Obama: Only in America

by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Robert T. Barrett
Published by Marshall Cavendish 2010
Reading Level 2-3
40 Pages
Genre: Non-Fiction

Summary:
Barack Obama was born August 1961 to a woman from the states and a father from Kenya. He went by Barry until he got out of high school. His parent's were divorce and after his mother remarried he was sent to live with his grandparents. He taught himself how to be a black man in a sea of white people. He got into Punahou Academy where he met all kinds of amazing people. His father came to see him when he was 10 and they spent a whole month getting to know each other, before and after that point, their only form of communication was through writing. He planned to go to Kenya to see his father but before he could do so his father was killed in a car accident. He was unsure of what to do at this point. All he knew was that he was different and he felt he wanted to speak out against it, but didn't know how. He would secretly read books by black authors until his mother told him he wasn't doing anything with his life and helped him get into college. He went to Columbia University and worked hard. He continued in education but eventually started using what he knew to start groups that would help his speak out. He got into Harvard Law school and visited Kenya at last, where he was able to understand his roots better. He met his wife and they were married. They had two little girls. He then got voted into Illinois state senate, after which he became a senator. He then ran for president. The illustations of this book are beautiful. They tie in the effects of past presidents and authors into Obama's belief system. There were lots of browns and reds and teal colors. Like the earth. They seemed to tell the stories of his roots which then turned into is future.

Reaction:
I found this book very intersting and informative. However, I had a hard time seeing him in the good light they put him in. But it was writen very well with quotes from his speaches on every page. It makes me wonder what I would have thought of past presidents if i didn't only read about them in such positive light.

Potential Problems:
This book dose address his drug problems and uses very light terms to explain about his drug use and why. I think it may be a little too positive how they address his adiction as a help.

Recommendations:
I think it may help better the understanding of our president, but i wouldn't nessisarily recommend it to elementary students. It uses lots of big words which may require a lot of time in this book, so that you may not want to answer as a teacher.