What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism

by Dan Rather Narrated by Dan Rather

Overview

In a collection of original essays, the venerated television journalist, Dan Rather, celebrates our shared values and what matters most in our great country, and shows us what patriotism looks like. Writing about the institutions that sustain us, such as public libraries, public schools, and national parks; the values that have transformed us, such as the struggle for civil rights; and the drive toward science and innovation that has made the United States great, Rather will bring to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world's biggest stories, and offer readers a way forward.



After a career spent as reporter and anchor for CBS News, where he interviewed every living President since Eisenhower and was on the ground for every major event, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to Watergate to 9/11, Rather has also become a hugely popular voice of reason on social media, with nearly two million Facebook followers and an engaged new audience who help to make many of his posts go viral. With his famously plainspoken voice and a fundamental sense of hope, Rather has written the book to inspire conversation and listening, and to remind us all how we are ultimately united.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

09/04/2017
Longtime newsman Rather (Rather Outspoken) partners with Kirschner, senior producer of Rather’s show Dan Rather Reports, to explore the core components of patriotism during the current period of political tumult, offering essays titled “Inclusion,” “The Arts,” and “The Environment,” along with “The Vote,” “The Press,” and “Service.” Rather employs an earnest and optimistic tone (“I remind myself and others that we have been through big challenges in the past, that it often seems darkest in the present”) that provides a pleasant alternative to the reliance on vitriol and irony in modern political discourse, but the deliberate tone also gives the individual essays a feeling of sameness and diminishes their power when read successively. Nevertheless, the book inspires. Rather draws on memories from his Texas boyhood and from a storied news career spanning more than 60 years in order to explore the core of the American project. These recollections are bolstered with firsthand accounts of historical events including the civil rights movement, the McCarthy hearings, and the Watergate scandal. Rather has issued a stirring call for overcoming today’s strident partisanship. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

A tonic for our times . . . Rather's writing shows why he has won the admiration of a new generation. In these essays, he gives voice to the marginalized and rips off the journalistic shield of objectivity to ring the alarm bell when he witnesses actions he fears undermine the principles of American democracy. That, undoubtedly, is patriotic. And it takes courage.”
—USA Today

“[A] much-needed collection of essays from Rather on American values, from the importance of empathy, inclusion and service to the qualities that helped found the nation.”
—New York Post (Required Reading)

“One of American’s most trusted voices . . . reminds us what’s great about this country in a time of unprecedented polarization.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“What Unites Us . . . stirringly melds memoir with a meditation on American values, including patriotism, inclusion and dissent.”
—CNN.com

“Interweaving sweet personal stories with history, [Rather] makes a simple, compelling case for America . . . a clear-eyed love letter to USA. A tonic for disaffected millennials and conservative grandpas alike.”
—People (Book of the Week)

“From his vantage point as one of this country’s most revered broadcasters, Rather analyzes the current state of disconnected discourse in a series of reflective essays that go to the heart of what it means to be an American.”
—Booklist (starred review)

"What Unites Us is at times almost unbearably poignant. Yet Rather’s words provide a sort of salve—and clear thinking about how to recover from these ugly times. What Unites Us is a passionate treatise on preserving the best of America and letting go of that which makes us weaker.”
—BookPage

“If everyone could adopt the measured tone of Rather . . . you begin to feel that political chasms could be crossed . . . Rather implores you to step back into the world with compassion and gumption, global existential crises be damned.”
—Austin Chronicle

“[A]n essential read for anyone swept up in the current national conversation.”
—TimeOut.com

“A full-throated celebration of the national spirit and its potential to persevere.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Provides a pleasant alternative to the reliance on vitriol and irony in modern political discourse . . . Rather has issued a stirring call for overcoming today’s strident partisanship.”
—Publishers Weekly

Library Journal - Audio

03/01/2018
This collection of personal essays from legendary journalist Rather serves to refocus our ideas about patriotism during a time of intense partisanship and bitter divide. Rather taps into childhood memories and decades' worth of experiences as a journalist to dispel divisive rhetoric and recall the principles that bond Americans. Listeners are reminded of core U.S. values such as our unwavering pursuit of justice (seen in the civil rights struggle), insatiable desire for information and learning (investment in public libraries), and our fascination with innovation and science (the space race). Rather shares his hope for a return to a time when empathy for others is seen as a strength rather than a weakness. This book's message is masterfully crafted and intentionally avoids assigning blame as not to slip into political ugliness. Rather's narration allows his genuine passion and love of country to stand out. Many listeners will enjoy his comfortable and familiar voice. VERDICT This book has appeal to everyone, with some added interest for Rather fans and those interested in American history. ["Rather's writing exudes warmth and humility": LJ 12/17 review of the Algonquin hc.]—Sean Kennedy, Univ. of Akron Lib.

DECEMBER 2017 - AudioFile

In this era of hyper-partisanship, it is helpful to review the values that unite us. Veteran newscaster Dan Rather does just that in this audiobook, exploring themes such as community, patriotism, and immigration. At the heart of it all is empathy, which Rather says is clearly lacking in many national leaders. Not surprisingly, given his TV background, Rather offers a smooth, easy-on-the-ears reading. Because he cares so deeply about his subject and because portions of his book are highly personal, there is an undertone of emotion in his delivery. That emotion never rises to the level of stridency, and the control he demonstrates adds even more power to his reading. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-09-04
One of the deans of the Fourth Estate defends the traditional American values he learned to cherish in childhood, now under threat in a tempestuous political and economic climate.With straightforward chapter names like "The Press," "Empathy," and "The Environment," "Science," and "Public Education," Rather (Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News, 2012, etc.) expounds on the qualities and characteristics that he believes make America great and on what must be done to overcome the formidable challenges it faces. His own profession is among those most at risk: "Presently, the institution of a free press in America is in a state of crisis greater than I have ever seen in my lifetime, and perhaps in any moment in the nation's history." Brief essays on each topic incorporate sepia-toned vignettes from Rather's childhood or his storied career, although rarely does he go into significant detail. Overall, the tone is something of a greatest-hits compilation of American civic life and the national spirit, and readers may be forgiven for thinking that the book was rushed to respond to the election. Rather stresses the importance of standing firm against a coarsening of values, noting, "in moments like the present, when our government has become erratic and threatens our constitutional principles, dissent is doubly necessary to resist a slide into greater autocracy." He also asks, "when did we accept a can't-do spirit from so many of our national leaders?" Disappointingly for one of the country's most famous investigative journalists, Rather never fully investigates anything here, hitting all the well-rehearsed, expected topics, many of which he has already potently addressed through social media. Though the situation is dire, he remains optimistic, reminding readers that "we have been through big challenges in the past, that it often seems darkest in the present." A full-throated celebration of the national spirit and its potential to persevere in spite of dangers foreign and domestic.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171389017
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos