As is my vice and habit during time off, on Friday morning, during an errand run to Greensboro, I stopped by Borders Bookstore.
As I entered the door I was immediately greeted with a gross display of the store capitalizing on the election results . . . in the form of a rack full of children's books on political figures . . . prominently featuring (of course) President-elect Obama. I picked one up of the books to look at it ("Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Son of Hope"), but quickly put it down, unnerved (for a reason I could not quite put my finger on) by what I read.
The American Spectator's Shawn Macomber puts a finger on it:
The Department of Early Indoctrination . . .
. . . there is also a wickedly-delicious J. Peter Freire review of the book - entitled "Presidential Material" - in the Spectator's November edition (the article currently does not have an online link - and that's too bad - because the piece is a hoot).
In the review, Freire also rips a kiddie book on Hillary Clinton to shreds.
An excerpt:
"Barack Obama friggin loves beaches. There, as a child, he contemplates racial tension or his parents' divorce . . . a perfect reminder of what inspires Democratic politicians to wreak havoc with America's core values."
And this:
These books look patently ridiculous set next to Meghan McCain's own book, My Dad, John McCain (Aladdin, 2008) which chronicles her Father's heroism in war. Opening each book and setting them next to each other will provide a subtle contrast: Hillary smiling while she single-handedly runs healthcare into the ground, Obama glowing like magical pixie, John McCain sitting in a prison cell, along and beaten. Well, I don't know if you've heard, but McCain's pretty old.
When most 14-year-olds announce their intentions to become astronauts, parents smile politely but secretly wonder if it means the kid will move out earlier. When a kid sits on the beach to wonder what it all means, it's called "California". Democrats call both "Presidential material". But these two books show exactly the sort of self-absorbed dinkelspiel that makes personality-driven politics so messy to begin with.
As a Pediatrician, I am a big proponent of being honest . . . of telling children the truth. A spoonful of sugar does not always help the medicine go down. It makes you fat and sluggish. Those who forget (or don't know in the first place) history are doomed to repeat it.
These books heap on the sugar. What's worse, they are not real. Not even close.
The Velveteen Rabbit would jump off a bridge rather than let the Boy read this drivel.
Impressionable young minds deserve more than this kind of hero-worshipping "dinkelspiel" . . . especially when the hero hasn't really done anything yet.
Alas, I'm afraid we're in for years of it. And books like this will (no doubt) be featured on Oprah's book club (where she'll fawn over the authors & artists) . . . they'll probably even win awards . . .
. . . when, in reality, they cannot hold a candle to the simple genius of "Wild Things".
Note to self. Hide the matches.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the positive words! I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. A creepy trend, to be sure.
Creepy is a very good word for it. That book TOTALLY creeped me out.
On the other hand, after reading your piece, I made it a point to go back and buy Meghan McCain's book (unfortunately buried in the stacks - as opposed to prominantly featured in a rack by the door).
Even though I haven't read either books but have read some excerpts from them; that really was all I needed to read. Actually, I try to avoid any of them at all. What we are seeing is but just the beginning of many written webs of deceptions.
And your right, both will hit the Oprah Book Club, for more reasons than one, just as the New Age Religion has, that is becoming nothing more than a cult, who denounces Jesus Christ, His death or resurrection. She is no doubt one of the most dangerous people in the United States and really world, because her power comes from all her money with Satan happily tagging behind her; singing, Gotcha Big Mama O, certainly not for God. We need to take back this situation and have the whole world start praying for her as well as our nation and new leaders, because then she/they will never find peace within until she/they returns back to their rightful creator.
My first reaction to seeing the book, Son of Promise, Child of Hope, made me cringe and wonder if Nikki Grimes were associating this, as Obama being on the same level as Christ. I laughed because I haven't affiliated him with Christ at all. But, then the actual persuasion of how the book was titled, luring the parents of the younger generation in, not to mention all of the media coverage, placing this man up on the same level as Christ at times, thinking he was here to save the earth, the United States, perhaps the world. (There will be a song next) We all must remember that everything that surfs in on a fine detailed wave; everything that glitters isn't and will never be holy or made of gold. It is but an illusion.
Personally I feel that Nikki Grimes said it very clearly in Q&A, A Conversation with Nikki Grimes, http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/SS.EMS/ObamaQA.pdf with her answer to the question: How were you able to make Barack Obama’s complicated life story age-appropriate and accessible for young children and in parts her answers were: "That is always the challenge. The only trick to it is to look at the material through a child’s eyes. The other key is to simplify, simplify, simplify. I focused on the goals of that work: to get people involved in the issues, to bring them together, to try to make life better for everyone. Those are concepts a child can wrap his mind around. Every aspect of Obama’s complex story had to be simplified, to some extent.
So, she grabs the age level of nine through twelve year olds, who leaves out MANY aspects of Obama's life, but focuses on his life as a child who was being raised in a single parent home and or by grandparents,(He and Oprah must be kin. No wonder she endorsed him.) that catches that single, paycheck to paycheck parents attention and they buy the book running as hard as they can home to that child, jumping with joy, saying to them, "Look honey, if Obama can do this, so can you! Oh sweet child, it is even in children's books and if it makes children's books, then you know sweet child of mine, that the proof is always in the pudding and in all kiddo books! You have been saved child! We are fixing to share the wealth"
The America people have been blinded by people such as these who are out to make a dollar on every single parent around. So, please if I may say: Lets not give God the credit, that we, ourselves would kick the devil out of hell for.
You know what Miss Queeny... I, like you, fear that we haven't seen anything like we will be seeing the next few years and the real intentions behind all of this facade that has been so intentionally and ignorantly hidden and ignored by the Media and covered up by people like Nikki Grimes. I say to all people, "Cover yourself, your family and children with the protection of the Lord!"
Be blessed.
Scarlett aka Passion ~
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