What do you think?
Rate this book
Obama: A Promise of Change
Barack Obama captured America's attention when he delivered his renowned keynote address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. By encouraging his followers to believe in America's great promise, Obama has become a symbol of hope, change, and unity. From veteran "Chicago Tribune" journalist David Mendell comes a rich portrait of Barack Obama, chronicling his life up until his decision to run for president.
- GenresBiography
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 28, 2010
Children’s Literature
Crystal Rodriguez
Title: Obama: A Promise of Change Biography Upper
Author: David Mendell
Place of Publication: New York, New York
Date: 2008 Pages: 167
For someone who is not a huge fan of politics, this book was somewhat of a challenging read. I am an Obama supporter and was interested in his story. I was hoping to learn more about his personal life and endeavors, but this book focused more on his political journey. From the beginning of his political race for Presidency, I was awestruck by the charisma and his undying belief in Americans and their capabilities to come together as a nation. He seemed so real and human-like, not just a man with his own personal agenda, but an agenda for us (citizens).
It is quite amazing to know that I lived to see the first African American President of the United States of America. I LIVED TO SEE IT! Not only do I believe in this President, but I believe in his work, his past, and his character. He has worked with the poor, he came from a middle class family, and he worked for what he has and all that he is.
I am hopeful that there will be change in this country in the next years he is in office. I do want him to succeed and do wonderful things as I think he has the best of intentions. It is wonderful that he can be an inspiration to so many African Americans young and old in this country; it makes me happy to know that even though our country still struggles with racial hatred, this demonstrates how far we have come. I feel proud of my country.
Crystal Rodriguez
Title: Obama: A Promise of Change Biography Upper
Author: David Mendell
Place of Publication: New York, New York
Date: 2008 Pages: 167
For someone who is not a huge fan of politics, this book was somewhat of a challenging read. I am an Obama supporter and was interested in his story. I was hoping to learn more about his personal life and endeavors, but this book focused more on his political journey. From the beginning of his political race for Presidency, I was awestruck by the charisma and his undying belief in Americans and their capabilities to come together as a nation. He seemed so real and human-like, not just a man with his own personal agenda, but an agenda for us (citizens).
It is quite amazing to know that I lived to see the first African American President of the United States of America. I LIVED TO SEE IT! Not only do I believe in this President, but I believe in his work, his past, and his character. He has worked with the poor, he came from a middle class family, and he worked for what he has and all that he is.
I am hopeful that there will be change in this country in the next years he is in office. I do want him to succeed and do wonderful things as I think he has the best of intentions. It is wonderful that he can be an inspiration to so many African Americans young and old in this country; it makes me happy to know that even though our country still struggles with racial hatred, this demonstrates how far we have come. I feel proud of my country.
Read
May 5, 2015Somebody called Barack Obama wanted to make a change a the world. He wants to help the families of the US, and eventually become someone important/special in peoples lives. But what stopped him from doing that was racism, he was held back from what he was trying to do. So he decided to push even harder and wanted to get a career in politics, change the way people behave and act towards each other. Then after a very long time full of hard work he went from Senator to the President of the United States of America!
January 31, 2022
This is a young person's into to Barack Obama, the work going into a campaign, effect on the family.
I thought the info was interesting, but I didn't appreciate the author's style, sentence structure.
I thought the info was interesting, but I didn't appreciate the author's style, sentence structure.
March 22, 2009
Obama: A Promise of Change by David Mendell, Adapted by Sarah L Thomson
Pub May 2008 by HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13:9780061697005
192pp
Theme: Biography
This biography of Obama is an adaptation of the book Obama: From Promise to Power. Thomson’s adaptation for young adults is the story of Obama’s life from childhood to running for president. Although I did get an understanding of Obama’s basic life, this book was very poorly written with no details about emotions or thought processes of Obama. I was extremely disappointed in this book. I feel I have gained no knowledge into Obama’s life aside from where he lived, when he lived there and what organizations he was a member of.
As far as teaching this book; don’t. It is so dummied down that I am disturbed that this is what Thomson believes young adults can handle. There is no vocabulary that would need to be explored and no varying sentence structure. As I was reading it, I could imagine a monotone teacher reading out loud as the entire class slept. I will not be reading anything else by this author.
Pub May 2008 by HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13:9780061697005
192pp
Theme: Biography
This biography of Obama is an adaptation of the book Obama: From Promise to Power. Thomson’s adaptation for young adults is the story of Obama’s life from childhood to running for president. Although I did get an understanding of Obama’s basic life, this book was very poorly written with no details about emotions or thought processes of Obama. I was extremely disappointed in this book. I feel I have gained no knowledge into Obama’s life aside from where he lived, when he lived there and what organizations he was a member of.
As far as teaching this book; don’t. It is so dummied down that I am disturbed that this is what Thomson believes young adults can handle. There is no vocabulary that would need to be explored and no varying sentence structure. As I was reading it, I could imagine a monotone teacher reading out loud as the entire class slept. I will not be reading anything else by this author.
November 5, 2008
"This is an adaptation for young readers of Obama: From promise to power" by David Mendall. This biography is written for upper elementary students and follows Barack Obama's life from birth through his decision to campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008.
Barack Obama has an interesting story and it is told clearly with a great deal of detail by Mr. Mendell.
Barack Obama has an interesting story and it is told clearly with a great deal of detail by Mr. Mendell.
May 8, 2016
I think this book explained completely with details how Barack Obama's life shouldn't just about him being the 44th U.S. president, but he should be known for his perseverance because he took big risks on his way to presidency, he went to Chicago to unite African Americans, and he won a seat in the state senate.
November 20, 2008
I learned a lot about Obama and his past. I did not know that he was a smoker and that his father left him at a small age. Obama also went to Africa to meet his family and the people in Africa loved him.
January 9, 2009
Condensed version for a younger audience of the fuller book -- biography centered on Obama's adult life and years leading to the democratic nomination for US presidency.
Gives a sense of the person and his warp speed ascendancy into politics.
Gives a sense of the person and his warp speed ascendancy into politics.
Read
July 11, 2015This is a really interesting story of how Obama became a president of United States. The pieces of Obama's speeches were drawing my inner thoughts closer to his. I have to admit that he is a very charming leader.
February 6, 2009
i learned that obama had a hard life growing upo and that is father lefdt him and his mom got remarried and he leaved with his grandparents most of the time.
December 15, 2009
This book was awesome. It was all about President Obama's life. The book told about his family, friends, and his struggles to get to where he is today. This is a great book for anyone to enjoy.
September 22, 2011
This book really focused on President Obama's political challenges and engagements. I enjoy learning more about Obama, and his transition into the Whitehouse.
June 10, 2016
A simple man with big aspirations. A wonderful read about a man rising from the lowest life to becoming the president of USA. Inspirational.
October 10, 2020
This book provided a great insight on life of our former president, pre-presidency!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews