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May 24, 2017 The Skanner Page 7 BOOK REVIEW: ‘Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama’ by David J. Garrow William Morrow Hardcover, $45.00 1472 pages ISBN: 978-0-06-264183-0 By Kam Williams For The Skanner News “Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic Na- tional Convention instantly catapult- ed him into the na- tional spotlight and led to his election four years later as America’s first Afri- can-American pres- ident. In this pene- trating biography, David J. Garrow de- livers an epic work about the life of Barack Obama, creating a rich tapestry of a life little understood, until now... In Rising Star, Garrow has created a vivid por- trait that reveals not only the people and forces that shaped the future presi- dent but also the ways in which he used those influ- ences to serve his larger aspirations. This is a grip- “ Any Obama fan is likely to find this in-depth portrait fascinating, as it is filled with plenty of little-known factoids and anecdotes about him ping read about a young man born into uncom- mon family circumstanc- es, whose faith in his own talents came face-to-face with fantastic ambitions and a desire to do good in the world.” —Excerpted from the Bookjacket F about about POTUS 44’s time in the White House, too. Any Obama fan is like- ly to find this in-depth portrait fascinating, as it is filled with plenty of little-known factoids and anecdotes about him. For example, it chronicles a childhood spent mostly on Hawaii where he was basically raised by his or some reason, presidential biog- raphies by Pulitzer Prize-winners tend to be rather lengthy. Consider David Mc- Cullough’s on John Ad- ams (752 pages) and Har- ry Truman (1120 pages), Doris Kearns Goodwin’s on Abe Lincoln (1,341 pages) and FDR (760 pag- es), and Robert Caro’s continuing series on LBJ (3,180 pages and count- ing). Now, another Pulitzer Prize-winner, David J. Garrow, has published an epic opus of 1,472 pag- es on the life of Barack Obama, focusing on the years prior to the presi- dency. And it’s a safe bet that Garrow just might eventually write a sequel maternal grandparents in the absence of both his mother and father. Garrow also docu- ments “Barry’s” use of marijuana in high school and of cocaine in college, when he started prefer- ring “Barack.” And the author reveals the iden- tity of the woman Obama lived with for a couple of years during his stint in Chicago as a grassroots organizer. We also learn that Obama not only worked with a lot of Bible-thump- ing sisters during his initial stint in the Windy City, but that he was already planning to become president of the United States way back then. And there’s the blow-by-blow of his strained relationship with Genevieve Cook, the rudderless White wom- an he dated during his tenure in New York City. Everything you always wanted to know about Barack Obama but were afraid to ask, and then some! Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: Prince Charming Courts Sickly Next-Door Neighbor in ‘Everything, Everything’ By Kam Williams For The Skanner News I t’s Maddy Whittier’s (Amandla Stenburg) 18th birthday, but she won’t be celebrating the occasion at a party or restaurant. In fact, she won’t be leaving the house or even having friends over anytime soon. That’s because she has SCID, a rare genetic disorder that basically makes her allergic to ev- erything. Consequently, she’s been stuck inside a her- metically-sealed house since being diagnosed with the disease at the age of three, shortly af- ter her father and broth- er’s untimely deaths in a terrible car crash. Lucky for Maddy, her mom, Pauline (Anika Noni Rose), is a physi- cian who could afford to raise her in a luxurious, if sterile, environment free of the germs that could compromise her immune system in an in- stant. Although Maddy grew up curious about the outside world, she’s gotten used to explor- ing it over the internet with the help of online courses and a support group for kids with her illness. Then, Maddy re- ceives the best birth- day gift she could ever imagine when new neighbors move in right next door. For, one member of the family, Olly (Nick Rob- inson), is a boy about her own age. And all it takes is a glance through the glass win- dow for the handsome hunk to fall head-over- heels in love with her. The ardent admirer uses sign language to ask Maddy for her phone number, before typing “U R beautiful” in his very first text. Olly’s zeal only in- creases upon learning about her affliction, and he asks if there’s any way he could be SAVE THE DATE The Skanner Foundation MLK Breakfast January 15 2018 NEW LOCATION! ‘Everything, Everything’ decontaminated to come over for a visit. But that’s against doc- tor’s orders, especially mom’s, which forces the lovebirds to admire each other from afar. Hor- mones raging, Maddy is suddenly discontent with her sheltered ex- istence in an antiseptic gilded cage. Will she recklessly abandon the protective bubble to rush into the arms of a perfect Prince Charming she barely knows? That is the burning question at the heart of “Everything, Every- thing,” a bittersweet, bil- dungsroman based on the young adult novel by Nicola Yoon. The picture was directed by Stella Meghie who successful- ly adapted the book into a syrupy soap opera cer- tain to satisfy fans of the source material. A tender enough tear- jerker to dehydrate even this crabby curmud- geon! Excellent HHHH Rated PG-13 for mature themes and brief sensu- ality Running time: 96 min- utes Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures To see a trailer for Ev- erything, Everything, vis- it TheSkanner.com
