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Yes We Can: A Biography of President Barack Obama
 
 
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Yes We Can: A Biography of President Barack Obama [Paperback]

Garen Thomas (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 12, 2008 8 and up3 and up

THIS IS OUR MOMENT

“This is our time—to put people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth—that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.”

            — President Barack Obama, Acceptance Speech; Chicago, IL; November 4, 2008

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. In kindergarten, he wrote an essay titled, “I Want to Become President,” and now, with his fierce optimism, exuberant sense of purpose and determination, and above all, his belief that change can happen, Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, has made that dream come true.

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 an Illinois senator, and the long campaign for president, to his historic victory.


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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–9—An update of a book published in 2008, with a new final chapter reflecting events since then. Thomas clearly chronicles his subject's experiences with his grandparents, parents, and the cultures in which he grew up. Much is made of the stories about his absent father. The author portrays the sole meeting between Barack (at age 10) and his dad vividly, leaving readers with an understanding of this young man's confusion about his heritage and place in society. Thomas then recounts Obama's schooling, his eventual contact and involvement with black contemporaries, and their ideas. His exposure to prejudice takes all forms, including neglect from fellow Kenyans while he visited there. The last six chapters succinctly trace his rise to the presidency. Readers are left with little doubt that Obama believes in the possibility of change—in the possibility of looking at the world through the eyes of humanity, not "different colors of humanity." The volume concludes with a map depicting Obama as a citizen of the world due to his heritage. Photographs and quotations throughout the book bring Obama and his philosophy to life.—Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This adulatory profile of the presidential candidate’s meteoric rise carries his career up to his March 2008 “More Perfect Union” speech. Interspersed with large-type inspirational sound bites and black-and-white photos of Obama as a child or posing with constituents and family members, Thomas’ narrative characterizes Obama’s father as a legendary figure “like John Henry,” cites Obama’s statements in first and third grade that he wanted to grow up to be president, and finds the closest thing to a character flaw in his ambition—an unwillingness to “wait his turn” in running for political office. This does not quite measure up to William Michael Davis’ Barack Obama: The Politics of Hope (2007), though anything on Obama gets quickly out-of-date. Grades 6-9. --John Peters --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; Second Edition, Revised and Updated edition (December 12, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312586396
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312586393
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars buy this one, October 5, 2008
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As a specialist in children's therapy, I see this as a valuable book for educating children. I have a book collection of biographical series for children -- artists, musicians, politicians, etc. This has become a valuable part of my collection. I highly recommend this one.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging biography, September 24, 2008
This book gave me a great overview of Barack Obama.
It is a page-turner because Obama has led a life rich with experience.
Garen Thomas' writing style informs and entertains.
The photographs of Obama and his family, travels, and career add to the book's appeal.
I highly recommend it to adults as well as young adults and children.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved reading this book with my 10-year-old son, July 7, 2008
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Child Therapist (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
I bought this book for one of my child therapy clients at work and we read it together. We couldn't put it down. I am speaking for the both of us when I say that the book "Yes We Can" was enlightening and inspiring. Not only did it do a great job of explaining the American political system to young readers, but it also detailed Barack Obama's life in a way that offers youth the inspiration to achieve great things in life.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., met Stanley Ann Dunham at the University of Hawaii in Manoa in 1960. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Barack Obama, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Old Man, South Africa, New York City, Miss Hefty, Punahou Academy, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, President Bush, Harvard Law School, University of Hawaii, Barack Hussein Obama, Bobby Rush, The Audacity of Hope, Gerald Kellman, Democratic National Committee, Governor Palin, House of Representatives, Saddam Hussein, New Guinea, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Harold Washington
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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