Books, NonFiction

To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas

Read YESSS!!!
Length 352
Quick Review A snapshot into the hearts of America. Oh my goodness. I cried so much. Filled with real letters from real Americans with real joys, worries, sorrows, and more. It’s hard not to be affected by it.  

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Reading To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas.

Up until reading To Obama by Jeanne Marie Laskas, I had never even thought of writing to the president. I always was under the impression of “what’s the point?” Up until President Obama, there probably wasn’t much of a point. There was no system.

When Obama walked into the White House, he made sure the mail was a priority. It was a way for him to connect to his people. The mail room was a mess. He decided he wanted to read ten letters a day, which became known as 10LAD. Over time, everyone in the White House was reading the mail, and if they weren’t, they wanted to be. A system was quickly put in place to read and reply to the mail. Occasionally, Obama would reply to a letter writer himself. The letters people sent in would be read and would even affect policy.

The people in the mail room were important, and their job was not easy. They were on the receiving end of every feeling America was having. Their job was not only to process the mail but to process American emotions. They read, they filed, they reported, they responded, they bonded. The workers became close because their experience was a unique one. I wish I could describe it to you, but you should just read To Obama.

There are samples of letters throughout the book. They are so moving. They express feelings and opinions on all sides of the political spectrum. What you believed didn’t matter; what did matter was that Obama believed each and every person mattered. That was the driving force behind the mail room: you matter. It was evident. To Obama was a mantra for so many people. Small children wrote in asking for help on their homework. Partners wrote in expressing their gratitude for the ability to finally marry. Conservatives wrote with disgust. Democrats wrote out of disappointment. Families from 9/11 wrote out of exhaustion. People wrote for so many reasons. Why? Because they felt like they mattered. 

Laskas focused on several letter writers from various backgrounds who wrote for different reasons. This cemented the mission of the mail room in reality, in how it touched people’s lives, in the ways it helped people. Laskas also focused on the people who ran the mail room because they were the ones who kept it going.

It was so well written. I rarely cry over books. I pretty much cried the entirety of To Obama. There is so much pain and happiness and success and failure within the pages. It takes snapshots of American flowing with so much raw emotions. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed taking it all in. I ended up having to read for an hour at a time, so I could take in what I just read. I’m an empath, as so many bookworms are, and it’s an intense read. Considering the outcome of the election, this was an interesting book to take in.

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Memorable Quotes
“Little hard data exists about constituent mail from previous administrations.”
“little by little, voice by voice, the mail could drive actual policy decisions.”

Title: To Obama, With love, joy, anger, and hope
Author: Jeanne Marie Laskas
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525509387

Lifestyle

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Well, Merry Christmas Eve! I have been in full holiday cheer for about a month and a half, so this is very exciting. I am spending the holidays with my parents in Ames, Iowa where I grew up. It’s the first Christmas I have been home in a very long time, so they are incredibly happy to have me. Beau is by my side enjoying her first Christmas full of treats and a big, shiny stick just for her in all the houses she’s been to!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are exciting but also bittersweet for me because it means the end of the season I love so much. This year is slightly different, however. Today is a very special day. It is the day leading up to the day epitomizing cheer, joy, and goodwill towards all! It also marks my one year anniversary.

On this day last year, I launched my blog, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. It was 2:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve when I finally clicked the launch button on all the accounts. I started off with exactly one follower: my best friend. She was sitting in the room with me as she patiently waited for me to finish up my new passion project before we headed to bed. I went to sleep thinking I would have a handful of likes and maybe a follower or two. I woke up to find over two hundred likes on my first post on Instagram. It ended up climbing all day long eventually topping out with over four hundred likes. How this happened on my first go: to this day, I have no idea. It would take me eight months to have another post on Instagram surpass my first one in popularity.

I chose Christmas Eve to launch because it is my favorite holiday, and I thought I would give myself several reasons to celebrate for years to come. I didn’t know it then, but it was a great decision. I have always found myself incredibly grateful on this day, and this community and experience has added to my appreciation of this beautiful world I live in.

I began this adventure with a review of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and a post of my bookshelves and tree. So I will come full circle with another post of my bookshelves and Christmas tree. As luck would have it, Christmas Eve is landing on #shelfiesunday!

I don’t have much to say other than:

  • Merry Christmas
  • I hope you receive armfuls of books.
  • Thank you for a wonderful year.
  • I am looking forward to seeing where this next year takes us.

In a year, this has evolved from a minute hobby with one follower and no hopes to something far more amazing and fulfilling than I could have imagined. I have loved every minute getting to know this beautiful community I am a part of. At the beginning, I knew next to nothing. I have learned so much with more still to learn. I can’t imagine my life without this venture of mine anymore.