Our Friend Barry: Classmates' Recollections of Barack Obama and Punahou School

OUR FRIEND BARRY is a collection of personal essays from Barack Obama's Punahou School classmates, telling the story of Senator Obama's teenage years from the direct perspectives of those who grew up with him. Collectively, they tell a story of the lasting influences of his Pacific island upbringing and a former Christian missionary school called "Punahou." Individually, they focus on topics such personal childhood experiences with Barack ("Barry") Obama; mixed-race life in Hawaii and lessons in diversity; student life at Punahou; and how Barack Obama's vision and appeal are rooted in his formative years at Punahou School and in our 50th State, making it impossible to pigeon-hole him into the simplified categories that the media, for now, cannot seem to break away from.