Obama: Only in America

Out in the yard in Jakarta, Indonesia, Barry played with his pet monkey, "ate snake meat and roasted grasshoppers and learned to box" and was he dreaming that one day he would be the President of the United States? That is the remarkable journey of Barack Obama. It follows his life to Hawaii where he had to "raise himself to be a black man." What were the influences on his life? Where did he get his answers? "He walked two worlds- black and white" and he searched for a place to belong. Then, he began to read books and the story of Malcolm X spoke to him. In New York he saw a city "divided by differences" and he knew he "wanted to be a bridge." Slowly, he found his gifts and he found where he wanted to invest them. As he rose to national prominence, he held on to the wisdom that "the American dream isn't something that happens to you-it's something you strive for and work for and seize with your own two hands." This quote is from his "remarks to the Urban League, Orlando, FL, August 2, 2008." Full page illustrations of the boy growing into the man couple with the narrative of this exceptional person and his quotes are threaded throughout as though his own voice is narrating the story. 40 pages Ages 6-10