SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

April 21, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Review: Obama: The Historic Election of America’s 44th President

April 21, 2013 by Brigid Alverson   Leave a Comment

This slick biography of President Barack Obama is more inspirational than informational, presenting a smoothed-out view of his rise to the Oval Office.

Obama: The Historic Election of America’s 44th President
By Agnieszka Biskup
Illustrated by Seitu Hayden
Capstone Press

Let me start by saying that this is a biographical graphic novel that is clearly tailored for the library and school market, and that brings with it certain constraints. It is short. It sticks to the facts. And it leaves out a lot of the messy bits. It’s fine for a student who wants basic information about President Barack Obama, but it’s not very thought-provoking. In fact, by omitting some of the controversies—and lucky breaks—it presents an overly simplified Horatio Alger story, when the full story is much more interesting.

Admittedly, some of this is due to the limited scope of the book. The authors focus on Obama’s rise to political power, opening the book with his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, the speech that put him on the political map. Conveniently, Obama referred to his parents and his birth in that speech, allowing the authors to present them as a flashback. That is the only information about his early life in the graphic novel, although there is a two-page text section with a fuller biography at the end of the book.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

At the time of his convention speech, Obama was running for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. The book blandly observes that “Obama won a landslide victory with 70 percent of the vote.” While that’s true, it omits a salient fact: His chief opponent, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race after a nasty sex scandal and was replaced by Alan Keyes (who doesn’t seem to have ever lived in Illinois). Under those circumstances, it would have been more remarkable if he hadn’t won in a landslide. While it would have been difficult to describe what happened in an age-appropriate way, leaving it out is a significant distortion. And that’s the problem with a book like this: Every fact in it is carefully sourced (there are notes at the beginning and a bibliography in the back), but what the reader doesn’t see is the facts that aren’t in it.

The art is done in an inoffensive, realistic style, neither brilliant nor offensively bad. Artist Seitu Hayden does a good job of mixing up the panels and letting the story unfold visually in an interesting way. One thing that could have been made clearer—it’s buried in fine print on the copyright page—is the fact that word balloons in yellow contain direct quotes from Obama’s speeches.

By simplifying the story so much, the authors run the risk of all biographers, of making the trajectory of the subject’s life seem inevitable. It would have been nice to see more conflict, and more details of the conflicts that are covered, such as the primary contest with Hillary Clinton. Still, Obama is a nice primer on the 2008 election and a good starting point for future reading.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
All AgesBarack Obamabiographiescapstonenonfiction graphic novels

About Brigid Alverson

Brigid Alverson, the editor of the Good Comics for Kids blog, has been reading comics since she was 4. She has an MFA in printmaking and has worked as a book editor, a newspaper reporter, and assistant to the mayor of a small city. In addition to editing GC4K, she is a regular columnist for SLJ, a contributing editor at ICv2, an editor at Smash Pages, and a writer for Publishers Weekly. Brigid is married to a physicist and has two daughters. She was a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#63)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

“If you like my storytelling, this is your jam.” Jason Reynolds Goes All Audio with “Soundtrack”

by Betsy Bird

Heavy Medal

Nine More Titles: May Mock Newbery 2026 Suggestion Titles

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Queer Characters with Warmth, Empathy, and Inclusive Joy, a guest post by Lauren Magaziner

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

Pably Cartaya visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Best Graphic Novels 2024 | SLJ Best Books

Best Graphic Novels 2020 | SLJ Best Books

4 Festive Graphic Novels For Young Readers | Holiday Roundup

Eight Fantasy-Focused Graphic Novels | Stellar Panels

10 Standout Graphic Novels by AAPI Creators

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books 2024
  • 2024 Stars So Far
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Pearls & Rubys
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • Reasons to Love Libraries
  • 2025 Youth Media Awards
  • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
  • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Read Free Poster
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2025


COPYRIGHT © 2025