What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism
Written by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner
Narrated by Dan Rather
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
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.
Dan Rather
Dan 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 the 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.
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Reviews for What Unites Us
108 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book takes you on a journey throughout all the major political events and major Civil Rights changes as told through the lens of one of the most trusted reports of our time. This should be required reading in all American History & Civics classes. Our entire society would be all the better for it, to be able to really take in these lessons & understand the insights offered on our History, the 4th Estate, and what Patriotism really looks like.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Meh. Kind of negative to me. Should have been called "What is under attack, and by whom". Even when mentioning great achievements from the past, he could not resist mentioning the inequities of the benefits gained by them.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Didn’t think I was going to like this audiobook as much as I did... Rather gives great insights on our national unity. The book flows very smoothly & made the +5hr run time fly by!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mr. Dan Rather, thank you for this book, and foremost, for the much needed reminder of what is decent and good in America. You reminded me of my small town PA upbringing, the morals and patriotism instilled by great teachers! I loved your comparison between patriotism and nationalism and share your concern over current leadership and the impact on future generations. With great hope, I look ahead knowing in my ❤ heart that the goodness and morality and inclusion you spoke of in bygone days is returning to America. Thank you Mr. Dan Rather for sharing your story and America's story. God bless you & Semper Fidelis!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I wanted to like this one more than I did. Rather is capable of writing insightful and moving observations about America, but many of these essays feel disorganized with dissipated messages.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a wonderful collection of 15 essays on what it means to be an American, what unites us, and things to consider. Sadly, I don’t think the people who need to read this will do so.#WhatUnitesUsReflectionsOnPatriotism#DanRather
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In these days before the 2020 election I have been reading Dan Rather's What Unites Us, recently released in paperback form. I was able to join Politics and Prose Bookstore's Zoom talk with Rather. He was interviewed by Jennifer Steinhauer, whose book The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress I read a few months ago.Rather lays out the shared values Americans which can become a platform for building consensus in our divided country. One person, one vote. The freedom of speech, to dissent; freedom of the press--no matter how flawed. The importance of science and knowledge, even if we disagree over specific ideas. Education. Our desire to be an empathetic people.Rather hopes his book can be a jumping off place for dialogue, starting a much needed conversation. Rather harkens back to his childhood and draws from his years as a journalist. He first defines patriotism as opposed to nationalism and ends with what it means to be a citizen. In the Zoom talk, a listener asked Rather if the country has ever been as divided as it is today. He recalled the 1960s when rebellions and nonviolent protests erupted over war and racism. Today, he notes, protests include a broader demographic mix in age, class and ethnicity. "I'm a reporter who got lucky, very, very lucky," the eighty-nine-year-old Rather responded to being called a 'national treasure.' His tip for aging well? Rather replied luck, genetics, God's grace, determination, and dedicating one's life to something bigger than yourself, and finding a life companion who sticks with you through thick and thin.Some of my favorite quotes from the book:Dissent can sometimes be uncomfortable, but it is vital in a democracy.Like so many others in our country, I journeyed from ignorance to tolerance to inclusion.Empathy builds community, Communities strengthen a country and its resolve and will to fight back...I worry that our nation today suffers from a deficit of empathy, and this is especially true of many in positions of national leadership.I remind myself and others that we have been through big challenges in the past, that it often seems darkest in the present. The pendulum of our great nations seems to have swung toward conceit and unsteadiness once again, but it is in our power to wrest it back. Ultimately, democracy is an action more than a belief. The people's voice, your voice, must be heard for it to have an effect.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A timely book for all of us to reflect on, share, and learn from each other!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced eChapter: Books. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rather's collection of essays offers both hope and warning about the future of America. He understands and deeply appreciates the elements that have uniquely combined to become the American Ideal and Character and his book is a worning about the dangers we bring upon ourselves as we abandon those very values and virtues. Yet, the book has an overall positive tone, one that asserts that the problems are serious and great and the failure to resolve them treaten disasterous consequences, yet he clearly tempers that warning with the belief that we can and will rise above the threats to ourselves that we now endure.
The book is a must read for all of us who want to believe in a better future than the one we appear to be building for ourselves today. He sounds the warning to be "steady" and not to give in to dispair while also not reaching for simplist solutions. While most Americans take their news and information from a network that offers only propoganda and imbalance is a serious problem, and the return to long suppressed racist values speaks badly of a nation which had previously been the world leader in hope, truth and justice, we remain a nation where the arc of justice can prevail, and we can once again ascend to very ideals that built our character and provided our greatness. But we have to turn the ship around and look again to what we can do and become rather than working so hard to return to an ideal of times past which never really existed as we remember them anyway. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If you've ever wanted to be hugged by Dan Rather, this will do the trick.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In these troubling days, I often turned to comedians such as Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert to keep me sane. Another person with a voice of reason is Dan Rather, the ex-CBS news anchor, who recently re-emerged in social media with his thoughts on the current political situation and life in the U.S.A. Written in an essay format, Rather elaborates on his views on 15 themes, the sum of which is his definition of true patriotism. Inevitably, these viewpoints will be treated negatively by selected readers as his perspective leans against the current administration (big surprise). He shared intimately of his background, his youth, his family, his old neighborhood, and his profession to explain the source of his passion and his viewpoints.Our Freedom is dependent on our responsibility in exercising our Vote, to express Dissent when it is necessary and right, and for the Press to accurately and thoroughly message the situation, which is far from the sound-bite type of news that we are getting these days. To have a meaningful Community (=nation), we must have Inclusion of the diverse population, Empathy for those with less, and embrace Immigration as a founding pillar of this country and a source of growth and betterment. To grow and improve, we must have Exploration of Science, enable literacy through Books, and allow The Arts to flourish and express the truth. As individuals and especially for the leaders of this nation, we have a Responsibility towards The Environment, to ensure quality Public Education is available to all, and to participate in Service to this country. Lastly, for our Character, we must have the Audacity to think BIG, to have the fortification to remain Steady on our courses especially in times of distress, and last but not least, to have Courage to accomplish our dreams and goals. All the capitalized words, excluding start of sentences, in the above paragraph are the section and chapter titles of this book. Read the book to get the extended version of his messages. :)Some Quotes:On Patriotism:“It is important not to confuse ‘patriotism’ with ‘nationalism.’ As I define it, nationalism is a monologue in which you place your country in a position of moral and cultural supremacy over others. Patriotism, while deeply personal is a dialogue with your fellow citizens, and a larger world, about not only what you love about your country but also how it can be improved. Unchecked nationalism leads to conflict and war. Unbridled patriotism can lead to the betterment of society. Patriotism is rooted in humility. Nationalism is rooted in arrogance.”On the role of the Press:“…We are seeing living proof of the wisdom of our Founders, who conceived of the First Amendment as a check on tyranny – an accountability that was missing in Orwell’s vision in 1984. But while these may be heroic times for journalists, the outcome of the battle between propaganda and deception on the one hand and unbiased reporting on the other is far from clear. No one has a monopoly on the truth, but the whole premise of our democracy is that truth and justice must win out. And the role of a trained journalist is to get as close to the truth as is humanly possible. Make no mistake: We are being tested. Without a vibrant, fearless free press, our great American experiment may fail.” On Inclusion:“…A society worthy of our ideals would be a much more inclusive one, a more integrated one. It would be a place where we continually strive to create a better whole out of our many separate parts. This is a sentiment that itself stretches back our founding. Our first national motto was E pluribus unum, ‘From many, one.” From many states, we are one nation. And from many peoples, we should be society. Under this framework, building tolerance is a worthy way station to a much grander destination of inclusion…”On Science and its intolerance:“…Back in 1980, the science-fiction author Isaac Asimov wrote, ‘There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’’ It is what the comedian Stephen Colbert dubbed ‘truthiness,’ a feeling that an erroneous opinion that ‘sounds’ just as valid as the actual truth. But while these forces have always been present in American society, I have never seen them infect our national discourse as much as they do now…”On Art:“…art shouldn’t be about impressing others; whether you are an individual or a nation, art is about engaging in a candid dialogue with yourself.”
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Earnest, pragmatic, compassionate: What Unites Us provides a soothing, cathartic experience that only the wisdom and experience of Dan Rather could provide, which is fine bibliotherapy in these dangerous times.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I have watched this amazing man, journalist from my television set for many years. This man who had traveled extensively, seen much, reporting to the world what he has experienced. A man I deeply respect. Even though this was not an audio book I could imagine his voice reading his words. For me this was an amazing book, a book that covers so much, that put so eloquently the thoughts I have had since our election, more ably than I could.He explains how far are country has come, where we have been. The rights all groups of people deserve. He feels as many of us do that we are going backwards. The very ideals that made this country strong from the beginning are the ones once again dividing us. How lucky we are to live in a country where we are granted so many freedoms, the power of dissent, the power to speak out against. Where journalism is heading, and where it has been. So much, a book I believe all should read. A book that my small review can not do justice to.His thoughts are conveyed in chapters, he covers the importance of books, reading, staying informed, the arts, and so much more. I found this book so informative, a short book that makes an impact.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5POLITICS/GOVERNMENTDan Rather, Elliot KirschnerWhat Unites Us: Reflections on PatriotismAlgonquin BooksHardcover, 978-1-6162-0782-3, (also available as an e-book and audio book), 288 pgs., $22.95November 7, 2017 “Who can say definitely when and how it begins, that first, faint sense of place, of belonging; that trickle that eventually becomes a wellspring of deep emotional ties to one’s homeland?” What is Patriotism? This is the question Dan Rather examines in What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism, the new collection of sixteen essays written with his longtime collaborator Elliot Kirschner. “It is important not to confuse ‘patriotism’ with ‘nationalism,’” Rather says. Then he separates Patriotism into what he believes are its five essential components: Freedom, Community, Exploration, Responsibility, and Character. These five components are further subdivided into such subjects as voting, dissent, immigration, the arts, service, and education. Rather feels that Americans are being tested and there’s a task before us. He also believes that we are up to the challenge. Rather writes passionately and eloquently about his sense of urgency that moved him to write this book, stirring me to tears at times. His “greatest desire for this book is that it encourage conversation and debate about what it means to be an American today.” Rather’s career is currently enjoying a renaissance, especially his Facebook notes. At eighty-six, he is Texas’s elder statesman of journalism. His life has spanned enormous changes in our world, and his career has allowed him a front-row seat to many of them. Rather’s vantage point offers a sweeping view of these transformations, from his Great Depression and World War II childhood, to the beginnings of his career when he reported on civil rights, the assassination of JFK, and the Vietnam War, through Watergate, Iran-Contra, hanging chads, and the terror attacks of 9/11. What Unites Us benefits from these experiences as Rather illustrates many of his subjects with examples from Texas history and his childhood in East Texas during Jim Crow. There are a few valuable, concise history lessons in What Unites Us, including immigration, Carnegie libraries in Texas, and public education. Rather is mostly balanced in his writing without resorting to the spreading plague of false equivalency. A man after my own heart, he includes an entire essay devoted to books. He urges us to return to the audacity of big ideas and exploration, but simultaneously “steady as she goes.” What Unites Us is not a work that breaks new ground. The collection is basic, or it should be. Our current times are infected by willful ignorance and aggressive hostility. Rather emphasizes the “purgatory of tolerance” as not good enough, and he is correct—our goal should be inclusion. We should love our country like adults, not like a four-year-old loves his mother. As Rather writes, “I see my love of country imbued with a responsibility to bear witness to its faults.” Save Oh, the Places You’ll Go for your kindergartener; What Unites Us would be a terrific gift to ground high school graduates in the principles of good citizenship. “We are bound together by a grand experiment in government, the rule of law, and common bonds of citizenship,” Rather writes. “This is what it means to be an American.”Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.