Years ago, I associated Dan Rather mostly with this crazy quote I remember hearing him say in real time on the news during the 2000 election: “This race is as tight as a too-small bathing suit on a too-hot car ride back from the beach.”
In more recent years, I know him for his level-headed, poignant, and inspiring posts on social media.
This book is part memoir, part history lesson, and part commentary. Each chapter is an essay on an institution or idea upon which democracy depends and which we as patriots must defend. The tone is conversational, frequently nostalgic, and generally uplifting. Mr. Rather covers a wide range of topics, from obvious principles such as voting rights and freedom of the press to more foundational concepts such as belief in science, pursuit of knowledge and art, and preservation of the environment. In his own life spanning more than 80 years, and in his role as a journalist, Mr. Rather truly had a front-row seat to history, which he outlines in broad strokes as he recounts his personal role in specific events.
As a liberal progressive, I frequently found myself thinking that Mr. Rather was clearly writing about what unites Democrats. Are conservative Republicans also reading this book, hoping to see the potential for a more unified country? I hope they, too, agree that "building tolerance is a worthy way station to a much grander destination of inclusion." (p. 74) It was certainly encouraging to be reminded of times past when our leaders were not so polarized, for example, when President Reagan expressed support for amnesty for undocumented immigrants. (p. 119)
I appreciate that, when addressing some of the darker times of our national history, instead of trying to insist that "this isn't who we are," as many often do, Mr. Rather says, "This is not good enough; we can be better." (p. 17) He stops short of saying that we, as a nation, are defined by the worst of us, but at least he acknowledges that our nation is flawed, and we are on an endless mission to do better.
There is nothing earth-shatteringly insightful in this book, but it is a timely publication, written after the 2016 election. Having read this book in the days surrounding President Biden's inauguration, I actually feel optimistic again. What Unites Us is both a balm for the soul in unsettling times and a call to action to continually work to improve our nation.
