Denise Kiernan, in "We Gather Together," touches on American politics, war, and a beloved holiday that Americans celebrate annually. Kiernan focuses, in particular, on a remarkable woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, who was born in 1788 in New Hampshire. When she was twenty-six, Sarah married a lawyer, David Hale, who died far too young of pneumonia in 1822. Left with five children to support, Sarah Hale made her living with her pen. She edited a popular lady's magazine for decades and wrote poetry, novels, and works of non-fiction. As if this were not enough, she was an advocate for helping the needy, allowing women to own property, and providing every girl with an education that would "give her the full development of all her personal, mental, and moral qualities." Hale worked into her eighties and passed away at the age of ninety.

For decades, Sarah J. Hale petitioned for a law that would make Thanksgiving a federal holiday. Although presidents and governors routinely made proclamations concerning days of thanksgiving, they did not agree on an official date. Hale tirelessly wrote letters proposing that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. Lincoln adopted Hale's suggestion. It wasn't until 1941 that Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill into law that established the fourth Thursday in November as the holiday's official date.

"We Gather Together" includes historical vignettes about presidents such as Grant, Lincoln (about whom Kiernan writes in detail), and FDR. It is too bad that the author frequently veers off-topic, a practice that slows down the narrative considerably. However, the chapters in which the author traces the origin and evolution of Thanksgiving are enlightening and eloquent. Kiernan concludes with a paean to gratitude which, studies show, not only fosters good relationships but also makes us happier and healthier human beings. At a time when our nation is torn apart by divisive rhetoric, cynicism, and mistrust, each of us would do well to emulate Sarah J. Hale, who used her considerable influence to encourage a spirt of charity and unity in America.