We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, a President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace

by Denise Kiernan

From the  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Last Castle  and  The Girls of Atomic City  comes a new way to look at American history through the story of giving thanks.

From Ancient Rome through 21st-century America, bestselling author Denise Kiernan brings us a biography of an  gratitude, as a compelling human instinct and a global concept, more than just a mere holiday. Spanning centuries,  We Gather Together  is anchored amid the strife of the Civil War, and driven by the fascinating story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a widowed mother with no formal schooling who became one of the 19th century’s most influential tastemakers and who campaigned for decades to make real an annual day of thanks.

Populated by an enthralling supporting cast of characters including Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman, Norman Rockwell, and others,  We Gather Together  is ultimately a story of tenacity and dedication, an inspiring tale of how imperfect people in challenging times can create powerful legacies. 
 
Working at the helm of one of the most widely read magazines in the nation, Hale published Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and others, while introducing American readers to such newfangled concepts as “domestic science,” white wedding gowns, and the Christmas tree. A prolific writer, Hale penned novels, recipe books, essays and more, including the ubiquitous children’s poem, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” And Hale herself never stopped pushing the leaders of her time, in pursuit of her goal. 
 
The man who finally granted her wish about a national “thanksgiving” was Lincoln, the president of the war-torn nation in which Hale would never have the right to vote. 

Illuminating, wildly discussable, part myth-busting, part call to action,  We Gather Together  is full of unexpected delights and uneasy truths. The stories of indigenous peoples, immigrant communities, women’s rights activists, abolitionists, and more, will inspire readers to rethink and reclaim what it means to give thanks in this day and age. The book’s message of gratitude—especially when embraced during the hardest of times—makes it one to read and share, over and over, at any time of year.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Thanksgiving, American History, Audiobook, Book Club

304 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2020

About the author

Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Her new young reader’s book, "We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from then to now," arrived September 2023, and is a companion title to the popular adult nonfiction book, "We Gather Together," and children’s picture book, Giving Thanks. Her titles "The Last Castle" and "The Girls of Atomic City" were both instant New York Times bestsellers in both hardcover and paperback. "The Last Castle" was also a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a finalist for the 2018 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. "The Girls of Atomic City" was also a Los Angeles Times and NPR bestseller, was named one of Amazon's “Top 100 Best Books of 2013,” and is now available in multiple languages. It was also awarded the 2014 American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book published in the United States on government, politics, or international affairs.

Kiernan has also co-authored several popular history titles including "Signing Their Lives Away," "Signing Their Rights Away," and "Stuff Every American Should Know." She has been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Time, Ms. Magazine, Reader's Digest, Discover and many more publications. She has also worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and has produced for media outlets such as ESPN and MSNBC.Throughout her career, Kiernan has been a featured guest on many radio and television shows, including NPR's "Weekend Edition," PBS NewsHour, MSNBC Morning Joe and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She lives in North Carolina.

Find out more about Denise's projects at:
http://denisekiernan.com
http://facebook.com/DeniseKiernanAuthor
http://www.twitter.com/DeniseKiernan
https://www.instagram.com/iamdeniseki...

Reviews

[Jennifer Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read if you: Want a beautiful exploration of the history, meaning, and significance of Thanksgiving, including the woman who made the official recognition happen.

Librarians/booksellers: A definite top priority. This is not just a "history of Thanksgiving"--Kiernan also informs the reader of Native American protests and days of mourning surrounding Thanksgiving. She also explores the psychological benefits of gratitude, ponders new ways Thanksgiving can be taught/incorporated into education, and closes with a meaningful and emotional epilogue, reflecting on wrapping up the book during the early stages of COVID-19 and wondering how we will celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

One of my favorite reads this year, and deeply meaningful as we get closer to Thanksgiving 2020.

Many thanks to Dutton and Edelweiss for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely read right before the holiday. . .and evenhandedly done, including different sides of the story and how it's not a gratitude day for the first nations of this continent. Denise Kiernan's book isn't about justifying the holiday - it's about how it came to be.

Intentions were/are good whoever we worship. Being thankful and acknowledging that we do not 'deserve' and haven't 'earned' the bounties we consume, use and waste, we are simply blessed to be part of this world. The best way to demonstrate that gratitude is to peacefully share with all of the world's beings wherever and however they live. We are different and that's ok. One is not better than another.

I'll read this again - it's a timely read.

[Gaili Schoen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Denise Kiernan traces the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday and explores the idea of expressing gratitude collectively as a nation in her book, We Gather Together. Through the perseverance of writer, editor and women's rights activist Sarah Josepha Hale, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be held on the 4th Thursday in November, during the Civil War in 1863. Hale was an incredibly accomplished "influencer" of her day, and had campaigned presidents for 33 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Her vision was to set aside the day as a time for Americans to enjoy a hearty meal with loved ones and to express gratitude for the harvest and for their many blessings. Lincoln agreed to proclaim the holiday out of a wish to bring our warring nation together.

The most surprising takeaway for me was that Thanksgiving was not associated with the Pilgrims until 1939 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt mentioned in his proclamation: "More than three centuries ago, at the season of the gathering in of the harvest, the Pilgrims humbly paused in their work and gave thanks to God for the preservation of their community and for the abundant yield of the soil." We Gather Together describes how the Wampanoag tribe signed a treaty with the Pilgrims and taught the Pilgrims how to plant in the harsh Massachusetts climate. Though this alliance enabled the Pilgrims to survive the year, the Native Americans were not honored or even acknowledged in Thanksgiving tales until after Senator Edward Kennedy and his subcommittee issued a report on Indian education, unemployment and infant mortality in 1969.

We Gather Together enlightens us to the fact that Thanksgiving is understandably mourned by many Native Americans who see the arrival of the Europeans as the beginning of the end of their civilization.

Kiernan has written a very even handed story of Thanksgiving, with lots of interesting historical details that kept me engrossed from the start. She takes the reader beyond the tired old stereotypical stories of Thanksgiving, and presents the facts with honesty and good humor.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book seemed repetitive to me but for the most part, I thought it was interesting. Part III was particularly good as it explored how the holiday has evolved over the years to include obscure and questionable stories of Pilgrims and Native Americans, the official beginning of Christmas shopping, and football.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waiting at the depot, the team of horses began approaching its iron counterpart.

In 1863, Sarah Josepha Hale penned a letter to the President of the United States requesting once again that a national day of thanksgiving be established. This was a culmination of a campaign she started many years earlier, wanting to bring a New England tradition to the whole of the country. This year, her plea was answered and so began an American tradition. In this book, Kiernan explores the history of Thanksgiving in America as well as the more general history of gratitude.

Something I learned from reading this book: no one even brought the Pilgrims of Plymouth into the Thanksgiving holiday until the 1930s (and that event was probably not even the first Thanksgiving on the North American continent). This book shows that there is more to Thanksgiving than what happened in the 1620s, and I appreciate that. Thanksgiving arose from one of the darkest times in our nation's history, and the author draws many parallels between the 1860s and the 2020s. The last chapter in the book about the science behind gratitude was also great.

Unfortunately, I think this story would have been better served in a long essay. The book gets bogged down in a lot of extraneous details about Hale and Lincoln, and also is a bit repetitive at times. There are long quote blocks that don't add a lot to the readers' understanding. The book also seemed to lack a bit of focus, which I think could have been improved in a shorter format.

If you want to read about the history of Thanksgiving as a federal holiday, and are looking for something beyond the oft-told lies about the Pilgrims, then I would definitely recommend this book. It does have some flaws, but overall, it is a good look about how this tradition got started.

CW: animal cruelty/death, guns, murder, racist language, religious shaming, slavery, war

[Rmslis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Societies throughout time have always had celebrations for the purpose of giving thanks for something, e.g. a bountiful harvest for that year or victory over an enemy. Americans are familiar with the occurrence of the feast of thanks that the pilgrims had the year following their landing on the shores of America. But how and when did the nation as a whole arrive at having a certain day in November be officially designated a holiday known as “Thanksgiving?” That is the topic of this book.

The author shows that since there was not an official holiday established yet at the time, the desire of having the entire country observe a day designated to give thanks for one’s blessings was brought forth even by George Washington, well over a hundred years after the nation’s “first” thanksgiving celebration on the shores of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The establishment of the nationally observed holiday on the third Thursday of November, known as Thanksgiving was a life long effort on the part of Sarah Josepha Hale, a New England authoress and editoress, who lived from the late 1700s to a healthy, productive age in her 90s.

Not only does the book show the effort Ms. Hale expended for her stated goal, but it also goes on to explain how certain objects and activities common to the holiday came to be associated with that day, from the beloved song, “Over The River and Through The Wood,” to football and the kick-off of the Christmas holiday season.

One thing that really stood out for me (and that was news to me) was the fact that the establishment of the national holiday observed and known as Thanksgiving was not to commemorate the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock (as is commonly believed) but rather, to have one day out of the year for all persons, no matter what their nationality, heritage, or religious belief (if any), to be able to pause in their life and reflect on and give thanks for what they have and have been blessed with.

The book contained a veritable “who’s who” of well known persons throughout history, including the various presidents from Washington up through those of the mid-1900s, to noted authors like Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe. Covering this broad span of time, the author provided glimpses of different facets of the history of America, previously unknown to me. As I learned so much about the history of the formation of the holiday known as Thanksgiving, I very much enjoyed my time reading this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with any curiosity about how the holiday known as Thanksgiving came to be.

[Laura O'Kane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book about how Thanksgiving came to be in the U.S. (hint: it's not really about Pilgrims and Indians) and the woman who tried for decades to get the day declared as a national holiday, Sarah Josepha Hale. Well-known author Kiernan has not only done the research on Thanksgiving, but also on the concept of gratitude. Until I read this, I had no idea how often proclamations were made for local or statewide "thanksgivings." A timely and informative book, filled with compelling tidbits about historical feasts, football, and parades, as well as changing views on how the holiday impacts Native Americans.

[Bloomingdale Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soon Har says: In this readable account, learn about the true origins of Thanksgiving as celebrated in this country, and the 19th-century author, editor and publisher Sarah Josepha Hale who championed for this national holiday for 36 years!

A trailblazer who advocated for women's education, their right to work, writers, and abolition, Hale's story is interspersed with early colonial history. The book ends with the more engaging accounts and reckoning with the 'real' Thanksgiving, and a compelling chapter on how embracing gratitude enriches our lives.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part biography, part history of Thanksgiving as a holiday, part reflection on gratitude, this book had plenty of trivia I intend to annoy my family with at our actual Thanksgiving celebration. (The original idea behind Thanksgiving stemmed from a desire for national unity around joy and gratitude, the commemoration of Pilgrims was incorporated much later amid anti-immigrant and pro-Anglo sentiment.) Some parts dragged a bit for me, but overall this was an interesting read.

I read it because:
Book club read and perfect for November - nonfiction and about the Thanksgiving holiday

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely!

Proof that gratitude never has been out of fashion nor should it ever be. A great reminder that giving thanks is part of our heritage.

[Jeffd134 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of Thanksgiving and various sources/interpretations of this national celebration. While the final chapter on gratefulness was fascinating, it seemed like part of a different book.

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the parts about the historical context of the Thanksgiving holiday -- learned a lot I didn't know. I wasn't a fan of all the long asides and extended meditation on the science of gratitude in the last part -- if I wanted that, I would have picked up a Gretchen Rubin book.

[Laurel Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 green stars. A bit dry, but well-researched and full of surprising information about one of our nation's most beloved holidays: Thanksgiving. I grew up in the 60s, steeped in the mythology of the "first" Thanksgiving, how the Indians saved the starving colonial settlers, and then were invited to share in a feast of celebration for their survival. In truth, there was no "first" Thanksgiving, and now 60 years on from my school days, Native Americans have come to view Thanksgiving as a day of mourning. But giving thanks is as old as humankind. Sarah Josepha Hale drew on the harvest traditions of New England in her vision of having a fixed date that would be nationwide. It took decades of writing letters, before Abraham Lincoln made it a national proclamation in 1862. Each president after him continued the tradition, but it wasn't until 1941 that Congress made it a national holiday. Then add in some football traditions, and big department stores throwing parades to kick off the Christmas shopping season.... Perhaps this book can help us break through the myths and reclaim a deeper sense of what it means to come together in gratitude, especially at a time when Covid is still keeping us apart.

Description: From Ancient Rome through 21st-century America, bestselling author Denise Kiernan brings us a biography of an idea: gratitude, as a compelling human instinct and a global concept, more than just a mere holiday. Spanning centuries, We Gather Together is anchored amid the strife of the Civil War, and driven by the fascinating story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a widowed mother with no formal schooling who became one of the 19th century’s most influential tastemakers and who campaigned for decades to make real an annual day of thanks. Populated by an enthralling supporting cast of characters including Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman, Norman Rockwell, and others, We Gather Together is ultimately a story of tenacity and dedication, an inspiring tale of how imperfect people in challenging times can create powerful legacies. Working at the helm of one of the most widely read magazines in the nation, Hale published Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and others, while introducing American readers to such newfangled concepts as “domestic science,” white wedding gowns, and the Christmas tree. A prolific writer, Hale penned novels, recipe books, essays and more, including the ubiquitous children’s poem, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” And Hale herself never stopped pushing the leaders of her time, in pursuit of her goal.

[Georgia Herod · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Biography of an idea: gratitude, as a compelling human instinct and a global concept, more than a mere holiday."

While Thanksgiving is acknowledged on the fourth Thursday of November in the US, and includes elements of faith, it also celebrates food--especially turkey and pumpkin pie, with family and friends gathered around, and football (the first collegiate game was played in 1876!).

Even in the midst of crisis, political strife, and war, every Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation stressed the value and significance of gratitude being expressed for our many blessings and gifts. An emphasis on kindness, generosity and brotherhood was also included. Expressions of gratitude came from those who recognized "bounties in the midst of scarcity, who found grace in the midst of strife, and who acknowledged loss yet embraced what few and fleeting gains there appeared to be" (217).

Establishing a national day of thanksgiving took a very long time, with Sarah Josepha Hale, an editor of Godey's Lady's Book, leading the campaign, confident that it could happen if the President of the US favored it. I don't recall knowing anything about Hale. Abraham Lincoln was the man.

Readers will learn more about this special holiday that is far different than what has been shared in their lifetimes--both positive and negative. How did football become a tradition? How did Santa Claus enter the scene? What about the Macy's parade? When did turkeys become the focal point of the festive meal? What about the stories of the Native Americans joining the Pilgrims?
Lots of surprises for readers. No mention of Pilgrims or 1621 by either Hale or Lincoln.

Kiernan discusses the evolution of the holiday and includes how it may continue to change. But all along the way, giving thanks is central to the event.

The last chapter focuses on the significance of expressing gratitude and how giving thanks is beneficial to mental health. Several suggestions are included: writing letters of gratitude, keeping a gratitude journal, express thanks verbally. After all, gratitude is not about a holiday; it is about a state of mind--and we need ways to say thanks, no matter the trying times we're living through.

That the book is being published during the pandemic, political division, and racial unrest--we need gratitude more than ever.

[ReadingMama · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect company to keep over the Thanksgiving weekend! Denise Kiernana is a successful writer of “The Last Castle” which I plan to read next and “The girls of Atomic city”; she is also a head writer for “Who wants to be a millionaire”. I like her writing style, succinct and clear. This book provides in depth historical background with my favorite president right in the midst during the time when this nation was divided and in turmoil, which is not so different from today in 2020.

Although I knew that it was Abraham Lincoln who started the Thanksgiving day in America, I had not heard of Sarah Josepa Hale who was the true force of enabling Thanksgiving Day as a true American tradition and holiday~ Her tenacity and dedication indeed made this nation stronger as we put aside our differences and focus on gratitude. Hale was a lady ahead of her time and also an established writer and poet, including the ubiquitous “Mary had a little lamb”. She also founded the American Ladies Magazine which she used as a platform to promote many relevant women issues.

Lincoln declared the proclamation of Thanksgiving a national holiday during the civil war in 1863 in his usual eloquence and poignant message:
“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to be our beneficent Father who dwells in the heavens. I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to HIM for such singular deliverances and blessings, they also do with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we avoiding engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as maybe consistent with the divine purposes to full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.

Kiernana then closes the book with the benefits of gratitude and as we are going through this pandemic, even more so, we should be counting our blessings.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise Kiernan, in "We Gather Together," touches on American politics, war, and a beloved holiday that Americans celebrate annually. Kiernan focuses, in particular, on a remarkable woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, who was born in 1788 in New Hampshire. When she was twenty-six, Sarah married a lawyer, David Hale, who died far too young of pneumonia in 1822. Left with five children to support, Sarah Hale made her living with her pen. She edited a popular lady's magazine for decades and wrote poetry, novels, and works of non-fiction. As if this were not enough, she was an advocate for helping the needy, allowing women to own property, and providing every girl with an education that would "give her the full development of all her personal, mental, and moral qualities." Hale worked into her eighties and passed away at the age of ninety.

For decades, Sarah J. Hale petitioned for a law that would make Thanksgiving a federal holiday. Although presidents and governors routinely made proclamations concerning days of thanksgiving, they did not agree on an official date. Hale tirelessly wrote letters proposing that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. Lincoln adopted Hale's suggestion. It wasn't until 1941 that Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a bill into law that established the fourth Thursday in November as the holiday's official date.

"We Gather Together" includes historical vignettes about presidents such as Grant, Lincoln (about whom Kiernan writes in detail), and FDR. It is too bad that the author frequently veers off-topic, a practice that slows down the narrative considerably. However, the chapters in which the author traces the origin and evolution of Thanksgiving are enlightening and eloquent. Kiernan concludes with a paean to gratitude which, studies show, not only fosters good relationships but also makes us happier and healthier human beings. At a time when our nation is torn apart by divisive rhetoric, cynicism, and mistrust, each of us would do well to emulate Sarah J. Hale, who used her considerable influence to encourage a spirt of charity and unity in America.

[Roger Smitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

We know that Thanksgiving is a holiday in the US that has no connection to politics, religion, wars or any group or organization. And no one gets gifts on that Day. Kiernan tell us what has been overlooked or even covered in the story and function of that special Thursday. .

Early chapters supply lots of details of the history of what we now call Thanksgiving. There’s lots of details in the early going, especially about how Boston was the center of the tradition of Thanksgiving. And the book makes it clear that women are at the middle of Thanksgiving.

Chapter 4 gives us some history of what the early presidents (and of course, their wives) did around Thanksgiving. Even the Trump family is mentioned.

There’s a chapter on how the Civil War started a change in the role of the woman in the home. And there’s a chapter of the gathering of women in Seneca, NY.

Kiernan uses one chapter in the second half of the book to show how the flood of immigrants at the turn of the 20 century changed Thanksgiving. We also get a whole chapter about Black citizens and Thanksgiving. The role of the Native Americans gets its most powerful statement in the last chapters.

Readers who find history engaging will especially like the book – especially the history professors.

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free Kindle edition of this book and moved it up on my TBR list in order to read in this Thanksgiving season. I recently read Mayflower and while these are two completely different books, the common theme of Thanksgiving made for a complimentary experience. I admit I had never heard of Sarah Josepha Hale prior to reading We Gather Together. What an inspiring and multi-faceted legacy she left in her 91 years on earth. A young widow with five children to raise (denied a formal education), in the mid-19th century Mrs. Hale was a popular writer, a tireless activist (petitioning governors and several presidents to set aside a National day of Thanksgiving for all citizens of the US to share together), and a very accomplished editor. Among those whose works she published are Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Hale wrote novels, recipe books and composed the children’s poem Mary Had A Little Lamb. She corresponded with Charles Dickens, Washington Irving and Longfellow among many other noted literary figures of the period. Denise Kiernan’s research and writing abilities bring thorough, concise, and interesting historical facts together in We Gather Together, as well as The Last Castle. I enjoyed both of these books very much.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expert historian Denise Kiernan is at it again with this seminal work on the history of Thanksgiving and the philosophy of gratitude that we can practice all year long. This book is written in a compelling narrative style and is a fascinating look at a holiday most Americans know very little about.

This was a great read. Kiernan’s career as a TV producer, writer, and historian put her in the perfect position to write this book. It had several facets and went beyond just a historical project. The book delved deep into the history of Thanksgiving and the decades-long struggle of Sarah Josepha Hale, one of America’s unsung heroes. Sarah was a single mother who became one of the most influential editors in the 1800s. Her magazine was the nation’s most widely circulated before the Civil War. I was so caught up in her story as it was just incredible. But the book was not just a history book; Kiernan expanded the story of Thanksgiving into a discussion about what gratitude is, how it affects our attitude, and can even affect our health. Truly a unique read.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/den...

[Margaret Oberst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Laurel’s review Dec 23,2023.
I also thought it got a bit dry and repetitively lengthy at times but the quality of Denise’s research and energy for bringing the truth and detail about Thanksgiving was so evident from her first introduction of Sarah Josepha Hale. She becomes a beloved, talented heroine. As an editor for Godeys Ladies Journal for so many years, gave her a platform to promote women’s concerns and rights and Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude and harvest for a national fixed date. Beginning with Washington’s idea ( her father was a patriot) and persuading 18 further presidents including Lincoln she stood firm in her efforts.
Denise expands our understanding of Thanksgiving. There was no 1st Thanksgiving, pilgrim lore has no foundation. Native Americans see the concept as grief and loss, traditional parades were caused by greedy luring to stores, football was an accidental addition, Roosevelt confirmed the official date after yielding to retailers but corrected his error establishing the 4th Thursday.
The end surprised me with the science of gratitude improving people’s good will and optimism and health. I liked it and told what I learned at Thanksgiving if they would listen. But yes it could have been shorter.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Gather Together is the story of Thanksgiving and the tireless woman who tried to make it a national holiday. Sarah Josepha Hale was a young girl when George Washington became president and called for a day of thanksgiving. Through the years various presidents and governors called for different days of thanksgiving. Sarah felt there should be one day for the whole country. After she became editress of a woman's magazine she lobbied presidents and governors about the idea of one day of thanksgiving.

We think that Thanksgiving was always a federal holiday but it was not. It was also not always celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November. By the time Sarah died she had gotten presidents to declare a day of Thanksgiving but it still wasn't permanent. Thanksgiving as a federal holiday for everyone took much longer. This is definitely an interesting read about the origins and history of how Thanksgiving became a holiday and how a day of gratitude developed. It is definitely a good read for history lovers.

Thank you to #goodreads, @DeniseKiernan and @Dutton for a copy of this book.
#WeGatherTogether

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might come back and give this one 5 stars at some point because I enjoyed it that much. It’s not perfect - the first half about Sarah Hale is a little dry - but the writing is otherwise really good and the history is very intriguing. And the second half was outstanding, as it paints a picture of how the Thanksgiving holiday has evolved over time. Something that really stood out to me from this book is the fact that feasts and/or celebrations of thanksgiving have been held by almost every culture, community, and nation throughout time, so it is not a holiday that owes its existence to any one origin story. In fact, even the celebration of Thanksgiving here in the United States did not include any specific references to pilgrims or Native communities until well into the 20th century. Instead, the holiday, at its core and during its earliest celebrations, was less complicated than all that: it was simply about taking the time to rest, reflect, and express gratitude in community, actions that transcend any specific creed or mythological origin story. It was no more or less than that. It is my hope that one day the holiday as we celebrate it can return to those humbler beginnings before politics, Christian nationalism, and capitalism distorted its purpose.

[Bradley Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A readable history of how the Thanksgiving holiday came to be in the U.S. A few surprises along the way made it interesting to me, but most of all its beginnings as a post-civil war movement by Sarah Josepha Hale to give thanks for life as this violent war came to an end with roughly 600,000 dead. It had nothing to do with the romanticized story of pilgrims and Indians sharing a meal. It wasn't until after the population increased in the New England area and anti-immigrant sentiment grew that the Anglo-Saxon was romanticized in the late 19th century. That is when the Pilgrim-Indian story gained popularity. And after decades of Presidents talking up Thanksgiving and some people celebrating some version of it, it was FDR who made the 3rd Thursday in November a national holiday - two weeks after Pearl Harbor. It's certainly not what we learned in grade school.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a little overwritten, but where else are you going to get a social history of Thanksgiving? I think Kiernan overplayed the "two great figures of history" bit with 2/3rds of the book trying to center on biography of Hale and Lincoln, when the most interesting bits were how people ran with Thanksgiving--that Confederate States sometimes (reluctantly) still followed the Thanksgiving date prescribed by the US president; that FDR's change to the Thanksgiving date to please shopowners didn't really do much economically, but annoyed small business owners and football enthusiasts; that the "first Thanksgiving" is an extremely fluid date, and Miles Standish and the Pilgrims didn't really enter into the historiography until the 20s. A great Thanksgiving Break read.

[wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining and interesting study of how we have come to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday as we do today. The key player is a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale who spent fifty years of her life campaigning for recognition of such a holiday as a writer and the editor of the very popular women's magazine Godey's Lady's Book. She sends letters to a series of presidents getting the most help from Abraham Lincoln at the height of the Civil War. There are all sorts of nuggets of information here including the story behind the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Easy to read highly informative.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Gather Together uses the life of Sarah Josepha Hale as a jumping-off point for a novel focused on gratitude. The actual story of Sarah Josepha Hale is not a significant portion of this book. Her contributions and tireless advocacy for a national day of thanksgiving are interesting and well detailed.

The story diverges into a history surrounding different presidencies and largely Abraham Lincoln. I found much of this to be interesting and some absolutely fascinating. I kept sharing tidbits with my husband as I went along. There are places where this reads more like a U.S. history book than a biography of Sarah Josepha Hale.

This is not a quick read. We Gather Together is sometimes dense and dry, sometimes captivating and inspiring. Overall, this is well written and a joyful history of gratitude.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Themes: A Strong & Vocal Woman, early US history, Science of Gratitude

I’ve enjoyed Kiernan’s other books so I thought it was finally time to read her book on Thanksgiving and Gratitude - and I’m so ‘thankful’ I did 🤗 This is a very well written history of the Thanksgiving holiday and the woman who fought to make it a national day of gratitude. It also goes into depth on World and US history. It was at times hard to read (I made more than 1 exasperated sigh at how history repeats itself), but a fascinating read nonetheless.

[Carol Ghattas · Rating 3 out of 5]

At a time of national division and crisis, a book on gratitude is good to read, and Denise Kiernan does an excellent job at sharing the history of our Thanksgiving Day while weaving into the narrative stories of past divisions and crises to remind us that what we are experiencing today is nothing new. Yet, in whatever year our annual holiday falls, there is always room for stopping and giving thanks.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and I appreciated the author´s presentation of the origins of today´s American celebration. I wanted to read the book, though, because I was completely captivated by The Girls of Atomic City and was disappointed by what seemed to me to be an occasionally superficial treatment of the topics.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting look at the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, and it's not exactly what you think. I really enjoyed all the background information too. A good book to read not just for the Thanksgiving holiday, but at any time of the year, to be reminded there are always things to be thankful for.