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Obama's Papa Was a Rolling Stone

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Obama's Papa Was a Rolling Stone Obama’sPapaWasARollingStone ByDavidJ.Garrow WashingtonPostBookWorld,17July2011,pp.B1,B4. THEOTHERBARACKTheBoldandRecklessLifeofPresidentObama’sFather BySallyH.JacobsPublicAffairs.297pp.$27.99 BarackObamaSr.marriedfourtimes,butthemostimportantwomaninhissadly troubledlifewasamiddle-agedAmericanliteracyteacher,Elizabeth“Betty”Mooney, whohiredtheyoungKenyanasherNairobisecretaryin1958andsoonsponsored— andhelpedfund—hisdreamofattendingcollegeintheUnitedStates. ObamaflewtotheU.S.notaspartofalargerstudentairlift,asisgenerallybelieved, butonlybecauseMooneymentoredhisadmissiontotheUniversityofHawaiiand persuadedfellowliteracyadvocateFrankLaubachtohelpdefrayObama’sexpenses. ThissignificantdiscoveryisjustoneofmanynotablerevelationsinSallyJacobs’s“The OtherBarack,”butthecumulativeeffectofherthoroughlyresearchedbiographyis deeplydepressing.Jacobs,areporterfortheBostonGlobe,hasfaroutstretchedall previousjournalistsinunearthinganimpressivearrayofnewinformationabout Obama’slife,butherrichlysourcedaccountofhowapromisingyoungadulthood quicklydescendedintodailyalcoholicbingesandserialdomesticviolencepaintsan evenmoredramaticallydownbeatportraitthandidObama’snamesakeson16years agoin“DreamsFromMyFather.”Indeed,although“TheOtherBarack”greatly enrichesourknowledgeoftheelderObama’slife,itissuchapainfullydisheartening narrativethatsomeinterestedreaders—andcertainlyoneinparticular—should avoidJacobs’stragicaccount. WhenObamaflewtoHawaiiinAugust1959,heleftbehindayoungKenyanwife alreadypregnantwiththeirsecondchild.Attheuniversity,hepursuedademanding courseloadandahighlyactivesociallife.Inthefallofhissecondyear,hardlysix weekselapsedbeforeonenewfemaleclassmate,17-year-oldStanleyAnnDunham, becamepregnantwiththeirchild.Theuniversity’sforeignstudentadvisertoldU.S. immigrationagents,whotookanactiveinterestinforeignstudentswhosevisas requiredannualrenewal,thatshealreadyhadcautionedthemarriedKenyanabouthis datinghabits.WhenObamainformedherinApril1961thatheandDunhamhad marriedtwomonthsearlier,ObamaalsoassertedthathehaddivorcedhisKenyan wife.Theadvisertoldtheimmigrationagencyshewasdubiousofthatclaim,butthat Obamahadtoldherthat“althoughtheyweremarriedtheydonotlivetogetherand MissDunhamismakingarrangementswiththeSalvationArmytogivethebaby away.”ThatsentenceisredactedinthecopyofObama’simmigrationfileviewableon theWeb,butJacobs,workingfromadifferentlyprocessedversion,isunabletofully capturetheemotionalimpactofthememos’taleofwhiteofficialenmity. GivenObama’sseeminglackofinterestinparentinghisoffspring,adoptionmayhave appealedtohim,butnootherevidencesuggeststhatAnnDunhamactually consideredgivingherfirstbornchildaway.WithinweeksofBarackJr.’sbirth, DunhamandthebabyleftHonoluluforherprevioushometownofSeattle,leaving behindthehusbandwithwhomshehadneverlived.WhenObamapreparedaresume justbeforeleavingHawaiiforgraduateschoolatHarvardin1962,helisted“awife andtwochildreninKenya,”Jacobsreports.“HemadenomentionofDunhamor BarackJr.” Obama’sadmissiontoHarvard’sPhDprogramineconomicsattestedtohisacademic successinHawaii,butonceagainhisfreewheelingpersonallifeattractedofficial criticism.AUnitarianministercomplainedtoU.S.immigrationthatObamawas intimatelyinvolvedwithayoungKenyanwomanattendingaBoston-areahighschool, andaftertwoyears,Harvard’sinternationalstudentadvisertoldimmigrationagents thattheuniversitydidnotwantObama’svisatobeextendedforathirdyear.Obama hadpassedtheexaminationsqualifyinghimtobeginwritinghisdissertation,but Harvard’saction—expresslymotivatedbyanimustowardhispersonalconduct,and withnoacademicrationale—forcedthevisiblyupsetgraduatestudenttoreturnto Kenyawithonlyamaster’sdegree. WithinweeksofObama’sdepartureforNairobi,hisnewestgirlfriend,27-year-old RuthBaker,gotonaplanetofollowhim.Theymarriedfourmonthslater,andthe followingyearRuthmetObama’sfirstwife,Kezia,inaNairobihospitalaftertheir husband’sdrunkendrivingleftayoungfrienddeadandObamawithtwobrokenlegs. RuthObamaNdesandjoisthebook’smostcompellingandmemorablesource;the storiesofherlifewithObamadescribenothinglessthanalivinghell.“HewasamanI hadaverystrongpassionfor,”shetoldJacobs,but“TheOtherBarack”narratesa seriesofincreasinglyviolentdrunkenassaultsthatculminatedwithObamaputtinga knifetoherneck.“Ididnotthinkhewouldreallykillme.Hewasabluffer,”Ruth explained.Sherealizedthatatherhusband’score,“hehadagreat,enormous insecurity”thatnothingexceptendlessamountsofwhiskeycouldmedicate.Only whenObamastruckoneoftheirtwoyoungsonsdidshefinallyleavehim. Obamastumbledinandoutofseveralmid-rankgovernmentjobsbeforekilling himselfinhisumpteenthdrunkencarcrashinNovember1982.Bythenhewasliving withafourthwife,orwife-to-be,a20-year-oldwomanwhohadgivenbirthtohis youngestchildsixmonthsearlier.ThegreatpromiseandenergythatBettyMooney hadseeninhimaquarter-centuryearlierwaslongspent.Buthadwhiteantipathy towardhisunrestrainedpersonallifenotshatteredObama’slifedreamofaHarvard PhD,whiskeymightnothavederailedabrilliantalcoholicfromalifeoffargreater lengthandachievement. Garrow,aseniorfellowatHomertonCollege,UniversityofCambridge,istheauthor of“BearingtheCross,”aPulitzerPrize-winningbiographyofMartinLutherKingJr..
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