From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and
The Girls of Atomic City comes a new way to look at American history
through the story of giving thanks.
From Ancient Rome through 21st-century America, bestselling author
Denise Kiernan brings us a biography of an idea: gratitude, as a
compelling human instinct and a global concept, more than just a mere
holiday. Spanning centuries, We Gather Together is anchored amid the
strife of the Civil War, and driven by the fascinating story of Sarah
Josepha Hale, a widowed mother with no formal schooling who became one
of the 19th century's most influential tastemakers and who campaigned
for decades to make real an annual day of thanks.
Populated by an enthralling supporting cast of characters including
Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman,
Norman Rockwell, and others, We Gather Together is ultimately a story
of tenacity and dedication, an inspiring tale of how imperfect people in
challenging times can create powerful legacies.
Working at the helm of one of the most widely read magazines in the
nation, Hale published Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet
Beecher Stowe, and others, while introducing American readers to such
newfangled concepts as "domestic science," white wedding gowns, and the
Christmas tree. A prolific writer, Hale penned novels, recipe books,
essays and more, including the ubiquitous children's poem, "Mary Had a
Little Lamb." And Hale herself never stopped pushing the leaders of her
time, in pursuit of her goal.
The man who finally granted her wish about a national "thanksgiving" was
Lincoln, the president of the war-torn nation in which Hale would never
have the right to vote.
Illuminating, wildly discussable, part myth-busting, part call to
action, We Gather Together is full of unexpected delights and uneasy
truths. The stories of indigenous peoples, immigrant communities,
women's rights activists, abolitionists, and more, will inspire readers
to rethink and reclaim what it means to give thanks in this day and age.
The book's message of gratitude--especially when embraced during the
hardest of times--makes it one to read and share, over and over, at any
time of year.
