I haven't read Dan Rather's original essays, What Unites Us, upon which this graphic novel adaptation is based on, so I can't say whether the translation works. However, I found the graphic novels essays to be thought provoking, easy to digest, and easy to read and understand. Something, though, is lacking and leaves me feeling a little cold reading this. Was more substance present in the text and got lost in adapting to graphic format? Or perhaps this idealized version of America just doesn't ring true to me anymore.

Publication Date: March 9, 2021

When large historical events happen in America, as Americans, we look to our long time news analysts to use their lived lens and long history observing and reporting on society to make sense of the chaos and give us their take on events as they unfold. Therefore, when the January 6, 2020 insurrection at the US Capitol happened in Washington DC, The Tonight Show Host, Jimmy Fallon, went to revered retired news anchor Dan Rather to both share his observation and give a calming perspective on what he saw.

Of the insurrection, Rather says, "it was like watching a very bad horror movie."

I started this graphic novel right after watching his interview and Dan Rather, in that same calming voice that clearly reports out atrocities to democracy is consistent in his message that "if we hold steady, we are going to be ok." (as he keeps humming patriotic tunes like God Bless America "land that I love/Stand beside her and guide her/Through the night with the light from above. . .")

This graphic novel, based on his book of essays by the same title, uses the American fine line drawings of Tim Foley to bring these very relevant essays to younger audiences. As I read, I just felt comfort that although something like this, meaning the storming of the capitol incited by rhetoric from a sitting president, has never happened in US history before, we are going to be ok.

Rather has a historical counter to the day's actions as a result of President Trump's rhetoric inciting violence:
I have seen how a nation can pick itself up and make progress, even at divisive and dysfunctional political moments. . .I have found that the vast majority of men and women, and children I have met over the course of my life are kind and well intentioned. . .For all the stories of misdeeds on which I have reported, there have been many more of heroic actions and communal empathy.
When I find myself a witness to events that I know will have an impact on all of our lives going forward, this book will be a calming beacon through the night to remind us that we are still here, and that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

I think regarding the move from protest to insurrection by a Trump-fueled mob, Rather, in this book would share this, by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes:
I think we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe. . .unless they so imminently threaten immediate interference with the lawful and pressing purposes of the law and that an immediate check is required to save the country.
The fact that our senators rallied to return to finish their certification of the votes is definitely the "check required to save the country" and as the days go by, I have been heartened by the quiet stories of "heroic actions and communal empathy" like the staff members who had the foresight to protect and take the ballot box with them, as well as New Jersey representative Andy Kim (D) who saw the desecration of the Capitol and, after he did his job to ratify the vote for President Elect Biden and VP Harris, grabbed a rubbish bag to help clean up the mess left behind by the looters.

Final note: I received an advance egalley of this book from Net Galley and the publisher First Second Books. Because of their generosity, I try not post a review more than a month before the scheduled publication date, however, I am publishing early because this graphic novel is so timely, and so important to be in classrooms today. This should be pre ordered, so I am publishing this a couple of months early. This has brought me comfort. I hope it brings students and the teachers who need to lead these difficult conversations in the coming months comfort too.

I've always really admired Dan Rather - his integrity has shown through in many difficult moments in our nation's history (including recent times). I was interested in reading his book but when I saw it as a graphic novel version, I was even more intrigued. This is a wonderful story that I'd recommend for all young adults. It describes some really hard times in America's past (Vietnam War, McCarthyism, JFK's assassination, etc.) and how Americans were able to come together to overcome them. Rather also gives his unique perspective on current struggles - everything from climate change to LGBTQ rights. Because he's lived through a lot, he offers great wisdom on a lot of different issues.

The artwork for this graphic novel is simple but effective. The color scheme sticks to red, blue, black, and white; I thought it was really creative how the red and blue colors were used when discussing partisan issues. The way the panels are laid out also helps to create a flowing narrative that easily holds the reader's attention.

Although I've seen some negative reviews on Goodreads (mostly people who don't like Rather's left-leaning opinions), I thought the book's theme of what unites us was really moving and powerful. For young readers, this is a great way to introduce historical events and their context without seeming boring. I also appreciated that Rather included sections of his own story to provide a personal perspective for the reader. I'll be recommending this to young adults or anyone who wants an insightful look at our country's past and where we're headed in the future.

At its heart, What Unites Us is a memoir of an elderly white man’s life from the casual racism of his youth to the Trump administration’s perceived nationalism. It also attempts to explain what is causing our national chaos and how we can, and should, move forward toward a kinder, more inclusive, society.

The book will quickly divide readers on party lines. If you are a Trump supporter, you will not enjoy this book. In fact, the author condemns the current nationalistic mood of the country. MAGA supporters, with their dislike of immigration, are not true patriots according to the book. Mr. Rather writes these words as Trump just begins his presidential term. I am reading and reviewing the book in December 2020, just as Trump’s term ends. Many of the book’s predictions have come horribly true. Yelling fraud, with no evidence because you lost the election, is tantamount to discarding our fundamental democratic process.

While What Unites Us occasionally seems almost preachy at times, it is an interesting read especially for a liberal high school student interested in US politics. It uses telling, rather than showing, and so it is much slower-paced than the usual graphic novel. The artwork is rather blah line drawings with two color backgrounds. For these reasons, 3 stars.

Thanks to First Second Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dan Rather has a very slightly rosy view of America. This book is an illustrated version of a series of essays he wrote about how he felt about the United States, both drawing from his years as a reporter as well as growing up poor, during the Depression.

It is a very White, Male point of view. It is the party line of American being the best and the brightest. He talks about how wonderful Carnegie was for giving people libraries, without acknowledging how he made his riches by exploiting the working class. He talks about how wonderful the founding fathers were with their checks and balances, without noting how this has all fallen apart with the Republicans and the current (until Jan 20, 2021) occupant of the White House, and how together they have torn apart those self-same checks and balances.

Granted, these essays were first published in 2017, back when we were just learning the horrors of what the Orange Mango in the White House was up to.

So, I won't fault the author for missing those things. But on the other hand, his history of the greatness of the melting pot (or mosaic, as he later refers to it), is that we all pull together. He does acknowledge civil rights, in bits, but in other bits, it is the history we are taught in school, rather than what actually happened.

So, while this might be a good book as an introduction to US civics, as something that someone would casually read, it lacks something. It is a bit too long and drawn out.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

What Unites Us was an enjoyable way to digest a heavy topic with roots in our countries history as well as current events. The illustrations helped to move the story along and create an exceptable level of context for the dialogue throughout the essays. Personally though I love comics and graphic novels I believe these essays are best communicated through text as opposed to the slower pace of a comic book. That being said, I am happy that these excellent essays will reach a larger audience through this medium.

I have not read the book this graphic novel is based in, but after reading the graphic novel, I think I will have to read it.
This graphic novel is broken into 6 chapters with each chapter broken up into 2 or the sections based around one idea. Rather uses personal anecdotes, history, and excerpts from famous speeches and interviews to expound on and explain the importance of the idea.
Overall, this work was very inspirational. From ideas on the nature of patriotism to the importance of science and education in American culture, this book does a great job explaining the basis of what it means to be an American. Many of the sections could be read and analyzed in a government or civics course (given the language, it could be appropriate from 7th grade on) to give students an introduction to what it means to be an involved citizen.
I would recommend this graphic novel as an introduction or inspiration to others to become more civically minded and active.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I so badly wanted to like this. Dan Rather is a fantastic journalist who covered all the most important stories of my life and of my parents' lives. However, this book was fairly meaningless and rang hollow. Rather seems to truly believe that we are all united in improving the country, even as he gives example after example after example of groups throughout American history working against others. It read like a trite essay from a high school student who knows what to say to score points on the rubric, but doesn't understand that his evidence doesn't match his thesis statement.

From a reader's standpoint, the graphic novel was annoying to read: every background was blue or red (which is hard on the eyes after 250 pages), and there were multiple words in every sentence that were italicized and bolded. When everything is important, nothing is important.

Graphic novel adaptation of Dan Rather's acclaimed What Unites Us. Part memoir and part history lesson, Rather's exploration of core American values (as well as the increasing partisanship) is largely locked within his own personal experience and lifetime. The graphic novel is a faster way to read the original text, but neither version is groundbreaking.