Barack and Michelle Obama

Celebrating America's Historic President and First Lady

Resources at the SJRCC Libraries

PAL = Palatka Campus | OPC = Orange Park Campus | SAC = St. Augustine Campus

= Book | = DVD | = internet resource

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance - Publisher's Marketing: "In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father--a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man--has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey--first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother's family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father's life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance."

Call number: SAC - E185.97 .O23 A3 2004

Call number: PAL - E185.97 .O23 A3 2004

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream - Publisher's Marketing: "In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners' minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Obama called "the audacity of hope."
"The Audacity of Hope" is Barack Obama's call for a different brand of politics--a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy." He explores those forces--from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media--that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.
At the heart of this book is Barack Obama's vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats--from terrorism to pandemic--that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy--where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, and members of the Senate is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.
A public servant and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Barack Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes--"waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.""

Call number: SAC - E901.1.O23 A3 2006

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 A3 2006

Call number: OPC - E901.1.O23 A3 2006

Change We Can Believe in: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise - Publisher's Marketing: "The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is a defining moment in American history. After years of failed policies and failed politics from Washington, this is our chance to reclaim the American dream. Barack Obama has proven to be a new kind of leader-one who can bring people together, be honest about the challenges we face, and move this nation forward. "Change We Can Believe In" outlines his vision for America.
In these pages you will find bold and specific ideas about how to fix our ailing economy and strengthen the middle class, make health care affordable for all, achieve energy independence, and keep America safe in a dangerous world. "Change We Can Believe In" asks us not just to believe in Barack Obama's ability to bring change to Washington, it asks us to believe in our ability to change the world."

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O23 A3 2008

Call number: PAL - E901.1 .O23 A3 2008

Biography: Barack Obama - Publisher's Marketing: "When he called himself a skinny kid with a funny name at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, his star was already rising. By the time he triumphed in the 2004 Illinois Senate race, he was the golden child of a Democratic party in desperate need of a charismatic leader BIO narrates the definitive story of BARACK OBAMA, from his childhood in Honolulu to the dramatic 2007-2008 U.S. primaries. Follow Obama through his teenage struggles for self-identity, his student days at Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and finally, through his political career in Chicago, where he rose to fame through a focus on ethics and political reform. Go behind the scenes of Obamas extraordinarily successful presidential campaign--in which he raised a record-breakig $58 million in six months--and join his exciting journey towards the 2008 Democratic Convention. Pulsing with the energy of the man himself, BARACK OBAMA chronicles the uniquely American story of one man rising up to fight for what he believes in--and quite possibly, the dawning of a new chapter in American history."

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O23 .B37 2008 DVD

The Rise of Barack Obama - Publisher's Marketing: "Former official White House photographer, Pete Souza captures Barack Obama from his first day in the US Senate to his historic campaign trail."

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 S58 2008

The American Journey of Barack Obama - Publisher's Marketing: "For decades Americans have turned to LIFE to see, understand, and remember the most important events and people of our time. Just as LIFE once opened up the glittering Kennedy White House, LIFE now focuses its lens on Barack Obama. The American Journey of Barack Obama" covers the candidate from his childhood and adolescence to his time as editor of The Harvard Law Review" and his Chicago activist years, culminating with the excitement and fervor of the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention. The unfolding drama of Obama's life and political career is cinematic in scope, and never has it been presented so compellingly. In addition to a powerful array of photographs that were taken by many of the country's greatest photographers (and some that were snapped, in the quiet moments, by Obama family members themselves), this book also includes a Foreword by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an incisive narrative biography and original essays by some of our finest writers, including Gay Talese, Charles Johnson, Melissa Fay Greene, Andrei Codrescu, Fay Weldon, Richard Norton Smith, Bob Greene and several others. Many readers will find a new understanding of Obama. All readers will feel that they are bearing witness to a singular, undeniably American story. "

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O23 L54 2008

Call number: PAL - E901.1 .O23 L54 2008

Barack Obama: A Biography - Publisher's Marketing: "Barack Obama says that his story could only take place in America, and this revealing biography traces the events of his remarkable life, from his upbringing in humble circumstances in Hawaii to becoming the fifth African-American senator in U.S. history, and later, a presidential candidate."

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 P75 2008

Barack Obama in His Own Words

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O23 A25 2008

Michelle Obama in Her Own Words - Publisher's Marketing: "Drawing on quotations from a variety of sources, these funny, fascinating, inspiring, and occasionally controversial words span the First Lady's career--from corporate lawyer in Chicago up through the historic election of her husband as president."

Call number: SAC - E909 .O24 A25 2009

Michelle's story carries with it all the extraordinary achievements and lingering pain of America in the post-civil rights era. She grew up on the south side of Chicago, the daughter of a city worker and a stay-at-home mom in a neighborhood rocked by white flight. She was admitted to Princeton amid an angry debate about affirmative action and went on to Harvard Law School, where she was more comfortable doing pro-bono work for the poor than gunning for awards with the rest of her peers. She became a corporate lawyer, then left to train community leaders. She is modern in her tastes but likes to watch reruns of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Brady Bunch."

In this carefully reported biography, drawing upon interviews with more than one hundred people, including one with Michelle herself, Mundy captures the complexity of this remarkable woman and the remarkable life she has lived."

Call number: SAC - E901.1 .O24 M86 2008

Call number: OPC - E901.1 .O24 M86 2008

A beautiful, strong, and elegant career woman, wife, and mother, Michelle Obama appreciates the importance of image--and not only recognizes the power of fashion...but truly enjoys it!

"Michelle Style" celebrates the distinctive style of our incomparable First Lady, featuring color photographs, exclusive illustrations, and descriptions of her most iconic looks--from the sleeveless Maria Pinto purple silk crepe sheath that Michelle dazzled in the evening Barack clinched the Democratic nomination, to the ivory fairy-tale gown by Jason Wu that she wore for the historic inauguration. Including quotes from world-famous designers, stylists, and fashion insiders--and inspired advice on everything from dressing to suit your body type to shopping at Target--this one-of-a-kind volume spotlights and celebrates our remarkable twenty-first-century fashion icon."

Call number: OPC - E909.O24 N67 2009

Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage

"I don't want anybody to think that it's easy. . . . We have a strong marriage, but it's not perfect." --Michelle

They exploded onto the world scene and within a matter of a few short years captured the ultimate political prize. In so doing, they became a First Couple like no other: He--the biracial son of a free-spirited Kansas-born woman and a mercurial Kenyan father who abandoned him at an early age--was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, educated at Columbia and Harvard, and launched his political career in America's heartland. She, by contrast, was the product of a solidly middle-American family with roots planted firmly in Chicago's working-class South Side--paving the way for her to achieve her dreams of an Ivy League education and a position at one of the nation's top law firms.

By the time they claimed the White House in one of the most hotly contested presidential races in modern history, Barack and Michelle Obama were seen by millions around the world as the new Jack and Jackie Kennedy--brilliant, attractive, elegant, youthful, "exciting." Accompanied by their two young daughters, Malia and Sasha, the Obamas would arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the promise of a new Camelot all but assured.

Given the obvious historic significance of what they have accomplished together, the marriage of Barack and Michelle stands as one of the great personal and political partnerships in American history. Yet, incredibly, the true nature of that relationship has remained a mystery. Until now.

In the style of his No. 1 "New York Times" bestsellers "The Day Diana Died" and "The Day John Died," as well as his bestselling books about the Kennedys, the Clintons, and the Bushes, author Christopher Andersen draws on important sources--some speaking here for the first time--to paint the first complete, compelling portrait of America's first black First Family.

Among the many intriguing insights and stunning revelations:

New behind-the-scenes details of the Obamas' courtship and marriage--and the lovers who went before.

The early tragedies that shaped both Barack's and Michelle's personalities, and how those events haunt them to this day. Also, new information about Barack's rootless childhood, at times tortured adolescence, and the true extent of his early drug use.

How Barack's ambition put a strain on their relationship from the very beginning, how close the Obamas really came to breaking up, and how Michelle made the difficult decision that saved their marriage.

The little-known near-tragedy that brought Barack and Michelle closer than they had ever been.

How Michelle may have saved her husband's presidential campaign, and her surprising behind-the-scenes role as the president's chief advisor.

The pressures and delights of raising two young girls in the relentless glare of the media, and how, like Jack and Jackie Kennedy before them, Barack and Michelle strive to make the lives of America's two most famous children as "normal" as possible.

"Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage" is an intimate and ultimately riveting look at their unique partnership, and the humor, faith, fortitude, and grace that defines it. It is, above all, an extraordinary American love story."

Call number: OPC - E908.3 .A53 2009

Barack Obama: Working to Make a Difference

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 B75 2006

Barack Obama: The Voice of an American Leader - Publisher's Marketing: "This book offers a revealing look at Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for the 2008 presidency, from the perspective of quotations by and about Obama on his heritage and family, state and national politics, his run for the presidency, the issues of the day, community activism and service, and thoughts on race and faith."

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 P755 2009

Obama's state senate career and his decision to enter the U.S. Senate race are examined in this book. Despite a primary field of six competitors, Obama received more than half of the Democratic vote, defeating a multimillionaire and the state comptroller, a well-known figure in the Democratic Party. The general election imploded for the Republicans in the first few weeks of the campaign when it was revealed that their candidate was embroiled in a sex scandal. Alan Keyes, the ultraconservative, outspoken African American who had run for president twice and for the U.S. Senate from Maryland, was recruited to challenge Obama. But Obama, whose skill with the media and whose ability to raise funds was evident even in those early days of his career, easily won the race with 70 percent of the vote. The authors analyze Obama's ability to speak to the concerns of multiple constituencies by appealing to a coalition of voters that transcends race, class, and gender. At the start of his presidential run, Obama gives new meaning to the American dream."

Call number: SAC - E908 .O23 .D87 2008

Call number: PAL -E901.1.O23 D87 2008

Steele writes of how Obama is caught between the two classic postures that blacks have always used to make their way in the white American mainstream: bargaining and challenging. Bargainers strike a "bargain" with white America in which they say, I will not rub America's ugly history of racism in your face if you will not hold my race against me. Challengers do the opposite of bargainers. They charge whites with inherent racism and then demand that they prove themselves innocent by supporting black-friendly policies like affirmative action and diversity.

Steele maintains that Senator Obama is too constrained by these elaborate politics to find his own true political voice. Obama has the temperament, intelligence, and background -- an interracial family, a sterling education -- to guide America beyond the exhausted racial politics that now prevail. And yet he is a Promethean figure, a bound man.

Says Steele, Americans are constrained by a racial correctness so totalitarian that we are afraid even to privately ask ourselves what we think about racial matters. Like Obama, most of us find it easier to program ourselves for correctness rather than risk knowing and expressing what we truly feel. Obama emerges as a kind of Everyman in whom we can see our own struggle to accept and honor what we honestly feel about race. In "A Bound Man," Steele makes clear the precise constellation of forces that bind Senator Obama, and proposes a way for him to break these bonds and find his own voice.The courage to trust in one's own careful judgment is the new racial progress, the "way out" from the forces that now bind us all."

Call number: OPC - E901.1.O23 S74 2008

The Inaugural Address - Publisher's Marketing: "Celebrate the inauguration of America's 44th president with this "New York Times" bestseller
Tying into the official theme for the 2009 inaugural ceremony, "A New Birth of Freedom" from Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," Penguin presents a keepsake edition commemorating the inauguration of President Barack Obama with words of the two great thinkers and writers who have helped shape him politically, philosophically, and personally: Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Having Lincoln and Emerson's most influential, memorable, and eloquent words along with Obama's historic inaugural address will be a gift of inspiration for every American for generations to come."

Call number: SAC - J82 .E91 2009

The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power - Publisher's Marketing: "Readers of "The New York Times" know David Sanger as one of the most trusted correspondents in Washington, one to whom presidents, secretaries of state, and foreign leaders talk with unusual candor. Now, with a historian's sweep and an insider's eye for telling detail, Sanger delivers an urgent intelligence briefing on the world America faces.
In a riveting narrative, "The Inheritance" describes the huge costs of distraction and lost opportunities at home and abroad as Iraq soaked up manpower, money, and intelligence capabilities. The 2008 market collapse further undermined American leadership, leaving the new president with a set of challenges unparalleled since Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office.
Sanger takes readers into the White House Situation Room to reveal how Washington penetrated Tehran's nuclear secrets, leading President Bush, in his last year, to secretly step up covert actions in a desperate effort to delay an Iranian bomb. Meanwhile, his intelligence chiefs made repeated secret missions to Pakistan as they tried to stem a growing insurgency and cope with an ally who was also aiding the enemy-while receiving billions in American military aid. Now the new president faces critical choices: Is it better to learn to live with a nuclear Iran or risk overt or covert confrontation? Is it worth sending U.S. forces deep into Pakistani territory at the risk of undermining an unstable Pakistani government sitting on a nuclear arsenal? It is a race against time and against a new effort by Islamic extremists-never before disclosed-to quietly infiltrate Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
"Bush wrote a lot of checks," one senior intelligence official told Sanger, "that the next president is going to have to cash."
"The Inheritance" takes readers to Afghanistan, where Bush never delivered on his promises for a Marshall Plan to rebuild the country, paving the way for the Taliban's return. It examines the chilling calculus of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, who built actual weapons of mass destruction in the same months that the Bush administration pursued phantoms in Iraq, then sold his nuclear technology in the Middle East in an operation the American intelligence apparatus missed. And it explores how China became one of the real winners of the Iraq war, using the past eight years to expand its influence in Asia, and lock up oil supplies in Africa while Washington was bogged down in the Middle East. Yet Sanger, a former foreign correspondent in Asia, sees enormous potential for the next administration to forge a partnership with Beijing on energy and the environment.
At once a secret history of our foreign policy misadventures and a lucid explanation of the opportunities they create, "The Inheritance "is vital reading for anyone trying to understand the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead."

Call number: SAC - E902 .S365 2009

Call number: PAL - E902 .S365 2009

Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics - Publisher's Marketing: "Many Americans believe Barack Obama represents a hopeful future for America. But does he also reflect the American politics of the past? This book offers the broadest and best-informed understanding on the meaning of the "Obama phenomenon" to date.Paul Street was on the ground throughout the Iowa campaign, and his stories of the rising Obama phenomenon are poignant. Yet the author's background in American political history allows him to explore the deeper meanings of Obama's remarkable political career. He looks at Obama in relation to contemporary issues of class, race, war, and empire. He considers Obama in the context of our nation's political history, with comparisons to FDR, JFK, Bill Clinton, and other leaders. Street finds that the Obama persona, crafted by campaign consultants and filtered through dominant media trends, masks the "change" candidate's adherence to long-prevailing power structures and party doctrines. He shows how American political culture has produced misperceptions by the electorate of Obama's positions and values. Obama is no magical exception to the narrow-spectrum electoral system and ideological culture that have done so much to define and limit the American political tradition. Yet the author suggests key ways in which Obama potentially advances democratic transformation. Street makes recommendations on how citizens can productively respond to and act upon Obama's influence and the broader historical and social forces that have produced his celebrity and relevance. He also lays out a real agenda for change for the new presidential administration, one that addresses the recent failures of democratic politics.This study differs from previous books on Obama in at least three ways: (1) Street's determination to offer a balanced but critical assessment of the "Obama phenomenon" from a perspective shaped by years of engagement with Left theory and activism; (2) Street's effort to understand the phenomenon in a deeply researched historical, societal, and institutional context, consistently relating Obama's career and candidacy to the ongoing historical development and dilemmas of U.S. political culture; (3) Street's ability to deepen his account by drawing on his considerable direct experience with the phenomenon over years as a civil rights researcher and advocate on the south side of Chicago (2000-2005) and as a campaign activist in Iowa during the long and critical Iowa primary (caucus) season of 2007-2008."

Call number: PAL - E901.1.O23 S77 2009

The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama - Publisher's Marketing: "In "The Breakthrough," veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential victory and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power.
Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama (all interviewed for this book), and also covers numerous up-and-coming figures from across the nation. Drawing on exclusive interviews with power brokers such as President Obama, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vernon Jordan, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, his son Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., and many others, as well as her own razor-sharp observations and analysis of such issues as generational conflict, the race/ gender clash, and the "black enough" conundrum, Ifill shows why this is a pivotal moment in American history.
"The Breakthrough "is a remarkable look at contemporary politics and an essential foundation for understanding the future of American democracy in the age of Obama."

Call number: SAC - E185.615 .I34 2009

Call number: PAL - E185.615 .I34 2009

Call number: OPC - E185.615 .I34 2009

The Preacher and the Politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and Race in America - Publisher's Marketing: "Barack Obama's inauguration as the first African American president of the United States has caused many commentators to conclude that America has entered a postracial age. The Preacher and the Politician argues otherwise, reminding us that, far from inevitable, Obama's nomination was nearly derailed by his relationship with Jeremiah Wright, the outspoken former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side of Chicago. The media storm surrounding Wright's sermons, the historians Clarence E. Walker and Gregory D. Smithers suggest, reveals that America's fraught racial past is very much with us, only slightly less obvious."

Call number: OPC - E908.3 .W35 2009

In speech after speech, Barack Obama has "fired up" millions of enthusiastic supporters with his inspiring vision, rousing rhetoric, and charismatic presence His outstanding communication skills gave rise to an unprecedented political movement and fueled Obama's success in becoming the first African American presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party.

But inspiring and persuading millions isn't simply a product of innate ability--Barack Obama honed techniques that made him a highly effective speaker before audiences numbering thirty to 200,000. These techniques are vital not only in the political arena, but also for business executives, managers, and leaders from all walks of life.

This book is about the art of persuasion, the power of presentation, and the most effective techniques of communication. From building strong arguments and facing tough issues to inspiring a team or workforce to new levels of innovation and productivity, "Say It Like Obama" gives you the tools you can use to instill positive change at every level of your organization by learning how to: Make a strong first impression Use body language and voice Establish common ground Gain trust and confidence Win hearts and minds Drive your points home Convey your vision through imagery and words that resonate Build to a crescendo and leave a lasting impression

Whether you're a manager, executive, or public speaker, a teacher, business owner, or community leader, "Say It Like Obama" will provide you with presentation techniques that have inspired and mobilized audiences of every size."

Call number: SAC - PN4129.15 .L435 2009

Call number: OPC - PN4129.15 .L435 2009

The White House Photo Gallery - Behind the scenes photos of White House events and the First Family.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photogallery

The White House Video Gallery

http://www.whitehouse.gov/video

President Barack Obama - Official White House Page

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama

First Lady Michelle Obama - Official White House Page

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/first-lady-michelle-obama

All About Barack Obama - A series of photo galleries compiled by Life Magazine.

http://www.life.com/topic/barack_obama

All About Michelle Obama - A series of photo galleries compiled by Life Magazine.

http://www.life.com/topic/michelle_obama