I am thrilled to introduce a new author to you and tell you about her new and very timely book, “How People Get Their Politics.” It’s different, insightful, and most interesting to see how political beliefs are ingrained in us.
Book synopsis-
Our political identities are as complex as we are as human beings, though with a single label -Democrat, Republican, Independent, progressive, liberal, conservative- we’re increasingly reduced to stereotypes.
Told through the personal stories of sixteen Americans, born between 1923 and 1998, from all over the country and political spectrum, each story offers insight into how a person’s political beliefs were ingrained.
The sixteen conversations captured in How People Get Their Politics include how cancer, religion, race, and war shaped people’s politics. There are powerful immigrant stories. Two public servants share their opposite, but equally passionate, views of what would be the best policies to move America forward.
Why I wrote the book:
My idea for How People Get Their Politics was more than a decade in the making, as I witnessed the United States reach unsustainable levels of division. This book is not really about politics, it’s about understanding. I hope it can help heal the division our country is suffering. Even if we disagree with a person’s policy position, by knowing the full story, we’d at least understand what led to a position, which will allow us to find a common path forward.
Author bio – Julie Samrick is passionate about telling stories that capture the human experience. She is also the author of Murphy’s Miracle: One Dog’s Wild Journey, a story inspired by the miraculous return of a beloved golden retriever who spent two years lost in the Sierra Wilderness.
Julie lives in Northern California with her husband and four children. She holds a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley and is a credentialed high school English teacher. For more information visit juliesamrick.com
Purchase links- would love to be in an independent bookstore near you!
Follow the author on social media links
Website: juliesamrick.com
Facebook facebook.com/juliesamrickauthor
Twitter twitter.com/JulieSamrick
Instagram @juliesamrick
Thanks for the intro to this fascinating book, Jan. I’ve often found myself wondering, “How did we get here?”
I found the author’s extensive research fascinating. We are products of our raising, but there comes a time when we think for ourselves. Thank you for stopping by!
Wow, Jan. This book sounds great. Our country is so divided that I think people have stopped listening to each other’s stories. As a result opportunities for empathy and understanding vanish. And there go our chances to build a united, more compassionate, and effective future. Thanks so much for sharing Julie’s book. Congrats to Julie on an important read.
Thank you so much for the well wishes- you capture the intention of my book beautifully. I hope it continues to resonate with people.
I picked up a copy. I’ve been avoiding political books, but this sounds like a hopeful read.
Thank you for your wonderful comment, Diana! And thank you for picking up this author’s book!
I did. I can’t wait to read it.
Two subjects I do my best to avoid: politics and religion. Both are guaranteed to create rifts in friends and families.
Hopefully, your book can bring some clarity and heal hard attitudes.
Exactly! I definitely was raised with these two off-limit topics too and even address this in the intro. It has the word politics in the title, but is really a book about empathy. Even if we don’t agree with someone on a policy position, by understanding a person’s full story, we can find a common path forward. I do hope it brings “clarity and heals hard attitudes.” I love how you summed that up!
I am with you, Jacquie. Those are two things I steer clear from in conversations and especially on social media. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I’d like to figure out where my older brother went wrong–he and I are on the opposite sides of the current US political divide. Of course, I’m the one that’s wrong in his book.
Lol, John! You just described the entire political climate in the US. It reminds me of the Buffalo Springfield song from the 60’s – “nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong…” Thanks for the comment!
Yup. That’s about what it’s worth.
That is really interesting, John! I’d be curious where your common path split and life experiences stepped in to politically shape you and your brother differently.
Me too, LOL. I’m really not too sure other than age and money. As you no doubt know, the stereotype is of people getting more conservative as they age. He’s been conservative for a while now–but he mocked Nixon for the 1960 election but voted for him in 68. He would have been in his early 40s then. Earning a decent salary and more by the time he retired. He’ll be 90 in February. Sixteen years older than me.
Best wishes to Julie with this book. By in large the vocal members of each of the parties do not speak for all the members (thank heavens). Also, those vocal members are in no way tolerant of the opposing view. I think reasonable people make reasonable choices in who they support. Thanks for hosting Julie, Jan
Well-said, John! We have to think for ourselves and make our own decisions. I’m fascinated by Julie’s research. Thanks for stopping by!
🙂
As Julie’s publisher, I have to say it was a pleasure and an honor to work on this book. This topic is so important – I truly hope the book can help heal the divide that we see in our country right now. We should all be working together to solve our country’s big problems – not fighting with each other.
You make a great valid point, Diane! We all need to work together, not fight each other. How do we get that? That’s the million-dollar question. Thank you for stopping by and supporting your author!! Have a great day!
Thanks for helping to spread the word, Diane, and your belief in this book! Means the world!
The current political climate is so horribly discouraging. Like Craig, I pray for healing, and like Yvette, I hope that we can unite in the middle again, and become the country we should be—the UNITED States of America.
All the best to the author with this timely release.
We definitely all agree on how discouraging the political climate is and how volatile. We need CHANGE and we need it badly. We need a leader who will unite, not divide. But I’m not seeing one out there anywhere. Still, I pray for it. Thank you for stopping by, Mae, and supporting this author!
And to think I started to think of the premise of this book back in 2008. Little did I know we would get increasingly divided. The people I interviewed all gave me hope that we can heal as a country.
It is timely. I’ve never seen political teams quite like this before. It’s almost like hating the opposition is a requirement. There’s no working together of any kind. I wish her millions of sales, and pray for some healing.
I couldn’t agree more, Craig. I’ve never seen so much hatred and bullying. We definitely need healing!
Thank you for this! You make an interesting point about living in unprecedented times. The older Americans I interviewed all said that politics weren’t like this- that people voted on a candidate’s personality before his/ her party. I pray for healing for our country as well.
That’s me, older American. It’s true though. My truth based on experience.
I agree with you on all points, Craig. Thank you for saying it for me.
What a perfect time for this book! Our country has become more and more divided, and the political parties have continued to moved to the extreme polar ends of each other, ignoring the fact that the majority of Americans are somewhat in the middle. I continue to hope that we, as one country, can find our way back to the middle where we care for ALL of our citizens and work toward making our country work for everyone. A book that shares our similarities within our differences is a good start. Thanks for sharing this book with us, Jan. 🙂
Hi, Yvette. I couldn’t agree with you more about the division in our country. When I first saw this book, I thought it was just another political story, but it isn’t. It’s an in-depth look at how we get our political beliefs throughout our life. Most interesting. I too hope for some middle ground SOON!! Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks for your feedback Yvette! Yes, it was heartening to interview real people and to realize that we are much more alike than we are different. The answer is simple- we need to listen.