Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

美國政壇有史以來最好看的回憶錄。-時代雜誌

從政前夕的誠實告白

　　歐巴馬的著作最有代表性的是一九九五年出版的《Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance》，還有二○○六年《The Audacity of Hope》，其中《The Audacity of Hope》主要闡述政治理念，被視為競選總統的暖身作品。《Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance》的可貴性在於，此書寫作於歐巴馬踏入政壇之前。

　　歐巴馬在《Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance》回顧出生到一九八八年就讀哈佛法律系之前的經歷，可說是少年歐巴馬自傳。在書中歐巴馬坦率說出自己的出身，面臨的成長與認同問題，當時的他還以為自己會成為作家，還沒有政治化妝的目的。
少年歐巴馬激勵人心

　　全書共有三部。第一部身世，歐巴馬坦承一黑一白的家庭背景，父親為肯亞留學生，卻在他兩歲時離他們母子而去，歐巴馬從小在娘家成長，只有自己是黑人。歐巴馬十二歲時，父親從肯亞來見他，從此音訊全無，直到二十歲接到父親車禍身亡的消息。此次見面對歐巴馬衝擊甚深，高中畢業後先後至洛杉磯與紐約讀大學，卻 因為長期身世糾葛，曾經迷途放蕩，甚至吸毒。

　　第二部芝加哥則是尋求自我認同，歐巴馬描述在芝加哥南區三年的社區工作，如何從挫折中堅 持，思索黑人的社會問題，芝加哥從此成為歐巴馬的發跡地，也奠定歐巴馬就讀法律，走上公共政治之路。南區有美國最早的黑人國宅，也是知名的貧民窟，歐巴馬 透過教會，成功組織社區居民與志工，不僅設立就業服務站，課業輔導計畫，當時還爆發國宅發現石綿毒物，社區居民在歐巴馬的鼓勵下，終於迫使官僚正視問題。 此時年輕的歐巴馬，已展露優秀的演說能力與領袖特質，總是在關鍵時刻激勵夥伴。

　　第三部肯亞，則描述歐巴馬在與同父異母姊姊奧瑪於紐約見面後，決定在就讀哈佛法律系之前至肯亞部落尋根，歐巴馬對父親破碎的記憶，在家族的情感中逐漸完整，同時他也意識到身為黑人的重擔與光榮，對他父親有更多的理解與原諒，重新找回身為黑人的認同來源。

讓全球感動的回憶錄

　　《Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance》一九九五年出版時，雖然書評不錯，但是銷售狀況非常普通，也讓歐巴馬放棄成為作家，專心公共事務，等到二○○四年成名，此書重新再 版，不僅橫掃各大排行榜，成為銷售冠軍，海外版權也熱賣，且在英國法國日本等，都是《Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance》銷售情況更勝《The Audacity of Hope》，可見少年歐巴馬的故事 比起政治宣言，更能感動人心，一位法國讀者在網路寫下：這是二十一世紀初，一個宣告歷史變革的聲音。充滿熱情、味道與風格的筆觸，歐巴馬描繪了生命的質地。

本書中文版《歐巴馬的夢想之路》由「時報」出版。

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - 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

作者簡介

巴拉克．歐巴馬（Barack Obama）

　　一 九六一年八月四日生於夏威夷檀香山，曾為社區工作者、執業律師與芝加哥大學憲法講師，現任美國伊利諾州聯邦參議員，二○○八年六月三日擊敗希拉蕊，成為民 主黨二○○八年總統候選人，為美國史上主要政黨首位有黑人血統的總統候選人。歐巴馬為黑白混血，父親是來自肯亞的留學生。

　　歐巴馬的快速崛起已成二十一世紀政壇傳奇，一九九六年當選伊利諾州第十三區參議員，走上政治之路，但知名度有限，甚至二○○○年參選眾議員還敗選，直到二○○四年八月在民主黨全國代表大會鏗鏘有力的演講，頓時名聲大譟，開始有人預言歐巴馬將是前途無量的政治明星。

　　歐巴馬可能是近年來演講最動人心與最具草根魅力的政治領袖，他靠民間小額捐款就使競選經費超過兩億美金，不僅打破美國紀錄，且足足是對手McCain的兩倍。此次競選口號為「改變」Change，主要政見為自伊拉克撤軍、降低能源依賴與實行全面健保。

BARACK OBAMA was elected President of the United States on November 4, 2008. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.