Obama wrote, “Unlike my mum, Ruth has all the documents needed to prove who Mark’s father was.”
Then what’s that thing on the White House website?
That sentence seems to be a favorite of yours. A moment going back to "Literature 101" should change that. Here's that sentence in context:
For the briefest moment I sensed Mark hesitate, like a rock climber losing his footing. Then, almost immediately, he regained his composure and waved for the check.
“Who knows?” he said. “What’s certain is that I don’t need the stress. Life’s hard enough without all that excess baggage.”
We stood up to leave, and I insisted on paying the bill. Outside we exchanged addresses and promised to write, with a dishonesty that made my heart ache. When I got home, I told Auma how the meeting had gone. She looked away for a moment, then broke out with a short, bitter laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking about how life is so strange. You know, as soon as the Old Man died, the lawyers contacted all those who might have a claim to the inheritance. Unlike my mum, Ruth has all the documents needed to prove who Mark’s father was. So of all of the Old Man’s kids, Mark’s claim is the only one that is uncontested."
Who is the speaker in this final paragraph? See if you can figure it out. (Hint: it's not Barack Obama.)