July 4th - An Illustrated Story
July 4th brings memories of many years past, parades and ballgames, fireworks and barbecues, family and friends. There have been some years when the day found me on the road reporting, even overseas. But no matter where I was or what I had to do, I couldn’t help but feel the swell of pride and appreciation for the country that I love. My relationship with America is one, I hope, of clarity and purpose. I understand the struggles and imperfections. I want to bear witness to what we must fix in addition to all that we celebrate. These feelings are rooted in my own personal journey and was the source of my book What Unites Us.
We at Steady have been pleased by the response from many of you to our sharing of short films, and we were looking for something in this vein for the July 4th weekend. That’s when my longtime collaborator Alex Van Amson had what I thought was an inspired idea. It’s not a video, but another medium, and one that I have taken to appreciating only recently. So below is an excerpt from What Unites Us, by way of its graphic novel edition. The power of the images is thanks to the genius of the illustrator Tim Foley. Also a big thank you to my co-author Elliot Kirschner, who also helps here on Steady.
July 4th is ultimately about community, and I am deeply grateful for all of you who make this late chapter of my life so rewarding.
From the opening essay “What Is Patriotism?”
If you wish to know more about What Unites Us: The Graphic Novel, you can find it here.
And please remember to support your local, independent booksellers whenever possible.
—Dan and Steady Team
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One of the most important, yet subtle lessons Dan teaches in his completely spot on July 4 message, just absolutely rattled my soul when I read it. His 'suspicion' of people calling themselves 'patriots' for their own self aggrandizement hit me right between the eyes. Having had the same exact thoughts Dan had about those calling themselves patriots reminds me so much of a lesson I learned early in life from a real patriot--my grandfather who fought in the final bloody entry of World War I, Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Look it up sometime. It's all but a forgotten maelstrom battle, but terribly important in American history. He said to me one day as we were driving along, "you know, there's something I want you to remember and that is this--if a person continually tells you how 'important' they are, how great they are, how what THEY are doing is so important to the world itself, be suspicious...be very suspicious." What a great reminder, Dan, in the midst of a country searching for proper leadership to continue a Democracy. I love Steady...thanks for your continuing love and care for this country. Blessings from Austin. Mike Capps
Having read the book, I found the panels of a graphic novel made me read more slowly and broke the essay into smaller pieces that gave me more time to stop and think about what you were saying. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this new form.