Book Nook: Mama in Congress

 Mama in Congress is both a biography and educational tool that serves as an early introduction to civic engagement and how the government works. Rashida Tlaib, the eldest of 14 siblings, experienced prejudice and poverty growing up, yet makes it to Washington, D.C. as one the first Muslim women elected to Congress. Yousif Tlaib, curious about his mom’s job, asks his older brother Adam, and learns about how elections and our government work, what it means to break barriers, what motivates their mom, and how love and family have navigated them throughout. 

Rashida Tlaib is an American politician and lawyer, a well-known progressive and member of “the Squad,” and, in her own words, “a mother working for justice for all.” Her two young sons are at the root of her unwavering passion to help change lives for the better. She is the oldest of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit, the proud daughter of Palestinian immigrant parents. Rashida made history in 2008 by becoming the first Muslim woman to ever serve in the Michigan Legislature and is currently the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district.