Ndesandjo Mark Obama - An Obamas journey: my odyssey of self-discovery across three cultures

Praise for An Obamas Journey

With gut-wrenching honesty, Mark Obama Ndesandjo exorcises demons from his past while delicately balancing diverse cultures that straddle three continents. His candor covers failures, successes, racism, a scandal or two, musical joys, charitable pleasures, and amazement at watching from a distance as his rival sibling performed political miracles.

John Cairns, author of All Aboard! Planet Expat

An Obamas Journey is a touching story of one mans transnational search for identity, cultural understanding, and forgiveness. Its a riveting, stunningly honest read that transcends being the biography of the presidents half brother; from his early years in Kenya to his coming of age in the United States and final passage to China, Mark Obama has a remarkable tale to tell in his own right.

Jenni Marsh, South China Morning Post

Like any great autobiography, this book is about more than a person. It is about humanity and relationships and holds lessons for all to learn. I enjoyed reading the full and nuanced description of Africas beauty and savagery and about its curiously admirable indifference. Mark captures the heady days before the tech bubble in America and lands in China just in time to witness the vibrant new life the Chinese are creating for themselves. The musical evocations and explanations that begin each chapter are unusual in an autobiography, perhaps even unique, and set the mood and themes well for that chapter, as well as introduce more texture to the book that helps round out the story. The few, but well-spaced, scenes where he meets Barack crackle with electricity. Their evolving friendship is fascinating to watch. Masterly writing, with poignant anecdotes and insightful, quotable thoughts.

Fritz Galt, author of China Gate

Mark Obamas story inspires as it reveals how he has managed to use his tumultuous childhood experiences to uplift and guide orphans to overcome their own childhood obstacles. He is a survivor of the sometimes unbearable, unhappy, and uncontrollable circumstances that are thrown at us at an early age. Like a true survivor, he uses his talents of writing and music to influence those around him into shaping a more positive future for themselves and the world around them.

Sara Atzmon, Holocaust survivor and artist

Marks book casts a glimpse into a unique life, interwoven by all religions, races, geographical continents, and various educational domains, starting with physics, through classical music and philosophy, all dwelling in one person. This autobiography injects an optimism to life in the face of injustice, prejudice, and hardship.

Tzach Yoked, reporter, Maariv

The name Obama is probably the most famous in the world, and so it is inevitable that any book that is linked to the US president will capture a lot of attention. But there is much more to Mark Obama Ndesandjos story than that of the brother of the most famous man in the world. This may be An Obamas Journey , but in many ways more important is the subtitle referring to his self-discovery across three cultures.... As well as a journey, it is a family saga touched with triumph and tragedy. Memories are brought to life through remembered dialogue, and there is a lovely flow to the story.... His voice is unmistakable, leaping out from the pages. Yes, the insights into his relationship with Barack are fascinating and sure to grab the headlines, but the joy of this book is that there is so much more to it. Here is a man with a fascinating story to tell, and he tells it very well.

Matt Horn MBE, Guangzhou, China

An Obamas Journey

My Odyssey of Self-Discovery across Three Cultures

Mark Obama Ndesandjo

LYONS PRESS

Guilford, Connecticut

Helena, Montana

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

Lyons Press is an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2014 by Mark Obama Ndesandjo

All photos courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0751-6 (hardcover)

eISBN 978-1-4930-1391-3 (eBook)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

For the unnamed boy with the spade-like hands and in memory of David Opiyo

Contents

Introduction

This book is not about how to achieve a fortune or any other measure of worldly success, so if youre looking for fresh insights into making millions, you will likely be disappointed. It is not just about brothers and fathers, sisters and mothers. Nor is it about revenge and hate. It is primarily about a search for meaning, a memoir of family connections, self-discovery, and ultimate redemption.

The characters and events portrayed and the names used herein are based on my personal recollection. Clearly my recollection is not perfect, and, if in error, I beg the readers indulgence.

One of my brothers called me the crazy one; my sister-in-law Michelle Obama referred to me as the wayward one. At first I was a little miffed by these descriptions. After some thought, I realized that, despite an element of exaggeration, there was some truth in them. I wrote this book in an attempt to make sense of the zigzagging trail of my life to date, to understand myself better but also to record my quest to make a difference in this world. As Gandhi once said: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

I was born in Kenya, lost myself in America, and found myself again in China. The once-tangled skeins of my life do not, with the benefit of hindsight, seem as tortuous as they once did. I see more clearly now where my path began, although I do not yet know where it will end. This book is dedicated to those who are lost and need some fresh insight into their wanderings in their eternal quest for identity. I hope that young people in particular will be able to learn from my mistakes and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls that lie ahead of them on their particular paths through life. Perhaps some of them may even be inspired enough to seek to be of service to others.

Mark Obama Ndesandjo

Shenzhen, China, 2014

Note: I refer to my brother, Barack Hussein Obama II, as Barack Jr. in the book, as I remember some family members did, to help distinguish his name from our fathers.

Our lives improve only when we take chancesand the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

Walter Anderson

Oh, youre the wayward one.

Michelle Obama

Prelude

Winter in Beijing, 2009

Sometimes, in the darkness of memory, or at times amorphous boundaries, the faces of kin merge with my own. It is easy to become confused, figuring out where one ends and the other begins.