Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
In this book Kadir Nelson took excerpts from different speeches delivered by Barack Obama between 2004 and 2008 and blended them together in a way that captures the feelings of hope and promise that many Americans felt after he was elected for his first term. Nelson then added graphite sketches to each excerpt that brought the message contained in the words to life. This choice of media is a departure from Nelson’s traditional use of oil paintings in his illustrations. But the use of graphite and the sketchy nature of the illustrations gives them a power that would be diminished if they were rendered in oils. This is because they give the book a wait and see feeling, much like many felt on the eve of Obama’s election.In the case of Change Has Come, I would have the students complete an assignment in which they read the book and then conducted a series of interviews with people on what their reaction to the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was. Then I would have them discuss with the people they are interviewing whether or not their feelings or perspectives have changed since then. This would allow the students to practice their interviewing skills by having them create questions, conduct interviews, and present their findings. I would give the students a list of choices to present their findings, such as creating a video, a newspaper article, or a podcast. This would allow the students to present the interviews in the learning style that best suits them. A mediocre look at a momentous historical point...,I ordered this book with excitement. President Obama's election, whether or not you like him, marks significant change for our country that, despite party lines, cannot be quelled; we have our first black President and this is important.This book was going to be something that I shared with my daughters. A means of explaining the importance of the election, to explain the importance of the movement that changed the course of events in our country and, thus, helped lead to Obama's election.What did we get? A couple of pencil-drawn pictures with some inspirational snippets from Obama's speeches. I don't understand how such a wonderful moment for our country, our history, can be cheapened so easily for a dollar.This is really disappointing...
What do You think about Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit (2009)?
Lovely drawings paired with quotes by Barack Obama make for a beautiful little book.
—edkool7
It was interesting to see the speeches woven into a book
—bree
a lasting reminder kept in a little book...nice
—ahector101
