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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Why We Vote, February 19, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
To make a book about a historic presidential election less than 4 months from the election is a daunting task. There is no time for context or reflection. Kadir Nelson's book chooses to emphasize the exuberance that many felt on the day of the election, without focusing on the reasons why so many people felt it was important that President Obama was elected in 2008. This book reduces President Obama to sound bites, removing the power and meaning behind his words. It is unclear if this book is intended for adults or for children. Children will likely not understand the meaning of the quotations, and adults will likely find it unenlightening. The only way that it succeeds is as a celebration of Barack Obama, but it provides no context for WHY we should be celebrating.
This book does effectively capture the "feeling" that anyone who voted for President Obama had on the evening of 4 Nov 2008. The book reads like a friend gushing effusively about a new passion. Many of the images and words resonate, but only if you are already well immersed in the history and events of the 2008 Presidential election.
The illustrations are elegant and effective enough that if they had been accompanied by a narrative text to go along with the quotations it could have been a wonderful narrative of this historic election suitable for all ages. Instead, it is a series of pretty pictures with out of context quotations, falling to the level of propaganda. It encourages celebration without explanation, enthusiasm without reason. If you already are in love with Barack Obama's political persona, this book will be affirming what you already believe. If you don't like his persona, or like to have more depth to history than a public image, then this is not the book for you.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Captures a Brief Moment in Time (an apolitical review), February 15, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I accepted a review copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program as it was marketed as a children's book for ages 9-12, and I am interested in children's books, children's nonfiction and history books for children's educational purposes. I am also interested in `books for children with a message' and books that may be propaganda written for children. I was curious what kind of book could be written and published in between the election and before the Inauguration, what would be said of President-Elect Obama before he even took office? What was the message of the book and what was the creator of it trying to communicate to children?
Upon receiving the book, I see book's dust jacket states this is for `all ages'. In fact it could make a souvenir or commemorative type book for an adult or serve as a little coffee table book for adults who are excited about the election of now-President Obama, whether it be for political reasons or to celebrate our nation's first African-American president.
This slender volume was created by artist Kadir Nelson who explains in the book's notes that drew illustrations for each page in fluid strokes starting immediately after the announcement of Obama's victory. The illustrations capture images of Barack Obama and citizens of the United States too, so this is not just about Obama but also about the people of our nation. Nelson explains the idea was hatched while watching the election results reported and the first drawing began on that night, out of his own excitement for Barack Obama's victory. "I wanted to celebrate that moment in history, and to try to save a little bit of the magic that filled the air in Grant Park, and all over the country, all over the world."
Nelson uses quotes from Barack Obama's speeches made between 2004 and 2008 and pieced together the message that Nelson wanted to convey to readers. A major message is the celebration of the election of the first African-American president. Nelson is African-American and his pride is apparent throughout the book that someone who shares his ethnicity has been elected to the highest political office in our nation. Given the nature of the history of African-Americans in the United States the fact that we finally have an African-American president is indeed something to celebrate in and of itself. "To continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more free, more caring and more prosperous America".
The book contains numerous messages that the people of this land are now united as one with the election of an African-American president, implying a past divide between citizens due to race has how been bridged just by Obama's election.
Another major message of the book is about the citizens of America who it says, came out in record numbers to vote and to support Obama's message of hope and change. (I was curious about the accuracy of that statement and did some fact checking, per [...], the highest number of total voters did vote in 2008 but the percentage of voters that turned out to a presidential election compared to the number of voting aged people in the country was lower in 2008 than it was in 1960, 1964, and 1968, and it was just one percent higher than in 1972, 1992 and 2004.) The impression is given that American citizens felt hopeful, positive in attitude and empowered to vote in this historical election so they came out in record numbers to vote for then-Senator Obama (let's be honest) is a bit deceitful since this was not a landslide victory (compare the seven percent win of President Obama to the eighteen percent win by President Reagan in 1984).
A reader of the book cannot help but feel the excitement and happiness that Nelson felt as he crafted this book (through illustration and in his selection of the quotations used). The anticipation is clear, that Nelson (and now-President Obama) feel that great things to be accomplished by this new leader with repeating messages of hope and change and words that express great dream for the future of America and for the world. "A hymn that will heal this nation will repair this world".
This book has a low word count usually with half of a sentence or one short sentence per page of `sound bites'. The text is lovely and artistically rendered (see the cover for an example).
What this book is not is a unique body of text written by a nonfiction writer-author with long text that explains who Barack Obama is or anything about the historical significance of an African-American person being elected as President. It is not a long telling of Candidate Obama's presidential race. Since it was published before his inauguration, it can't say anything out his presidency. If you are looking for that type of factual nonfiction historical information for educational purposes for children, this is not the book.
This book's strong point is an expression of strong, positive emotions for Barack Obama's election victory.
How this all pans out and how the hopes and dreams conveyed in the campaign and within the pages of this book comes to fruition is something that we'll have to watch unfold. Anyone who wishes to share the messages of joy over Barack Obama's election would be the perfect customer to buy this book (for themselves or to share this message with a child). I'll let you decide if you feel this book is propaganda or not.
I'm giving the book 3 stars (Amazon's definition of 3 stars is "it's okay"). This is based on my opinion that the creator of the book was effective in his desire to bring his vision for a message into book format using effective selection of quotes of the words of Barack Obama himself and adorning the message with illustrations that I like and can aesthetically appreciate. The book captures a message and a mindset that many Americans shared on that historical day, on Election Day 2008. As Nelson states, this does act as a snapshot in time, written by a supporter of Barack Obama expressing happiness over his election victory, it indeed is a moment in between campaign promises, hopes, dreams and before real life and history begins on President Elect Obama's inauguration which his supporters celebrated. However the problems with the voting statistics not matching the messages stated and the fact that the large number of voters did not result in a landslide victory as implied, is a problem that prevented me from rating this 4 stars or 5.
This really is a perfect book for a time capsule!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool little children's book honoring Obama and America, February 3, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Kadir Nelson is an accomplished artist with an impressive body of work on display. President Barack Obama is a gifted orator who inspires. The combination of Obama's words and Nelson's spirit-of-the-moment charcoals make for a tidy little package celebrating Obama's election as the nation's 44th President.
This slender volume is just about perfect for it's target audience, the 4 to 8 year old set. It's very obviously a children's book in tone and execution, the illustrations giving life to words gleaned from several of Obama's more famous speeches.
This book retails on Amazon for just over a 10-spot, and considering the price of some of the other hardcover books targeted at the same audience, that's probably not a bad deal, especially if you'd like something to share with your child that celebrates and commemorates Obama's election.
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