No political figure in recent memory has generated the excitment that surrounds Barack Obama. This forty-six-year-old Senator's message of hope has galvanized a generation of new voters and breathed new life into American politics. Once considered a long shot, his inspiring speeches and disarming candor have made him a frontrunner in the 2008 presidential race.

Hopes and Dreams follows Obama's fascinating story beginning with his difficult childhood and struggles coming to terms with his heritage to his remarkable success in school - he was the first black president of teh Harvard Law Review - and his current desire to become leader of the free world. Along the way, readers will meet his friends and family, discover moments that shaped his life, and learn more about the man and his motivations.

Written by a leading journalist and filled with more than 140 photographs, this up-to-the moment biography gives an inside look at one of the most fascinationg figures in politicsm and quite possibly the next President of the United States.