The Book Wheel

Books, Politics, & More

  • Genres
    • Sortable Archive
      • Reviews by Author
      • Reviews by Genre
      • Reviews by Title
    • #30Authors
      • #30Authors Reviews
      • Lineup
    • Fiction
      • Historical Fiction
      • Mystery/Thriller
    • Non-Fiction
      • Biography
      • Economic
      • Memoir
      • Science/Tech/Psychology
      • True Crime
    • Political
    • More Options
      • 1001 List
      • Classics
      • Diverse
  • Book Club Picks
  • Lists
  • Other
    • Blogging
    • Career
    • Discussions
    • Lifestyle
    • Productivity
  • About
    • Accolades
    • Advertising
    • Policies
    • Resources
      • Authors
      • Contributors
    • What is a ‘Book Wheel’?

Ten Letters That Feel Familiar

October 21, 2012 by Allison Hiltz 4 Comments

Ten Letters That Feel FamiliarTen Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President by Eli Saslow
Published by Knopf/DoubleDay on October 10, 2011
Genres/Lists: Essays, Non-Fiction
Pages: 304
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)four-stars


In April 2014, Saslow won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. His series of the difficulties people on food stamps face was featured in The Washington Post.

A few weeks ago I received an email about a Washington Post author who was visiting the local school’s campus to sign copies of his new book. I had never heard of the book itself, but the title sounded vaguely familiar, so I hopped on Google and did a little searching. It turns out that the book sounded familiar because it was familiar. “Ten Letters” was, in fact, something that President Obama reads on a daily basis.

The author, Eli Saslow, is a Washington Post writer and this fact may have been more exciting to me than the book itself (until I read it, that is). As a self-proclaimed news junkie, any brush with the Post is exciting, so I ran out and bought, quite literally, the last copy of the book in town. I didn’t have time to read it before I had it signed, but I met the author and vowed to read it soon.

It’s now a few weeks later and I was finally able to read the book.”Ten Letters” is made up of ten chapters, each one following the stories of various individuals who wrote the President and received a response. It is so powerful that the local college, University of North Carolina Wilmington, has its own version of it that is handed out to every single incoming freshman. It is, I believe, required reading for their English classes and reiterates the power of one single voice. I’m half tempted to write the President a letter, too, because this is a book that will resonate with every reader.

Author signing at UNCW

“Ten Letters” explores the issues that everyday Americans encounter, including a lack of access to education, rising health costs, the BP oil spill, and more. Each of these issues and stories is familiar. I could personally identify with the effects of the rising costs of healthcare and higher education. I sympathized with Jessica Duran, a high schooler who couldn’t find a part-time job to pay the bills. My heart broke for Na’Dreya Lattimore, the fifth grader that felt she was being shafted in her pursuit of a quality education. I cried reading about Jon Santos and the It Gets Better Project. And while each of the writers received a personal response from the President, only some had a happy ending. I know it is unrealistic to expect a happy ending in a book that chronicles real life issues, but for some reason I went into the book thinking that those were the only letters that would be chosen.

Despite this reality, the book is a wonderful read. It opened my eyes to the people affected by the issues, not to the issues themselves. I think that in today’s world it is very easy to become disconnected from those around us. The media bombards us with sad stories and statistics, but rarely do we get to dive deep into the lives of the people living the stories. This book lets us do just that.

Related Posts

  • Same Genre
  • 4 Star Books
  • Knopf/DoubleDay
10% Happier
10 Reasons to Read 10% Happier by Dan Harris
psychopath test
How Many Psychopaths Do You Know?
brain on fire
Brain on Fire a Fascinating Story of Madness
black earth by timothy snyder
On the consequences of fear-driven hate: Black Earth Two Years Later
Demon Fish by Juliet Eilperin
“Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks” by Juliet Eilperin
Resolve by J.J. Hensley
‘Resolve’ – A Thriller You’ll Love to Race Through
Up Yours by Howard Rosenberg
Crime is Hilarious in ‘Up Yours!’
Kate Morton Weaves a Rich Tale That Delights
Celeste Ng’s Portrait of Hope and Regret (Book Review)
The Men Who United the States (Book Review)
‘The Senator’s Wife’ Stumbles
Ripped-From-the-Headlines’ “Mistress” Is Magnificent
‘The Good Father’ is Harrowing
Sit Down With ‘Seating Arrangements’
‘People in the Trees’ by Hanya Yanagihara

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-Fiction, Political

Email Newsletter

Sign up to get new reviews in your inbox the day they go live.

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Upcoming Reviews

Allison's books

Searching for Sylvie Lee
Searching for Sylvie Lee
by Jean Kwok
A Woman Is No Man
A Woman Is No Man
by Etaf Rum
The Leavers
The Leavers
by Lisa Ko

goodreads.com

Trending Now

“Outlander Series” by Diana Gabaldon

All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg

Conquering the Classics: Anthem by Ayn Rand

‘The Friend’ Found Its Way With These Essays

‘Illusion of Separateness’ is Illustrative

Women & Confidence: The Confidence Code (Book Review)

Nifty Novella: Sad Robot Stories

Content may not be reposted in full or without permission. This site includes affiliate links.

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in