(Palgrave Macmillan) In this book, the author provides an account of the relationship between the United States and the East African nation of Kenya from the early days of colonialism to the latter’s independence in 1963. With archival research on the United States, the United Kingdom, and Kenya, he also builds a context for understanding how President Obama, a man of Kenyan descent, could one day occupy the White House. Pointing out that the United States has taken an interest in Kenya from the time that Britain established a colony there in the late 19th century, the author shows how African-Americans in particular felt drawn to the apparent “black-white” conflict in that country, which seemed to mirror their own experiences in the United States. The book also chronicles President Kennedy’s attempt to show his disapproval of colonialism by backing a campaign to bring Kenyans to the United States for higher education, including Barack H. Obama, Sr., who studied at the University of Hawaii. Gerald Horne holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston.
