In Other Words, Leadership

How a Young Mother's Weekly Letters to Her Governor Helped Both Women Brave the First Pandemic Year

By: Shannon A. Mullen

Narrated by: Shannon A. Mullen

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

“A remarkable story of work, worry, art, faith, community, life, and hope. An instant classic.” — Heather Cox Richardson

"A heartfelt and moving story . . . Just as important, it’s also a well-timed lesson in civics." — Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls

Two unforgettable women from opposite poles of power in Maine forge an uplifting bond through good old-fashioned letter writing that helps them navigate the COVID crisis.

Both women bring civility, grace, wit, and wisdom to the challenge of protecting those who depend on them—in other words, leadership.

This trip to the “Vacationland” of Maine—where the state motto is I Lead—offers an inspiring tale of civility and purpose, of doing the right thing and not just surviving, but prevailing.

The first woman to serve as governor of Maine, Janet Mills, had been in office a year when COVID-19 reached the United States. The recently-widowed 72-year-old wrote in her journal there is “no playbook for a pandemic” as she imposed unprecedented restrictions on her state.

When early support for the governor’s response curdled to rampant opposition, a young mother named Ashirah Knapp sent a letter of support from a remote homestead in the woods of Maine. Ashirah’s handwritten dispatch detailed how the public health emergency was upending her family’s life and livelihood, and she promised to keep writing “every week until we are through this time” to remind the governor how many Mainers supported her despite the disruption.

Ashirah’s letters, with their simple wisdom and striking penmanship, stood out in a flood of correspondence Governor Mills was receiving that ranged in tone from appreciative to furious. They helped keep her grounded as she made wrenching, often unpopular choices.

Shannon A. Mullen weaves from these two women’s letters and the governor’s journal, which were never intended for publication, an intimate and compelling true story that is a celebration of civility and compassion in the face of rancor and of resolve in the face of adversity.

©2023 Shannon A. Mullen (P)2023 Steerforth Press LLC

Critic reviews

“Mullen’s earnest approach will keep readers engaged. Readers will find both governor and homesteader sturdy pandemic companions.”

--Kirkus Reviews

"A heartfelt and moving story . . . Just as important, it’s also a well-timed lesson in civics."

--Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls

“This is a remarkable book. The story of how Maine governor Janet Mills and constituent Ashirah Knapp, a homesteader with young children, supported each other from a distance through the storms of the coronavirus pandemic, it is far more than just a record of those unsettled years. It captures both history and humanity as it tells the life stories of the two women who faced an unprecedented crisis and how they set a course through it. It is a story of work, worry, art, faith, community, life, and hope. An instant classic.”

--Heather Cox Richardson, author of How the South Won the Civil War

Fantastic!

A poetic argument for meaningful diversity in government and actual thoughtful leadership during duel pandemics of both the viral and political variety. Both were equally toxic.