This is a biography told in
lyrical prose by New York Times best-selling poet and children’s book
author, Carole Boston Weatherford. The book pays tribute to a man who journeyed
from a childhood in Hawaii to becoming the first African-American president of
the United States of America. The illustrations are paintings, which vividly
capture Barack Obama’s life through the years. The author includes
excerpts from several speeches President Obama has given during his journey to
the White House.
–
LMC
August/September 2010
Some will call this picture book for older readers
adulatory—and it is—but Weatherford puts an amazing amount of
information about Barack Obama into a rhythmic text that is also wonderfully
concise. Most of the major moments of Obama’s life are here, both personal
and professional. Beginning with the unlikely pairing of his parents; through
his time in Indonesia ("There, beggars knocked on the door and crocodiles
sunned in the yard"); to his decisions to become, first, a community
organizer, then a politician, the book makes Obama seem both larger than life
yet also someone beset with struggles with which readers can identify. He is
shown longing for his father, at times lazy in his studies, unsure of his racial
identity. His flirtation with drugs is mentioned obliquely: "He . . .
stopped getting high." Barrett’s illustrations, oils on canvas, add a
soft focus to the events. Depictions of Obama himself vary in quality from page
to page, but they capture a man of many parts. The snippets from speeches that
adorn each spread deepen the
perspective.
Booklist, May
1, 2010
This lyrical tribute to the 44th U.S.
President describes Barack Obama's diverse childhood experiences and his various
mentors and concludes with his successful presidential election. Struggling for
self-acceptance, Obama's search for racial identity led him to his father's
Kenyan homeland before establishing his family and expanding his political
ambitions. Obama's noteworthy quotations are highlighted on each double-page
spread, adding a powerful personal element to this rhythmic narrative and
revealing a talented orator and inspirational leader. Though his recreational
drug use is briefly described, Obama is depicted more as an iconic saint uniting
the masses than a multifaceted, flawed human being. "He mirrored the best of all
of us, and the good in all of us. / More than a poet, he was a candle in the
darkness." Barrett's oil paintings successfully create depth by varying dominant
features against muted, shaded backdrops. Expressive faces convey a dramatic
tension. Weatherford's commemorative "American Baptism" provides a powerful
finale to this undeniably passionate
offering.
Kirkus Reviews,
March 15, 2010
