In the restaurant in my hotel in Dubai I overhear two colleagues discuss the heritage of a colleague, just back from a visit to see her family in Kenya. “I thought she was from Yemen” says one. “Yes” his colleague replies, “her family is from Yemen. But she was born and brought up in Kenya”.

Born in Kenya, of Yemeni origins, working in Dubai. If, like me, you were born and brought up in one place – one house, even – it can be easy to imagine that such a diverse history is rare. Until you stop to look around you that is.

One man whose personal history includes many threads is the US President Elect, Barack Obama. Born in Hawaii of a white American mother and a Kenyan father, Barack’s upbringing took him from Hawaii to Indonesia and back again. His inner journey of discovery seems also to have spanned significant distances.

Obama came to attention when he was the first black man to be elected to a student post in Harvard. Responding to invitations from publishers to write a book, Obama wrote Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, which was first published in 1997. My copy, ordered shortly after the election, already includes a note of his recent election.

Boarding my flight to Dubai I have already selected Dreams From My Father as my reading for the journey and I continue to read throughout my trip. I experience Obama’s book as a personal memoir and a journey of exploration, the work of a man who is highly articulate whilst also showing great humility. Perhaps, as Obama prepares for the role of President of the United States, this book is essential reading for us all. With or without this significance, it is a thought-provoking exploration of issues of race, inheritance and social change.