Ever since the 2008 campaign, many voters, and some journalists too, have felt they know Barack Obama’s life story. In fact, the story they know is the one Obama told them.

Obama’s first memoir, “Dreams from My Father,” published in 1995, has become the semi-official record of his life. But it is not the complete record of his life. It’s partially fictionalized, with composite characters that Obama has always acknowledged were created to make the story read better. It focuses on a few themes Obama wanted to present to the public about himself. And, as with any memoir, it is told completely from Obama’s point of view. It’s not a biography.