March 23, 2008
The ascent of Barack Obama, Mr Charisma
He has burst out of obscurity to make a bid for the White House. David James Smith traces the roots of Barack Obama’s ambition
Tony Peterson was visiting his younger brother, Keith, in Boulder, Colorado, in the late 1990s. They were in a bookshop together when Keith plucked a paperback out of the remainder bin and said: “I’m buying this, do you want one?” Tony looked at the book, which was called Dreams from My Father. It meant nothing to him, but his brother said: “Well, look who wrote it.” The author’s name was Barack Obama. “That’s Barry!” said Keith.
