Yes We Can: A Biography of Barack Obama by Garen Thomas

From the Publisher

In third grade, Barack Obama wrote an essay titled, “I Want to Become President”—and he is, to this day, determined to show the world that, yes, he can.

Born in the U.S.A., the son of an African father and an American mother, a boy who spent his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii, Barack Obama is truly a citizen of the world. His campaign for the presidency is powered by a fierce optimism, an exuberant sense of purpose and determination, and, above all, a belief that change can happen.

Garen Thomas takes us through the life of Barack Obama, from his struggle to fit in with his classmates and concern about not knowing his biological father, through his term as Illinois senator, to his historic and momentum-building run for president of the United States.

Barack Obama is a man who uses his words to inspire us. We can have a better future. We can be whatever we want to be. Yes. We. Can.

VOYA

Readers in search of insight to this political icon's personal history will not be disappointed. From his personal trials and tribulations regarding identity issues of race and home to his struggles accepting his absentee father and his successes and setbacks in the academic and political arenas, Thomas recounts Obama's life story in compelling detail. Although he has seen his share of disappointments and tragedies, Obama's commitment to the importance of family and the need for change in America shines brilliantly. First identifying in kindergarten his desire to become president, this biography reveals exactly how far Obama has come, how hard he has worked to earn the Democratic nomination, and how close he is to accomplishing his dream. Thomas demonstrates an extensive knowledge of Obama's personal and political lives. The biography is at once entertaining and informative, with a healthy mix of personal anecdotes and political and social discussions. Although it broaches topics such as racism, apartheid, poverty, and the politics of America, it does so in a fair and balanced way. The book is peppered with thought-provoking quotes from an array of Obama's speeches, photographs from his childhood to the present, and text-box insets that provide additional information on subjects with which readers may not be familiar, such as superdelegates and campaign fundraisers. Written in narrative form, it is a quick, engaging read that with a bit of encouragement will appeal to a wide range of readers. Reviewer: Courtney Wika

KLIATT

Here we are, on the edge of a major election, and it's important to be informed about the candidates, especially Barack Obama, whose life story is compelling and certainly different from any other politician who has been a major party's candidate for President of the US. Thomas has been the editor of numerous children's books, including the Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel Day of Tears: a Novel in Dialogue, by Julius Lester. She bases much of her information for this biography on Obama's memoir Dreams from My Father as well as David Mendell's Obama: From Promise to Power. (KLIATT reviewed Mendell's biography of Obama written for YAs in the July 2008 issue.) Mendell is a journalist in Chicago who focused more in his biography of Obama on the political history, basing his data on his own interviews with Obama and those close to him, as well as his own reporting. Thomas, instead, writes more compellingly about Obama's childhood and struggle to come to terms with his identity (the theme of Obama's own memoir); she writes more about his half brothers and sisters, about his mother and father, his grandparents, his school experiences. Throughout are b/w photos—familiar ones by now—and most striking are quotations from Obama's speeches, interspersed with the facts of his childhood and his experience as a community organizer in Chicago. His words, rising out of his own experience, take on added weight—even the title of this book and a major theme of his campaign: Yes We Can. Regardless of the outcome of the November election, it is important for libraries to have this biography for their YA readers—and adults could learn a great deal fromthe book as well. Reviewer: Claire Rosser

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9

Thomas describes Obama as a "new leader who seems to be granting Americans a renewed license to dream," and maintains an admiring tone throughout. She opens with a look at his Kenyan father and American mother and covers Obama's childhood, education, and early influences. The author also relates his efforts as an adult to learn about his father and his African heritage and to find his place in America. The last chapters chronicle Obama's rapid political ascent and his early victories in the Democratic primary, briefly mentioning some campaign controversies, such as his relationship with outspoken minister Jeremiah Wright. Each section of the book opens with a quote from Obama, and the text is supplemented with black-and-white photos of the senator and his family and friends. Although Thomas does not document her sources, an author's note explains that she draws both from Obama's own memoirs and other published and interview sources. While there is little here that has not been widely reported in the media or adult titles, Thomas's clear prose will help students learn more about the first African American to gain a major party nomination for the presidency.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO

Product Details

• ISBN: 0312537093
  
• ISBN-13: 9780312537098
• Format: Paperback, 224pp
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
• Pub. Date: June 2008
• Edition Description: Original
• Sales Rank: 10,641
• Age Range: 8 to 12