We gather together : a nation divided, a president in turmoil, and a historic campaign to embrace gratitude and grace / Denise Kiernan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kiernan, Denise, author.

Contributor:

James Samuel Blank Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Holidays.

History.

Thanksgiving Day.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

United States.

Social aspects.

Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879.

Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell.

Thanksgiving Day--History.

Holidays--United States--History.

Women authors, American--Biography.

Women authors, American.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

294 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

[New York, New York] : Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2020]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

And thus commenced ...

An evolution of gratitude

Media Madonna

Presidents and proclamations

Now more than ever

To these bounties

Of tragedy and gratitude

On a Thursday in November

Reasonable hopes

A tradition in question

My heartfelt prayer

Pomp and changing circumstance

Milestones and missteps

The pain of evolution

Choose gratitude.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Beardwood Fund bookplate.

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the James Samuel Blank Fund.

Other Format:

Online version

Kiernan, Denise. We gather together

Online version: Kiernan, Denise. We gather together

ISBN:

9780593183250

0593183258

OCLC:

1191457607