Mama in Congress: Rashida Tlaib's Journey to Washington by Miranda Paul, Rashida Tlaib
Published by HarperCollins US on January 4, 2023
ISBN: 0358683432
Pages: 40
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

Rashida Tlaib (pronounced Ta-LEEB) has written a picture book with her son Adam and Miranda Paul, describing how Tlaib, daughter of Palestinian immigrants to Detroit, became the first Muslim woman to represent Michigan’s 12th congressional district in the US House. Told from the perspective of Tlaib’s school-age children, Adam and Yousif, this first person narrative makes the story, and government accessible.

It starts with the brief background of Tlaib’s immigrant parents and growing up the oldest of 14 children. Adam relates his mother’s experiences — feeling unwelcome as a first-generation American raised in poverty and environmental factors that impacted the quality of life in their poor neighborhood — to her reasons for becoming involved in politics. The illustrations are engaging and take care to be inclusive of the people whom Tlaib represents and advocates for. There are accounts of her failures, her successes, and difficulties along the way. The back matter contains a visual representation of the three branches of the US government and their responsibilities as well as a glossary of cultural and political words readers may not be familiar with. A timeline connecting Tlaib’s experience to the history taking place around her would have been helpful.

A recommended title for any school library where government organization is part of the curriculum and any public library looking for books that help readers relate to the government elected to serve them. School children might know about their government representatives but seeing these individuals as persons with families and backgrounds like their own will open their eyes to why government representatives should see them, too.

Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS
Young School Librarian, Saco