Letters from young Obama show a man trying to find his way

WASHINGTON (AP) - Letters released by Emory University and written by a young Barack Obama show a cerebral yet questioning man trying to find his place in the world.

The university in Atlanta is making available to researchers nine letters sent by the former president to his college girlfriend, Alexandra McNear.

Written in the 1980s, the letters give a peek into Obama's psyche as he sought out the path that would eventually land him in the White House as the United States' first black president.

Emory officials said the "very lyrical, very poetic" letters will be useful to researchers trying to craft a picture of an early Obama. Parts have already appeared in books about Obama.

The letters span from 1982 to 1984 while Obama was at Columbia University and shortly after graduation.