Home > Media > Books > David Elliot Cohen - Obama: The Historic Front Pages, From Announcement to Inauguration, Chronicled by Leading U.S. and International Newspapers
David Elliot Cohen - Obama: The Historic Front Pages, From Announcement to Inauguration, Chronicled by Leading U.S. and International Newspapers
Obama: The Historic Front Pages || Get your feel-good here...
Written: Sep 04 '09 (Updated Sep 09 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Excellent production values, good variety from around the country, world.
Cons: No indication if acid-free paper, important for a keepsake book. Red ink..?!?
The Bottom Line: If you are an Obama nut or newspaper buff this one is a good buy. If you are waiting for the proof of the pudding ...better wait on this one.
sleeper54's Full Review: David Elliot Cohen - Obama: The Historic Front Pag...
... Defining Moment | Obama Makes History | It's Obama | OH-BAMA Yes We Can | Obama | Hope Over Fear | Change Has Come
In this day of the Internet, 24-hour cable news networks, and twitter dot com getting information via newsprint and ink might seem a wee bit archaic. But many still value newspapers as the 'record of the day'.
VE Day (look it up kids), a shooting in Dallas, man walking on the Moon, 9/11 ...these are all moments that were first 'saved for history' on the front pages of newspapers across the country and the world.
While perhaps lacking the immediacy of radio, television, and on-line communication, newspapers offer an inviolable record of moments in time. Tucked away in a drawer or chest or in a trunk in the attic, newspapers and their headlines and images serve as touchstones of moments passed as they bring back to life memories and emotions long forgotten.
Obama: The Historic Front Pages is the latest collection of special headline 'moments in time'. Featured are "front pages of newspapers around the world [and every US state] on the occasion of (Obama's) nomination, election, and inauguration." Unlike other collections of newspaper front pages this one is definitely celebrates triumphant moments.
A quick flip through the book counts about 120 newspaper front-pages. Some fill a full page, others are two to a page, and just a few are featured four to a page. The words of the larger front-pages are easily read by good eyes or with the aid of a magnifying glass.
The book features an Introduction by Howard Dodson, "one of America's leading scholars and lecturers on African-American history and culture." Dodson paints the Democratic primaries as "a titanic struggle between Barack Obama and his populist supporters versus Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party machine." No surprise there.
He dismisses "political challengers ... that began to characterize him as 'just words' - a great speaker, but nothing else." I guess when you win you get to write the history. But this 'history' still has to be played out with performance backing up the 'just words.' The jury is still out there...
Also included in the book are transcripts of five Obama speeches: his candidacy announcement; his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention; his Grant Park victory speech; his Inauguration speech; and finally, a speech at The National Constitution Center, Philadelphia in March, 2008. Much of the last addresses the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy.
All the speeches feature highlighting of random lines/sentences in red ink. What the ..?? Especially curious when they are not particularly cogent to the speech points or to this book.
Obama: The Historic Front Pages is really not about reading paragraphs of text. It is about emotion and memories captured in short, catchy headlines and front-page photographs. At this it excels. Colors are vibrant and clear. Some pages feature short excerpts of the accompanying text. Many others let the headlines and images speak for themselves.
Also included are a number of one- and two-page photographs that capture both Obama and his supporters at various times of the campaign, election, and inauguration. They really add to the 'everyman' feel of the book.
The Bottom Line If you are an Obama believer; if 'Yes We Can' makes you want to throw your hands up in celebration; if 'Hope' reminds you of Barack Obama and not Hope, Arkansas . . .you will probably like this one.
What am I saying..?? Like..?? If the above description matches you . . .you will love Obama: The Historic Front Pages. Your pulse will quicken, your critical thinking skills will melt away, and you will be ready (once again) to join tens of thousands of other Obama supporters in cheering him on.
Hey, I just hope he lives up to his press clippings. Heh, heh. 'front-pages' ...'press clippings' ...get it..??
Celebrate a milestone in American history: The election of President Barack Obama Yes, he did! When Barack Obama became president-elect on November 4,...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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