What Unites Us - by Dan Rather & Elliot Kirschner (Paperback)

About the Book

At a moment of crisis over our national identity, revered journalist Rather has been reflecting--and writing passionately almost every day on social media--about the world we live in, what our core ideals have been and should be, and what it means to be an American. American.

Book Synopsis

Now featured in the Netflix documentary "Rather", legendary journalist Dan Rather writes with passion and integrity about what it means to be American, especially during these fractured times, in his resonant New York Times bestseller.
"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

"I find myself thinking deeply about what it means to love America, as I surely do." --Dan Rather

During this moment of crisis over our national identity, venerated journalist Dan Rather has been a voice of reason and integrity, reflecting on what it means to be an American. With this collection of original essays, he reminds us of the principles upon which the United States was founded. Looking at the freedoms that define us, from the vote to the press; the values that have transformed us, from empathy to inclusion to service; the institutions that sustain us, such as public education; and the traits that helped form our young country, such as the audacity to take on daunting challenges in science and medicine, Rather brings to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world's biggest stories. As a living witness to historical change, he offers up an intimate view of history, tracing where we have been in order to help us chart a way forward and heal our bitter divisions.

With a fundamental sense of hope, What Unites Us is the book to inspire conversation and listening, and to remind us all how we are, finally, one.

Review Quotes

"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

About the Author

With a storied career that has spanned more than six decades, Dan Rather is one of the world's best-known journalists. He has interviewed every president since Eisenhower and covered almost every important dateline around the world. Rather joined CBS News in 1962, and in 1981 he assumed the position of Anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News, which he held for twenty-four years. His reporting helped turn 60 Minutes into an institution, launched 48 Hours as a newsmagazine program, and shaped countless specials and documentaries. Upon leaving CBS, Rather created the Emmy Award-winning Dan Rather Reports on HDNet. He is founder, president, and CEO of News and Guts, an independent production company that specializes in high-quality nonfiction content across a range of traditional and digital channels.

Elliot Kirschner is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and filmmaker. After a career at CBS, producing for the CBS Evening News, CBS Sunday Morning, and 60 Minutes II, Kirschner joined his longtime collaborator Dan Rather as the senior producer for Dan Rather Reports. He now develops film, television, and digital projects. A graduate of Harvard, Kirschner lives with his family in San Francisco, where he is building an innovative venture in science communication.