Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President

Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President [Hardcover]

  • Author by Saslow, Eli

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From Publisher

Every day, President Obama reads ten representative letters among the thousands he receives from citizens across the land. The letters come from people of all ages, walks of life, and political points of view. Some are heart-breaking, some angry, some hopeful. Indeed, Obama reads as many letters addressed "Dear Jackass" as "Dear Mr. President." Eli Saslow, a young and rising star at the "Washington Post," became fascinated by the power of these letters and set out to find the stories behind them.
Through the lens of ten letters to which Obama responded personally, this exceptionally relevant and poignant book explores those individual stories, taking an in-depth look at the misfortunes, needs, opinions, and, yes, anger over the current state of the country that inspired ten people to put pen to paper. Surprisingly, what also emerges from these affecting personal narratives is a story about the astounding endurance and optimism of the American people.
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Ten Letters" is an inspiring and important book about ordi-nary people and the issues they face every day--the very issues that are shaping America's future. This is not an insider Washington book by any means, but a book for the times that tells the real American stories of today.

Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Saslow, staff writer at the Washington Post, samples the American mood by surveying the letters sent to President Obama in this disappointingly superficial survey. Every day, 20,000 Americans write the president, and the White House mail staff selects, and the president reads, 10 letters and e-mails each eveninghe considers them his most important daily reading. The author selects 10 such letters, tracking down their writers, and reporting on their backstories in an effort to personify, if not dramatize, issuesincluding health care reform, failing schools, gay bullying, and immigration reform. As Saslow notes, the unmistakable message of these missives is that America is struggling, but while he notes that the White House mail staff picked the most representative 10 pieces daily, he neglects to reveal the basis for his own 10 selections. The president claims that he learned more about key issues from some letters than he did from his own staff and admits revealingly that he is often frustrated that he cant help the letter writers on an individual basis and be their social worker and advocate. There is much that is moving in such passages, but the writers of the lettersand the issues themselvesdo not emerge clearly enough to sustain our interest or really edify us on the issues at hand. (Oct.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.
From Booklist
Every day, tens of thousands of letters, faxes, and e-mails pour into the White House Correspondence Office. Every night, President Obama sits down with a folder containing 10 of the most compelling messages, reading every one and responding to several with a handwritten note of acknowledgment and encouragement. Pledged on his second day in office, Obama's vow to stay in touch with Americans by acknowledging their passionate words of concern and criticism, quickly became a practice that inspired oratory and instigated policy. Washington Post reporter Saslow tells the stories of 10 of the president's correspondents during those three years, revealing their motivations for writing and examining their letters' repercussions on their writers and the country. In this testament to the power of the written word, the country's most vexing challenges, from health care to housing, are seen through the eyes of both persons directly affected by them and one person uniquely positioned to do something about them.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

Quote Reviews

  • Praise for TEN LETTERS:

    ""Ten Letters" is a luminous book. Eli Saslow, one of the great young journalists in America, has found his way around the cynicism and superficiality of Washington politics to show the profound real-life connections between the White House and the people."
    -- David Maraniss

    "In this testament to the power of the written word, the country's most vexing challenges, from immigration to education, healthcare to housing, are seen through the eyes of both persons directly affected by them and one person uniquely positioned to do something about them."
    "--Booklist"
Product Detail
ISBN: 0385534302
EAN: 9780385534307
Media: Book
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publication Date: 10-2011
Language: English
Pages: 304
Dimensions: 9.20 x 6.40 x 1.10
Weight: 1.30