I alternated between the print and audiobook versions of this book. I was very saddened to find out that the audiobook has been edited and that certain portions are missing. Sometimes it's one paragraph (for brevity) and sometimes it's pages of material that are gone. I wish I had known this before starting because I'm sure there's some parts that I did miss. I adored the beginning of this book, with Barack's early childhood experiences, especially the years he spent in Indonesia. The middle dragged a bit for me, as community organizing isn't my area of interest. However, the awareness and discussion of race kept me reading. Finally, the end of the book was a treasure. When the audio recording played one of Barack's speeches as a Senator, I cried. I couldn't help but think how amazing it was that we had someone of such a unique background as our president. I think there's something in Barack's background that every single one of us can identify with.