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By Jin Yu-young
From the years 2009 to 2017, the United States of America was led by one of the most revolutionary presidents in its history, Barack Obama. He was unprecedented in his ideals, forward action, and deep compassion for his country.
In an effort to establish an intimate connection with the people of the nation, Obama vowed to read ten letters a night out of the ten thousand letters sent daily to the Office of Presidential Correspondence (OPC), which is responsible for dealing with all of the incoming mail addressed to the president of the United States. He was the first president to devote himself to such a practice.
In a comprehensive and deep look into both the OPC and the letter writers themselves, Jeanne Marie Laskas has compiled the stories of the American people and the OPC staff in her newly released "To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate, and Despair," published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
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| Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of "To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate, and Despair"/ Courtesy of Scott Goldsmith |
The book has received critical acclaim, with The Telegraph describing it as "[A] startling, delicate and immensely readable story… Another poignant reminder of what once was," and Elle claiming that "[t]he heartbreaking, hope-inducing letters tell the story of a nation."
The book follows the chronological timeline of the Obama presidency and includes samples of the letters sent throughout his two terms. By including both letters that praise and condemn the president, Laskas gives an unbiased opinion of the American people toward their leader.
Written by children from the age of six to members of the elderly community who have witnessed multiple presidencies, the letters are equally as diverse and touch upon all aspects of society from immigration policies to the mental health of war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the letters, people inscribe their triumphs and difficulties of life as an American citizen of the Obama administration.
The "10 Letters a Day" (10LADs) were hand-selected by the OPC, which was directed by Fiona Reeves and comprised 50 staff members, 36 interns, and 300 volunteers. The team tirelessly read and categorized 10,000 letters each day and whittled them down to the top ten. Reeves had the final say in finalizing the daily selection and shared with Laskas her experiences as well as some of the letters that had reached the hands of the president.
An 18-year-old wrote to Obama on his first voting experience: he had fought over the matter with his father and had, against his father's wishes, voted for the Democratic Party. He expresses his hopes that his vote will not have been cast in vain and how through defying his father he has taken a step closer to becoming an independent man.
In another letter, a gay military spouse thanks Obama for repealing the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy in the U.S. Military that banned members of the LGBTQ community who were serving from coming out. Many more letters followed suit in expressing gratitude towards the president for his various efforts including the legalization of same-sex marriage, the implementation of Obamacare, and the development of stem cell research.
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| "With Love, Joy, Hate and Despair" published by Bloomsbury Publishing |
The American people also exercised their freedom of speech to voice their anger, fear, and disappointment in the president and his administration. "I argued with my friends and yes, even my father and my children, that things would be different when you got into office. So far, they were right and I was wrong. Nothing has changed," wrote one frustrated middle-class citizen. In another letter, a former senior IT manager who had been laid off during the 2001 dot-com bubble crash furiously calls out Obama for the continued financial struggles of him and his family. "Good luck getting our vote next time around…You betrayed me, Sir…I will never forget it."
Upholding his promise to improve communication with the citizens of America, President Barack Obama not only read the 10 LADs but also responded to them in hand-written and personalized letters. "Contrary to what the Republicans have said, health care reform does not cut Medicare benefits! Best wishes, Barack Obama," he writes in response to a woman concerned with the consequences of the high unemployment rate in California. To another skeptic he responds, "I won't try to persuade you about the rest of my agenda, but who knows ― maybe we have more common ground than you might think!"
In an interview with the president himself, Laskas gained further insight as to why Obama chose to receive and respond to the letters. "The American people are full of goodness and wisdom… this was a little portal through which I could remind myself of that every day."
Known for his ability to empathize with others, Obama had used the letters as a peephole into the everyday lives of the country's citizens, which was difficult to grasp from the protected bubble of the White House and its constituents. "I really wanted them to know that…this isn't just the comments on the Internet… that's not the function of this. The function is: We're going to engage."
Through this interaction with the public, Obama was able to do what no president before him had ever done: create and maintain a profound and reciprocal relationship with the people, even if it was with just ten individuals a night.
After his term came to an end, and in particular, after the election of current U.S. President Donald Trump, the public still continued to write letters to Obama. "I cannot tell you how much I have loved and appreciated your work in the White House for the last 8 years," one supporter wrote. Even those who had originally doubted Obama addressed and thanked him for his service. "I owe you an apology… I judged you wrongly and harshly… Thank you, Mr. President, for your service to this great country."
In "To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate, and Despair," the author successfully portrays the powerful dialogue between the president of a country and its people. She also recognizes the relentless efforts of the members of the OPC and humanizes the daily lives of citizens of the Obama presidency. Deemed as one of 2018's most outstanding political books, "To Obama: With Love, Joy, Hate, and Despair" does justice to the hope and desperation felt by the American people in their endeavors to achieve the American Dream.
Jin Yu-young is a Korea Times intern.
