non-stop. The book covers important themes — sheer diligence, clear sense of purpose, focus and optimism — that could inspire and stimulate lively academic engagements.
Thomas handles presentation well and uses simple and accessible language. She portrays Obama as an ordinary mortal and yet inspirational: growing up in a hostile and racist American environment, he managed to achieve what many (read: Jesse Jackson) could only dream about.
The biography also resonates with issues and dilemmas that ordinary Americans are deeply worried about: the declining economy and foreign policy that has gone pear-shaped and actually made the US a target of international hatred.
The US surely needed change and a new beginning and Thomas brings this out in her prologue when she exhorts and applauds the "new generation" for showing interest in the elections.
But who is Obama, according to Thomas? Obama, also known as Barry, led a somewhat schizophrenic if not anguished life. He grew up without his biological father. He knew he was of different stock: an offspring of a black father and a white mother — the two worlds he wanted to reconcile as he grew up.
His father, Barack Hussein Obama, came from the Luo tribe in Kenya. He met Barack's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, during their days at the University of Hawaii. Barack junior's mother told him that he inherited his superior intelligence and academic inclinations from his father.
Growing up, Barack junior immersed himself in the black world, interacting with black figures and reading many works by black authors such as WEB DuBois, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes and Malcolm X. He was also interested in the plight of the voiceless and marginalised black communities.
But there are some interesting questions to ask. Granted, Barack weathered heavy social and political storms to be where he is today, but did he succeed because of his sheer hard work and superior intelligence or is it because he grew up in a privileged set-up?
How many ordinary black youths who did not have a connection with the white world would have gone this far without falling through the gaping cracks within American society?
The fact that Barack was brought up by white guardians may prove problematic to the radical voices within black America.