Politicians spend thousands, indeed millions, of dollars in an attempt to get us to know them, understand them and — ideally — vote for them.

Sometimes this works, often it doesn't. We end up voting for an individual based on our hunch that this is a good person, or at least is someone who sees the world as we do.

Rarely does a politician lay himself out in raw, personal terms. There is too much risk involved. Instead, we get a storyline, often created by image-makers who know how to use biography to sell a candidate much as one might sell soap.

Recently, we have had a chance to look at two politicians — each with Hawai'i ties — in remarkably personal and searching terms without the filtering lens of the image-makers.

The first is Barack Obama. Long before he became a national political figure, Obama wrote a personal memoir, "Dreams From My Father" about his years growing up in Hawai'i and his search for a personal identity.

Commentators are going over that book today like the Rosetta Stone, searching for clues on how Obama will govern as president of the United States. It is a rare opportunity to look into the soul of someone whose every move and decision now carries huge weight.

Obama's book offers a light going forward. Along with his second, more political book, "The Audacity of Hope," it offers a window into what the Obama presidency might be.

Former governor Ben Cayetano's new book, "Ben: A Memoir, from Street Kid to Governor" (Watermark Press), works in the opposite direction. Cayetano is long out of office, but his intensely personal memoir offers an intriguing glimpse into the forces and experiences that shaped the way he acted in the state Legislature and during eight years as governor.

In this book are clues to Cayetano's passionate attitudes toward issues of racial equality (and inequality), state bureaucrats (particularly the Department of Transportation), the University of Hawai'i (particularly its faculty) and the many political friends and foes he encountered along the way.

In an ideal world, every politician would be required to write an honest autobiography before entering public office. Biography is not destiny, but it certainly helps us understand things.

In Obama's case, biography offers clues and understanding about a destiny still unfolding.

In Cayetano's case, biography offers insight into choices long made and decisions that are already part of history. Still, for anyone interested in the way politics really works, it makes for fascinating reading.

Jerry Burris' column appears Wednesdays in this space. See his blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/akamaipolitics. Reach him at jrryburris@yahoo.com.