In a recent discussion, Mark Adams, pointed me to this Andrew McCarthy article where McCarthy discusses Obama's honesty and states "But Obama lies about the small things, the inconsequential things, just as he does about the important ones — depending on what he is trying to accomplish at any given time."

Let me add one more inconsequential fabrication to the list.

Barack Obama and I were born in the same year. The year he graduated from high school was the year I graduated from high school. I'm currently reading Obama's book "Dreams from My Father" and it is easy for me to place Obama's life in context of history because we are the same age. Thus when he described his enrollment in the Punahou school as a fifth grader this statement jumped out at me:

... there was a list of things to buy - a uniform for physical education, scissors, a ruler, number two pencils, a calculator (optional).

emphasis mine.

The first truly pocket-sized electronic calculator was the Busicom LE-120A "HANDY", which was marketed early in 1971.[10] Made in Japan...

The first American-made pocket-sized calculator, the Bowmar 901B (popularly referred to as The Bowmar Brain), measuring 5.2×3.0×1.5 in (131×77×37 mm), came out in the fall of 1971, with four functions and an eight-digit red LED display, for $240...

The Busicom "Handy" sold for just under $400 in 1971. That would be over $2000 in 2010.

The first time I saw a handheld calculator was in 1975, while in the eigth-grade. Having one in school prior to that time was unheard of. Later that year, my dad, who routinely flew to Japan, bought me my first simple four function calculator.

I doubt Punahou school listed calculators in their 1971 supply list. Rather this is artistic license, just plain making stuff up, or ghost-writer error.