We Do Our Part

Praise

“Part joyful memoir, part shrewd political analysis, and part insightful cultural criticism . . . [Peters] offers a keen understanding of where the Democrats went wrong in scorning the kind of people in Appalachia that he grew up with”—Walter Shapiro, Roll Call

“We Do Our Part is not directly about the Trump era or phenomenon, though Charlie gets to Trump at the end. But it is all about the resentful, unequal, uncaring parts of today’s American culture that Trump has inflamed and that have made Trump possible—and how to cope with them. . . . Vivid, funny, often touching.”—James Fallows, The Atlantic

“An important book on the central issue facing our country . . . The truth [Charles] Peters aims to impart in this book is one that all Americans, and especially liberals, need to understand: An America in which the elite serves the interests of the majority isn’t a pipe dream. That world actually existed, in living memory. And there are signs, in the country’s reaction to the election of Donald Trump, that it could exist again.”—Washington Monthly

“The spirit of all Americans doing their part for the good of society—not just greedily grabbing for themselves—is woven throughout the book. . . . The old magazine editor has immense knowledge about Washington and its colorful government insiders. His book is filled with Capitol Hill struggles.”—Charleston Gazette-Mail

“A thoughtful, well-reasoned argument for American citizens to pull back from political brinksmanship and embrace the values of the Roosevelt era. . . It’s always worth listening to a guy who managed John F. Kennedy’s 1960 campaign in West Virginia and was introduced to marijuana by Allen Ginsberg; this man has stories. . . . A cogent and meaningful call for citizens to share the benefits and burdens of a unified society—hopefully an argument that isn’t already past its sell-by date.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A wise and brilliant book by a wise and brilliant man . . . Charlie Peters loves this country deeply, and this book is packed with insights on how we can make America more just, more civil, and, well, great. Everyone should read it.”—Nicholas Thompson, editor, The New Yorker

“Charles Peters, who remembers the New Deal as an indelible personal experience, has given us a deeply moving, and also deeply troubling, account of how we got from the national political culture he knew when he was young to the one we have today. This is a book about the past that makes it possible for us to imagine a better future: one in which public service regains its rightful place of highest purpose in American society.”—Nicholas Lemann, dean emeritus, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism