The story sounds unbelievable.
Yet on my second thought each of us can tell a similar story of life.

This remind me of an old memory of mine...

1988년 12월 19일, Nairobi, Kenya의 거리를 "정처없이" 산책중 젊은 청년이 다가와
(It was very scary at first but, I was told before hand that they were all harmless. And they were harmless.)
나에게 몇마디 물어서 내가 미국에서 왔다는것을 알자, 제발 미국의 "University"로 보내달라고 간청하더군요.
한참 따라오면서 계속 애걸, 간신히 떨쳐버리고 나면 또 다른 젊은이가 와서 같은 요청을 했지요. Again and again.

그때만해도 East Africa에서는 Kenya가 제일 잘사는 나라 (White-governed South Africa를 빼고)였는데도 불구하고,,
poverty는 아주 심하기 짝이 없었지요. 상권은 Asian Indian 사람들이 쥐고있었고, 흑인들은 처참했지요.
아마 Obama의 father도 그중의 한사람이 아니였을가 합니다. However, he was simply one of the lucky ones.
The guys who met me in the street were not lucky at all... I was a wrong person.
하긴, as you said, 우리나 그때 Nairobi 길가의 젊은이들이 basically 큰 차이는 없는거겠지요.

To me, the story is "believable", truly "real". I saw it myself.

My guess is that President Obama does not want to read or listen to the miserable story of his father,
just like our children not being interested in listening to our 젊을때의 푸념 !!
I think, in general for average people, the miserable past should better be forgotten.

I have one similar true story to share with.
One of my high school classmates I met a few years ago while attending a class union told us how he could come to America.
After graduating from high school, he realized his family was too poor to send him to college.
He noted there was a US army base in his neighborhood in Soo Won.
He then decided the only chance for his better future was to come to America.
Then he started writing letter after letter like Obama's father to the commander of the base to help him to go to America.
After numerous letters, one officer volunteered to sponsor him.

My classmate became a mailman and bought a nice house and raised a good family and retired from the post office,
and has been enjoying his retirement.

The American soldier who sponsored him became a life long friend of his and vice versa.
As far as I know, my friend was looking after him who is some ten years older.