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

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.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make no mistake: “In Other Words, Leadership: How a Young Mother's Weekly Letters to Her Governor Helped Both Women Brave the First Pandemic Year ” is not fiction. It is not a warm, fuzzy account of a pleasant conversation between a homesteader and her Governor. Rather, it is the historical, non-fictional account of how one Governor, from the State of Maine navigated the challenges of a global pandemic in consideration of her constituents against a contrasting account of how one of those constituents managed to survive the social, economic and other hardships of the pandemic she and her family personally experienced.

This is a thoughtful, grounded and well-researched presentation of how all of the factors of a very real global pandemic played out in the microcosm of one Governor and her state. The efforts and consideration for making unpopular decisions, and the requirements of planning, communicating, and managing resources as over shadowed by the ever alarming statistics of how Covid-19 threatened everyone - everywhere.

This book in my opinion, is one of the first narratives to unpack the realities of how Covid-19 affected people at every scale of society. As a nation we have not yet begun to address the magnitude of the loss we experienced. It happened. Many survived, many did not. The lessons offered here are not based on where you landed on what was done right or wrong during the pandemic, but rather through the illumination of the possibility of civility against overwhelming challenges during an extraordinary dark time. Or in other words, leadership.

[Stefano Kotsonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book we sorely need in these angry times. The governor of Maine and a Maine mother communicated regularly in writing during the course of the pandemic. The mother did not criticize, attack or complain (which seems to becoming a national pastime across the political spectrum). The governor didn’t dodge or obfuscate or sell herself to a voter.
They key ingredients in their dialogue were questions (not assertions) and empathy. Those two things are the building blocks of civil discourse and even civilization itself.
Mullen does a wonderful job of profiling two people, one in a position of power, the other a citizen and how they communicated thoughtfully and respectfully during a difficult time –the pandemic. Most of us don’t want to think about the pandemic, but Mullen walks us through what was going on in the country and our communities, many of which we’ve allowed ourselves to forget.
This book is not heavy or negative. It’s reassuring and heartwarming.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In Other Words, Leadership” by Shannon A. Mullen is the compelling, well written story of the relationship between Maine Governor Janet Mills and homesteader Ashirah Knapp of Temple, Maine during the first year of Covid. Told through excerpts from Mills’s diaries and from the weekly letters Knapp sent in support of the Governor, it provides a fascinating insight to the daily problems, failures, and triumphs of two strong women as they navigate the shifting landscape of the pandemic, one with the huge responsibility for the welfare of her million plus constituents, and the other with the closely focused needs of her family of four on their off the grid farm and wilderness-living school at the end of the road in Temple. Two Americans from widely disparate backgrounds coming together in these divisive times to support one another. A must read.

[Bruce S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The uplifting nature and wholly human element to this book makes it a MUST read. This beautifully composed narrative explores the power of the written word, the capacity of people to understand and support one another even from a distance, and the inherent difficulty of building a plan when the information one has is incomplete, changing daily, and at times counter-intuitive. The writing is sensitive without being sentimental, insightful without being pedantic, and elegant without being over-dressed. I rank it among the best books I have read in the last decade.

[Lydia Bouzaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can only repeat what has been said before - “A remarkable story of work, worry, art, faith, community, life, and hope. An instant classic.” — Heather Cox Richardson

I am biased as Shannon Mullen is one of my dear friends but it is a great book!!!

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.

[Stu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its title! Yes, I know the title is not very inviting, but rest assured, this book is a wonderful account and document of what many of us endured on a day to day basis, as we trudged through the pandemic. We see the effects of the pandemic through the eyes of both the Governor of Maine and one of her constituents, Ashirah Knapp, who really is the heart of this story.

Ashirah is truly an exceptional person, as evidenced by her handwritten weekly letters to Governor Mills throughout the pandemic. Ashirah wanted to let the governor know that people were supporting her, and understood that the Governor was making impossible choices, trying to protect the people of Maine, What elevated Ashirah's letters was her choice to share the personal experiences that her family was going through, from the mundane to the profound. Her letters are a reminder of the difficult decisions we all had to make on a daily basis. She chronicles the struggles she and her family were going through on a social, political and worldview level. Rather than getting a glimpse into the lives of Ashirah, her husband and her two children, Ashirah's letters provide us with a deep personal account of all the feelings, emotions and thoughts of this incredible woman's mind.

If this book, just detailed the tough decisions that Governor Mills had to make, it would just be for policy wonks. Instead, we get, to date, the best chronicle of life during the pandemic, on both a policy and personal level. This book should enter the canon of books we use to understand this historic event in our lives.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio edition, read by the author. Although, at times, the detail is intense and contributed to feelings of anxiety remembering how it felt to be in a continous state of unknowing, a firehose of changing information, as many opinions being expressed as there are people, and vassallating between shame and disbelief of the hate and anger some people choose to spew and pride and hope for the humanity of people who choose to humble themselves and love their neighbor enough to wear the mask, get the shot etc., I'm glad I listened this book. I admire Governor Mills and am glad to have lived through Covid in Maine. How lucky I am to live in a part of the state where I could get outside, to have been able to continue to safely work, to have had access to vaccinations, to have survived. This book just reminded me of how close to the surface the feelings and memories are.

[Marta E C R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a impeccably researched and footnoted book, and a remarkable personal story about Janet Mills and Ashirah Knapp. Once I started it, I kind of wished I'd waited a few years longer to read it, since the pandemic, though perhaps waning, is still not behind us, and since I live in Maine and had witnessed much of this happening, it was difficult to relive so many painful moments. It's an excellent historical document of this time.

[Sally Melcher mckeagney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating review of the governorship of Janet Mills and how the pandemic changed everything. The young woman who began corresponding weekly with Governor Mills added to the story, with her view of the pandemic, including how she felt about the legislators who sought to have Mills's emergency powers overthrown. She also wrote of the effect of the pandemic on her family. Worth a read especially if you are interested Maine politics and/or pandemic politics.

[KJ Grow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this play by play of Governor Mills’ handling of the pandemic in Maine. The correspondence she shared with her young constituent is delightful and so uplifting, showing readers the true nature and impact of politics: that our elected officials make decisions and policies that impact the lives of real people.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this book as it brought back the many ways I sought hope during the early days of the pandemic. I have a lot of respect for Maine Governor Janet Mills and knowing that she read letters from her constituents to help her navigate those confusing times made me like her even more. I do think it was a bit of a stretch to turn this into a book, it felt repetitive and overdone at times.

[Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a woman in a small town in Maine who wrote letters of support to Governor Mills during the pandemic. It was an interesting read, but a little more in depth than I’d have preferred. It may be because of living through the pandemic, but I looked forward to the parts in the book from Ashirah and her letters. That part was inspiring.