Bob Melton (this page) continues to read his letter from President Obama at the monthly Tuesday meetings of the Burke County, North Carolina, Democratic Party. He lives with his wife, Tammy, in their home of twenty-five years, where they ride and maintain dune buggies.
Shelley Muniz (this page) is the author of Eagle Feathers and Angel Wings: Micah’s Story, which chronicles her son’s illness and struggles with healthcare coverage.
Since Ronn Ohl (this page) wrote his letter to Obama, his son’s friend, now thirty-four, was granted DACA status, allowing him to obtain a green card, get a driver’s license, attend college, and land a full-time job.
Joelle Graves (this page) became email buddies with an OPC staffer, who relayed to her that Obama was so moved by her letter that he read it to his family in the White House residence. Joelle went on to write a letter to the queen of England, who also responded personally.
Marjorie McKinney (this page) renovated her house to welcome her daughter Rachel and granddaughter Kirby, who now live with her. She has begun attending a church in Janaluska, one of the region’s oldest historically black neighborhoods.
Ashley DeLeon (this page) got engaged to be married in May 2018, on the same day she graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a master’s degree in marine biology. She gets her love of the ocean from her dad.
Lacey Higley (this page) works for the United States Digital Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, building and modernizing digital tools that enable veterans to discover, apply for, and track the benefits they’ve earned.
A year after sending her 2015 letter to Obama, Alisa Bowman (this page) and her transgender son addressed their local school board in support of trans students. In 2017, Alisa was elected to the board, which went on to pass a comprehensive nondiscrimination policy that protects students’ gender identity. Alisa wrote another letter to Obama in 2018, saying she was “embarrassed” by the anger in her first one. “You gave me the courage to put an end to living small,” she told him.
Rev. Christine G. Reisman (this page), the pastor of Newbern Christian Church in Newbern, Virginia, and her husband moved into a new condo on November 9, 2016, the day after the presidential election. The mover who packed her framed letter from Obama wrote “**Fragile! Historical artifact! Letter from Obama!**” many times on the box.
As a result of her letter to Obama, Sue Ellen Allen (this page) was invited to attend the 2016 State of the Union address as a guest in the First Lady’s box, where she met Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Sue Ellen told the attorney general about her efforts back home to reform the culture of incarceration. “Can you imagine, I’m a felon meeting with Loretta Lynch?”
Mary Susan Sanders (this page) is the author of three books, including Solo, about losing her late partner, artist and wood carver Kathy Ruth Neal. Mary Susan used Kathy’s paints to paint her lawn jockey.
Delaney (this page) wrote a thank-you note back to President Obama with a sticker on top that said “My Fave Person.”
Gretchen Elhassani (this page) is a screenwriter for Georgia Film Company.
Sheryl Cousineau’s (this page) neighbor who helped in the orchard remains in Mexico after his deportation. He drives a taxi. His daughter, Janitza, works near Sheryl at a real estate company.
Heba Hallak (this page), twenty, is studying biochemistry at Drew University. She plans to become a pediatrician.
Cody Keenan (this page) is helping President Obama prepare his next book.
In May 2018, Shane Darby (this page) received a mysterious package in the mail. It was from an anonymous airman who had served with Cristina. Inside the package were an American flag, a hat, and a patch with Cristina’s name on it, along with a certificate from the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force dated May 4, 2018—her birthday. “This flag was proudly flown in an F-15 E Strike Eagle on a combat sortie over Syria and Iraq in support of OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE. Flown in memory of: Cristina Danielle Silvers. For her smile was strong and true.”
William Johnson (this page) was released from prison on parole. He has a handyman business with his sons.
Yvonne Wingard (this page) is a junior at Brown University, where she studies public health, serves on the student council, and works as a peer counselor.
Anne Bunting (this page) shared President Obama’s letter with her heart-transplant surgeons. Now, four years after her operation, she enjoys hiking and traveling.
Alex Myteberi (this page), eight, has a LEGO White House in his bedroom that he will not let anyone touch. He is learning to play the piano.
Myriah Johnson (this page) continues to raise awareness about veteran suicide in memory of her son, U.S. Army Specialist Alexander Johnson.
Noor Abdelfattah (this page) was invited to a White House dinner celebrating Muslim Americans as well as Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Madison Drago (this page), sixteen, received a reply from President Obama advising her to listen to her parents. She got her nose pierced anyway. “And a lot more,” her mom reports.
Kolbie Blume (this page) works in media relations at the Association of International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to international education and exchange. She made a present for Fiona Reeves’s baby, Grace: a framed calligraphy drawing quoting the speech Hillary Clinton gave on November 9, 2016. “To all the little girls: Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” It hangs on the wall near Grace’s crib, next to the letter Obama wrote to Grace.
Patty Ries (this page) suffered a house fire in January 2018, losing almost everything. But a few of her father’s photos and writings, along with his army discharge papers, were found intact in the rubble. Patty felt it was a miracle, the work of her long lost grandmother. “I survived a concentration camp; you’ll get through this,” she imagined her grandmother saying.
Billy Ennis (this page) got another raise at his roofing job. He is still with his girlfriend, the woman he recognized from seventh grade in the supermarket. He talks to his dad, who is still in prison, weekly. When Billy watched his teenage son take fourth place in discus at the state track and field meet, he broke down in tears. His son called him a big baby.
Since receiving President Obama’s message to “stay engaged,” Alessandra Shurina (this page) went back to school at Florida State University, graduated, and began a master’s program in political science and public policy.
“At the risk of sounding hokey, this whole thing has rejuvenated my faith in people and in this country,” Maureen Dolan Rosen (this page) said of receiving a personal response to her letter from President Obama.
Roberta Fine (this page) enjoys planting flowers and maintaining her vegetable garden. She is the proud great-grandmother of two.
Vicki and Tim Shearer (this page) bought an RV and frequently go camping together.
Joshua Hofer (this page) served in the military for ten years. He recalls busting up human trafficking operations in South Korea. He has struggled with the effects of traumatic brain injury.
Mary-Beth Johnson (this page) keeps Obama’s letter framed next to her bed, beside a hand-lettered print that says “I am with you always,” a quote from the Book of Matthew. She enjoys writing Heart of Celebration, her food blog.
President Obama still receives five thousand letters a week.
For Anna and Sasha
Acknowledgments
To Obama grew out of a story for The New York Times Magazine that my longtime editor and friend Mike Benoist encouraged me to pursue. My thanks to Mike for his early belief in the wisdom of the mailroom, to Jake Silverstein for his support and willingness to showcase it, and to President Obama for his generous response to the article, for taking the time to meet with me—and for allowing me to keep digging through his mail.
This book was an entirely collaborative effort. Fiona Reeves was its guidin
g light from the outset; she inspired me with her quiet and determined service to the president and to the country, and my gratitude to her lead is boundless. Researcher Rachel Wilkinson was on the case from beginning to end, and I could not have written the book without her. Her compassion and intelligence are all through these pages, and I’m deeply grateful to her. My thanks also to audio producer Erin Anderson, who along with Rachel trekked across the country talking to people about their letters and whose wisdom guided so many editorial decisions, and to the rest of the people at Cement City Productions—Tim Maddocks, Erin Kello, Tyler McCloskey, Rachel Mabe, Rachel Brickner—whose efforts kept the engines humming. In addition, I would like to thank Michael Lewis for helping me find the courage to take on this book project.
I would like to thank Eric Schultz, Obama’s postpresidency senior advisor, for his trust and support and for being so much fun to work with; communications director Katie Hill for her kindness and persistence in providing materials; Mike Kelleher for his insight and generosity; Shailagh Murray for her vision and guidance; and all the people in the mailroom who shared their stories of extraordinary service and who helped track down letter writers from all over the country. Every effort was made to remove all identifying information from any letter whose author requested anonymity and from those whose authors were unreachable; samples from the archives at obamawhitehouse.archives.gov were cleared prior to appearing in this book, and I’m indebted to these letter writers (especially Emily, whose letter is featured on the back cover of this book) who contributed their words and stories to Obama’s legacy and to the embrace of history.
My agent, Elyse Cheney, was a ferocious advocate for the book. My ongoing thanks to her and everyone at the agency, especially Alex Jacobs, Alice Whitwham, Claire Gillespie, and Natasha Fairweather.
Andy Ward, at Random House, is the kind of editor every writer dreams of having; he’s a writing partner who demands more and makes everything better than you knew it could be. He has shaped my books and articles over the long arc of my career, and as always I can’t find words big enough to adequately express my gratitude. I would like to thank the entire team at Random House for their support, notably Susan Kamil and Tom Perry, and the heroic production efforts of Chayenne Skeete and Loren Noveck, Anna Bauer for the beautiful cover, Debbie Glasserman for the interior design, Matthew Martin for protecting the work, and Cindy Murray for her creativity in spreading the word.
I get tremendous support from the people at the University of Pittsburgh, and I would like to say a special thanks to them for the work they do. Pat Gallagher, chancellor of the university, offered helpful insights into this project, and Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patty Beeson, along with Executive Vice Provost Dave DeJong, provided especially helpful encouragement and care. John Cooper, deputy vice chancellor for research, remains an enthusiastic supporter; my sincere thanks to him and to Kathy Blee, dean of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and Don Bialostosky, chair of the department of English, for their ongoing kindness and generous patronage. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the writing program, notably Peter Trachtenberg, Michael Meyer, and Maggie Jones for filling in the gaps while I took leave, and I would like to extend a special thanks to Kit Ayars, my longtime friend, who guided the ship at the Center for Creativity while I took the time to write this book.
I would like to thank my husband, Alex, whose love and support makes all this work possible, and my daughters, Anna and Sasha, who endured my absence during all that time back in the hole.
Finally, I offer my ongoing gratitude to all of the letter writers who gave permission to reprint their letters, and who allowed me the privilege of hearing and sharing their remarkable stories.
Permission Credits
Replies from President Obama written after his presidency are reprinted by permission of the Office of President Obama. Samples from the archives at obamawhitehouse.archives.gov were cleared prior to appearing in this book.
Letter written by Dare Adewumi reprinted by permission of Dare A. Adewumi, M.D.
Letter written by Sue Ellen Allen reprinted by permission of Sue Ellen Allen.
Letter written by Adam Apo reprinted by permission of Adam Y. Apo.
Letter written by J. Martin Ball reprinted by permission of Natasha Ball-Madkins.
Letter written by Dawn Benefiel reprinted by permission of Dawn Marie Benefiel.
Letter written by Charlotte Blome reprinted by permission of Charlotte J. Blome.
Letter written by Amanda Bott reprinted by permission of Amanda Bott.
Letter written by Alisa Bowman reprinted by permission of Alisa Bowman.
Letters written by Darin Konrad Brunstad reprinted by permission of Darin Konrad Brunstad.
Letter written by Regina Bryant reprinted by permission Regina Bryant.
Letter written by Anne Bunting reprinted by permission of Anne Bunting.
Letter written by Marjan Carasik reprinted by permission of Marjan S. Carasik.
Letter written by Donna Coltharp reprinted by permission of Donna F. Coltharp.
Letter written by Sheryl Cousineau reprinted by permission of Sheryl L. Cousineau.
Letter written by Ellen Crain reprinted by permission of Ellen F. Crain, MD, PhD.
Letter written by Shane Darby reprinted by permission of Shane Darby.
Letter written by Nicole Davis reprinted by permission of Nicole M. Davis.
Letter written by Madison Drago reprinted by permission of Madison Drago and Susan Drago.
Letter written by Benjamin Durrett reprinted by permission of Benjamin Durrett.
Letter written by Rust Eddy reprinted by permission of Rust Eddy.
Letter written by Gretchen Elhassani reprinted by permission of Gretchen Elhassani.
Letter written by Rebekah Erler reprinted by permission of Rebekah Olson Erler.
Letter written by Samantha Frashier reprinted by permission of Samantha Frashier.
Letter written by Jordan Garey reprinted by permission of Jordan Garey, Matthew Garey, and Jeremy Garey.
Letter written by Danny Garvin reprinted by permission of Debra Carey.
Letter written by Martin A. Gleason reprinted by permission of Martin A. Gleason, MS.
Letter written by Joelle Graves reprinted by permission of Joelle Graves.
Letter written by Heba Hallak reprinted by permission of Heba Hallak.
Letter written by Jeri Harris reprinted by permission of Jeri L. Harris.
Letters written by Marnie Hazelton reprinted by permission of Dr. Marnie Hazelton.
Letter written by Frank Helmbecker reprinted by permission of Frank Helmbecker.
Letter written by Jason Hernandez reprinted by permission of Jason Hernandez.
Letter written by Tom Hoefner reprinted by permission of Tom Hoefner.
Letter written by Patrick Allen Holbrook reprinted by permission of Patrick Allen Holbrook.
Letter written by Bobby Ingram reprinted by permission of Bobby Ingram.
Letter written by Mary Beth Johnson reprinted by permission of Mary Beth Salguero Johnson.
Letter written by Mrs. Myriah Lynn Johnson reprinted by permission of Mrs. Myriah Lynn Johnson.
Letter written by William A. Johnson reprinted by permission of William A. Johnson.
Letter written by Linette Jones reprinted by permission of Linette St. Pierre Jones.
Letter written by Kenneth Jops reprinted by permission of Kenneth P.T. Jops.
Letter written by Dane Jorgensen reprinted by permission of Dane Austin Jorgensen.
Letter written by Sam KG re
printed by permission of Sam KG.
Letter written by Laura King reprinted by permission of Laura A. King.
Letter written by Tracy LaRock reprinted by permission of Tracy LaRock, R.N.
Letter written by June M. Lipsky reprinted by permission of June M. Lipsky.
Letter written by Lynn Luxemburger reprinted by permission of Lynn Luxemburger.
Letter written by Kelli McDermott reprinted by permission of Kelli McDermott.
Letter written by Marjorie McKinney reprinted by permission of Marjorie J. McKinney.
Letter written by Thomas Meehan and JoAnn Meehan reprinted by permission of Thomas Meehan and JoAnn Meehan.
Letter written by Bob Melton reprinted by permission of Bob Melton.
Letter by Michaela reprinted by permission of Michaela.
Letter written by John Mier reprinted by permission of John M. Mier.
To Obama Page 34