Genevieve Cook and Alex McNear, who had relationships with Mr Obama in New York in the early 1980s, gave previously unseen material on Mr Obama to David Maraniss, a Pulitzer prize-winning author.
Letters Mr Obama sent to Ms McNear and journal entries by Ms Cook depict a serious and earnest young man struggling to come to terms with his racial identity and place in modern American society.
In one diary entry from February 1984, Ms Cook – a girlfriend for more than a year – noted that in their relationship "the sexual warmth is definitely there – but the rest of it has sharp edges".
She recalled "feeling anger" at Mr Obama, whose "warmth can be deceptive". Foreshadowing a criticism often levelled at him today, she said: "Though he speaks sweet words there is also that coolness". » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Wednesday, May 02, 2012
