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Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President [Hardcover]

Eli Saslow
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 11, 2011
Every day, President Obama reads ten representative letters among the thousands he receives from citizens across the land. The letters come from people of all ages, walks of life, and political points of view. Some are heart­breaking, some angry, some hopeful. Indeed, Obama reads as many letters addressed “Dear Jackass” as “Dear Mr. President.” Eli Saslow, a young and rising star at the Washington Post, became fascinated by the power of these letters and set out to find the stories behind them.

Through the lens of ten letters to which Obama responded personally, this exceptionally relevant and poignant book explores those individual stories, taking an in-depth look at the misfortunes, needs, opinions, and, yes, anger over the current state of the country that inspired ten people to put pen to paper. Surprisingly, what also emerges from these affecting personal narratives is a story about the astounding endurance and optimism of the American people.

Ten Letters
is an inspiring and important book about ordi­nary people and the issues they face every day—the very issues that are shaping America’s future. This is not an insider Washington book by any means, but a book for the times that tells the real American stories of today.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for TEN LETTERS:

Ten Letters is a luminous book. Eli Saslow, one of the great young journalists in America, has found his way around the cynicism and superficiality of Washington politics to show the profound real-life connections between the White House and the people.”
-- David Maraniss

"In this testament to the power of the written word, the country's most vexing challenges, from immigration to education, healthcare to housing, are seen through the eyes of both persons directly affected by them and one person uniquely positioned to do something about them."
--Booklist

About the Author

ELI SASLOW is a staff writer at the Washington Post, where he covered the 2008 presidential cam­paign and has chronicled the president’s life inside the White House. Previously a sportswriter for the Post, he has won multiple awards for news and feature writing. Two of his stories have also appeared in Best American Sports Writing.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday (October 11, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385534302
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385534307
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.3 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eli Saslow, a staff writer for The Washington Post, covered the 2008 presidential campaign and has chronicled the president's life inside the White House. He has won multiple awards for news and feature writing. He lives in Washington D.C. with his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Sienna.

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
(16)
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By JenM
Format:Hardcover
Eli Saslow's book is a reporting masterpiece -- a tight collection of artfully told short stories and a memoir, really, of the 10 most important issues facing our country. It feels like a novel, as if Eli crafted the most perfect characters to illustrate each issue. But I kept having to remind myself, 'This is all true. He just found the perfect people to tell these stories about America.' As a former reporter, I can't imagine how challenging it was to collect all the information that he did -- the facts, the details, the perfect anecdotes. Each chapter was incredibly easy to read. Entertaining and illuminating. And yet, I feel like each story made me so much smarter about immigration, about the wars, about health care reform, about the oil spill, about how unpaid debts can spiral out of control for some people. It didn't feel, though, like a book that was trying to teach me anything, which made it all the more delightful to feel my brain filling up with smartness on so many issues that I would say I had a working knowledge of from the news and NPR but now feel so much smarter about. I particularly enjoyed how he sprinkled little tidbits about the White House mail department and the history of Americans writing to the president throughout the book. Whether you love or despise the president and politics in general, all of it was so, so interesting.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Ten Letters - LOVED October 11, 2011
By KG2241
Format:Hardcover
Ten Letters was a moving and inspiring read. I thought it was well-researched and represented the many issues that our country faces today. It's not a book about the president, but rather the voice of it's citizens and more importantly the hope that we all lean on.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and inspirational October 11, 2011
By Lilly
Format:Hardcover
Ten Letters is not a book about politics, it's a book about people. American people like you and me. It's a snapshot of the everyday struggles that face many Americans today. Eli Saslow gives a voice to these struggles in this wonderful book. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and eye opening book
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. Read more
Published 4 months ago by The Book Wheel
5.0 out of 5 stars POTUS! You Got Your Ears On?
"Ten Letters" from all that mail is a monumental task. This book is a great compilation and minute sampling of the 20,000 purple folder letters/emails received by the White House... Read more
Published 4 months ago by LiteBlue Gator
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Perspective
What a wonderful book. Not jsut the letters written to OBama and his responses, but the author talks with the writers of these 10 letters to get the background and details of their... Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Sadly, people allow their political persuasion to rule their reading so this story of Obama requiring ten letters daily to be delivered for him to maintain contact with normal... Read more
Published 10 months ago by R. Spell
4.0 out of 5 stars A well written and engaging snapshot of Americans in need
This book consists of ten short portraits of Americans. What they had in common is that each wrote a letter to President Obama, which was read and responded to by the president. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mark
3.0 out of 5 stars Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President
I found this book to be well written and inspirational. I bought several copies and gave them as gifts for Christmas. Read more
Published 16 months ago by P. Tibbs
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Ten Letters does a wonderful job personalizing a handful of people that write letters to President Obama. Read more
Published 17 months ago by runneron2nd
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched, well-written, and touching
I didn't vote for Obama in 2008.

Let me get that out first and then I will tell you how much I liked this book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by K. Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Obama fans
I'm not one to cry when reading books; however, there were a few times during this read that I was moved to tears. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Reed
5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, non-partisan; deeply moving.
Just finished this book, and it lingers in my mind. The stories are well-chosen and extremely-well written, making it a very gripping and natural read. Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Downey
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