American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
“These are remarkable and poignant stories that need to be told.” —Ken Burns
 
More than six million people watch Bob Dotson’s Emmy award-winning segment, American Story, on NBC’s Today Show. For the last four decades, Dotson has traveled the country searching out inspiring individuals who quietly perform everyday miracles. In the process, he has become the treasured cartographer of America’s heart and soul.

Today’s news is overwhelmingly grim; it’s also told by journalists who travel in herds as they trail politicians and camp out at big stories. In American Story, Dotson shines a light on America’s neglected corners, introducing readers to the ordinary Americans who have learned to fix what really matters.


From the Trade Paperback edition.
1111674200
American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
“These are remarkable and poignant stories that need to be told.” —Ken Burns
 
More than six million people watch Bob Dotson’s Emmy award-winning segment, American Story, on NBC’s Today Show. For the last four decades, Dotson has traveled the country searching out inspiring individuals who quietly perform everyday miracles. In the process, he has become the treasured cartographer of America’s heart and soul.

Today’s news is overwhelmingly grim; it’s also told by journalists who travel in herds as they trail politicians and camp out at big stories. In American Story, Dotson shines a light on America’s neglected corners, introducing readers to the ordinary Americans who have learned to fix what really matters.


From the Trade Paperback edition.
4.99 In Stock
American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

by Bob Dotson
American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

by Bob Dotson

eBook

$4.99 

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Overview

“These are remarkable and poignant stories that need to be told.” —Ken Burns
 
More than six million people watch Bob Dotson’s Emmy award-winning segment, American Story, on NBC’s Today Show. For the last four decades, Dotson has traveled the country searching out inspiring individuals who quietly perform everyday miracles. In the process, he has become the treasured cartographer of America’s heart and soul.

Today’s news is overwhelmingly grim; it’s also told by journalists who travel in herds as they trail politicians and camp out at big stories. In American Story, Dotson shines a light on America’s neglected corners, introducing readers to the ordinary Americans who have learned to fix what really matters.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781101606155
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 03/26/2013
Sold by: Penguin Group
Format: eBook
Pages: 256
File size: 1 MB
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Bob Dotson lives in Mystic, Connecticut.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Table of Contents

Preface 11

Chapter 1 Out Beyond the Limits of Settled Lives 17

Chapter 2 See What We All See, but Think What No One Else Has Thought 47

Chapter 3 Fanfare for the Common Good 82

Chapter 4 Thinking More of Others Than They Do Themselves 114

Chapter 5 Stories Hiding in History's Shadow 149

Chapter 6 What If? 198

Chapter 7 America Works Best with a Level Playing Field 219

Chapter 8 They Never Let a Handicap Handicap Them 245

Chapter 9 Where a Game Is Still a Game and Not a Bottom Line 271

Chapter 10 Homesick for Places We've Never Been 302

Chapter 11 Fame Is a Vapor 331

Chapter 12 Playing a Bad Hand Well Over and Over Again 354

Acknowledgments 379

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“We’ve always known in our heart of hearts that the best of the country was bottom-up, not top-down, and now Bob Dotson, with this superb new book, proves us right.  These are remarkable and poignant and important stories that need to be told.”
~Ken Burns
 
“Here's a great American storyteller who realizes he's met his match in the people he meets. Bob Dotson gives us a thoroughly intimate view of America... with the bark off. This is the unmistakable and sturdy America we know.”
~Brian Williams
 
“Bob Dotson's stories take you on a journey to the places that live in your heart. His words, and the images he creates with them,  connect you to friends, family, and everyone who shares the DNA of being American.”
~Matt Lauer
 
“Throughout his remarkable career Bob Dotson has searched for the real essence of America—not by interviewing the so-called famous, but by seeking out those unnoticed  people we pass by everyday. Those quiet souls are the ones who ‘live up to the brag,’ as he puts it, and remind us what truly makes this country great.  Every story they tell is a jewel...and Dotson a national treasure for caring enough to listen.”
~Meredith Vieira
 
“Those of us who know and work with Bob Dotson stand in awe of his gifts as a writer. Like the work so many viewers have come to love on NBC, this collection of stories captivates and inspires.”
~Savannah Guthrie

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