Yes, the President of the United States does have better things to do with his time. So you’ll be pleased to know that he delivered the manuscript before his inauguration.
The 31-page book, entitled Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, honors thirteen Americans who embody traits Obama sees in First Children Malia and Sasha. In addition to George Washington and Jackie Robinson, the list includes Georgia O’Keeffe—who, Obama writes, “helped us see big beauty in what is small”—and Sitting Bull, “who healed broken hearts and broken promises.” Other great Americans, including Madonna and Lindsay Lohan, did not make the cut. (See photos of Obama signing the Health Care Bill into law.)
USA Today reports that Obama will not be giving any interviews, and that all proceeds will go to a scholarship fund that benefits the children of soldiers who have been killed or disabled.
Of Thee I Sing is the final installment of the three-book deal Obama signed with Random House in 2004, while he was a Senator in Illinois. (See pictures of Obama’s first year in the White House.)