Barry Obama and the Stone of Alternative Power

Book publishers have finally found their new Harry Potter to sell what children’s literature pedlars call “a f#$kton of books”: 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. In fact, they started publishing the books before he was even elected.

So far, they’ve been biographies, including:

  • Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes
  • Barack by Jonah Winter
  • Yes We Can by Garen Thomas
  • Change Has Come: An Artist Celebrates Our American Spirit, a collection of black-and-white drawings by Kadir Nelson (Why do the pictures have to be black and white, Kadir?)

To put this in perspective, the linked article only mentions one book about John McCain, and his daughter wrote it. (Nepotism?)

Of course, once kids are tired of the biographical route, we’re sure some more interesting books will follow this refreshing new character.

Literary Match of the Century: Ender vs. Harry

Oh, god. Rowling's gonna sue us next.As J.K. Rowling and over-indulged fans of her books take turns crying in court, the rest of the world waits with baited breath to see who will win: the children’s author who lived or “scholarly” authors looking to validate their term papers on kids’ books.

The argument could rage on forever. Both sides are convinced that they have been wronged, that their very livelihoods are at stake and that literature could be hobbled for the foreseeable future. Who can stop this war that threatens the English-reading world and life as we know it?

Ender freakin’ Wiggin could.

Well, really his creator, celebrated science fiction author, Orson Scott Card. In a scathing editorial for The Rhinoceros Times, Card points to the similarities between Rowling’s “creative” seven-time repeat of the same book and the story he only had to write once (twice if you count Ender’s Shadow, but that was admittedly the same story told through another perspective and still consisted of more scene changes than Potter’s entire series).

“A young kid growing up in an oppressive family situation suddenly learns that he is one of a special class of children with special abilities, who are to be educated in a remote training facility where student life is dominated by an intense game played by teams flying in midair, at which this kid turns out to be exceptionally talented and a natural leader. He trains other kids in unauthorized extra sessions, which enrages his enemies, who attack him with the intention of killing him; but he is protected by his loyal, brilliant friends and gains strength from the love of some of his family members. He is given special guidance by an older man of legendary accomplishments who previously kept the enemy at bay. He goes on to become the crucial figure in a struggle against an unseen enemy who threatens the whole world.”

The Boy Who Lived is in serious trouble this time, gang: he’s up against the Boy Who Commited Xenocide.