Obama adds a children's book to his publishing credentials
There's yet one more book to file under "O" for Obama. "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters," an illustrated children's book titled by the president, will be released on Nov. 16.
According to the book's publisher, "Of Thee I Sing" is "a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation – from the artistry of Georgia O’Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington." The book will be illustrated by well known author and illustrator Loren Long (author of "Otis" and other children's titles).
The publication of "Of Thee I Sing" completes a three-book, $1.9 million deal Obama signed with Random House while he was still an Illinois senator, including his earlier bestselling titles "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."
IN PICTURES: Inside President Obama's White House
However, if there's more room in the "Obama" section of your personal library, there's no need to stop at books by the president. Quite a number of titles by members of the Obama family are now available. These include: a memoir called "Homeland" by the president's halfbrother George; an upcoming children's book called "Ladder to the Moon" by his halfsister Maya Soetoro-Ng; a memoir called “A Game of Character” by his brother-in-law Craig Robinson; and "Surviving Against the Odds: Village Industry in Indonesia," the doctoral dissertation of his mother, S. Ann Dunham, which was published posthumously by Duke University Press last year.
And if that's still not enough Obama for you, you can also look forward to a foreword by the president that will appear in Nelson Mandela's private diaries, "Conversations with Myself," due out in October, and an upcoming young-adult version of "Dreams from My Father."
The Nov. 16 release of "Of Thee I Sing" has been carefully timed to ensure that the book lands in bookstores at just the right moment – two weeks after midterm elections but still in plenty of time for holiday shopping.
A 500,000-copy first printing is expected.
Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's book editor.
