David Maraniss’ biography “Barack Obama: The Story,” is supposed to be in bookstores by June 19th. I’m very interested to read it, but I find the whole thing a bit unsettling. I imagine the feeling of terror I would have if some reporter was going around trying to talk to everyone I ever went to school with. I would not want to read about my awkwardest pick-up lines or recounts of my near-death experiences. I don’t think I’d look too good if my old partying buddies started telling stories about the time that I got severely impaired and did x, y, or z. I can even relate a little bit to the revelations about Mitt Romney’s high school days. I never did anything close to that unkind, but I know there are some people who would have some unpleasant things to say about me. Fortunately, I didn’t like to wear funny hats or smoke my cigarettes like they were joints, but I probably had other embarrassing affectations that I don’t even remember.
What can a biographer learn about a person by digging into their childhood and adolescence? I think what emerges is a record of what’s most memorable. This year, my high school class will have its 25th reunion. There are names I’ve forgotten. There are some names I never knew. But most of those people remain in my memory banks in some very abridged kind of way. I remember when they did something funny or stupid. I have a general positive or negative feeling toward them that I could probably explain only in the vaguest terms. What do people remember about you 25 or 35 years later? Do they remember that you edited the school paper or worked at the grocery store or know what was going on in your home that made you act so insecurely at school?
I think history is hard. But history that is this personal, that delves into the lives of middle schoolers and high schoolers, almost seems like a violation of privacy. It’s not, of course. If you want to be president, this is the price you pay. But I think it’s difficult to get a fair picture of what a person’s adolescence was like. You get the controversial and the memorable, but most of the time being a teenager isn’t controversial or memorable.