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American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things
The host of the NBC Today Show's Emmy Award-winning "American Story with Bob Dotson" celebrates the inspirational stories of everyday, unrecognized people who changed the world for the better, from a truck driver who taught microsurgery to the doctor who developed the vaccine for pertussis. Simultaneous.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published March 19, 2013
11 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Bob Dotson
6 books7 followersBob Dotson crisscrossed this country, more than four million miles, searching for people who are practically invisible, the ones who change our lives, but don’t take time to tweet and tell us about it.
His quest got noticed. He’s been nominated for 12 national Emmys — and won 10 — after he became an NBC News correspondent in 1975. His long-running series, “The American Story with Bob Dotson,” was a regular feature on the TODAY Show for 40 years. He is now a New York Times Best Selling author and writes a daily blog which The Society of Professional Journalists cited as the “best in new media.”
Dotson continues producing documentaries. An NBC production, “El Capitan’s Courageous Climbers,” won seven International Film Festivals and documentary's highest honor, the CINE Grand Prize.
He is one of the most honored storytellers of our time. His reporting and storytelling have earned 120 awards around the world. They include top honors from the Kennedy Center, DuPont Columbia and a record six Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Network News Writing. In 2014, Dotson received the William Allen White Foundation National Citation for journalistic excellence. In 2019 he joined Will Rogers in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Dotson now teaches the next generation of visual storytellers, conducting workshops in Korea, Australia, England, Holland, Switzerland, and Austria. He is also a professor of Master Storytelling at Syracuse University.
His quest got noticed. He’s been nominated for 12 national Emmys — and won 10 — after he became an NBC News correspondent in 1975. His long-running series, “The American Story with Bob Dotson,” was a regular feature on the TODAY Show for 40 years. He is now a New York Times Best Selling author and writes a daily blog which The Society of Professional Journalists cited as the “best in new media.”
Dotson continues producing documentaries. An NBC production, “El Capitan’s Courageous Climbers,” won seven International Film Festivals and documentary's highest honor, the CINE Grand Prize.
He is one of the most honored storytellers of our time. His reporting and storytelling have earned 120 awards around the world. They include top honors from the Kennedy Center, DuPont Columbia and a record six Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Network News Writing. In 2014, Dotson received the William Allen White Foundation National Citation for journalistic excellence. In 2019 he joined Will Rogers in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Dotson now teaches the next generation of visual storytellers, conducting workshops in Korea, Australia, England, Holland, Switzerland, and Austria. He is also a professor of Master Storytelling at Syracuse University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
June 13, 2018
This was an ok book, my dad got it and gave it to me. I loved the concept that it was about normal every day people and why they do what they do. I also liked that the main idea of the book seems to be that life is hard but if you work through the hard times there is always something better coming in the future.
What I didn't like about the book was that all of the stories were very short and there wasn't a great amount of detail. With each short story I found myself asking a lot of questions that never got answered. This book is based on a TV segment that Bob Dotson did and I wondered if what we got in this book was the print stories of the 4 minute video stories that Bob did on TV.
Once again there is enough good stories in this book where it is worth your time but if you want to hear about American stories with a little more depth check out The Moth podcast or This American Life.
What I didn't like about the book was that all of the stories were very short and there wasn't a great amount of detail. With each short story I found myself asking a lot of questions that never got answered. This book is based on a TV segment that Bob Dotson did and I wondered if what we got in this book was the print stories of the 4 minute video stories that Bob did on TV.
Once again there is enough good stories in this book where it is worth your time but if you want to hear about American stories with a little more depth check out The Moth podcast or This American Life.
April 21, 2013
I received this book from a giveaway here on Goodreads. I entered because I liked the premise of the book and felt it would be a good read. I was wrong.
It's a great read.
Bob Dotson takes you on a journey across the country and beyond to meet some of the nameless heroes and tireless givers of hope that help to make others shine. When I read a book, I tend to read some and then skim a sentence or two. I could not do it with this book. His stories held the right mixture of detail and truth that kept your attention focused on the story. None were so long that your interest waned but they weren't short either.
All in all, there were plenty of stories that were uplifting, hopeful and showed the gritty determination to overcome obstacles that makes up the American spirit. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
It's a great read.
Bob Dotson takes you on a journey across the country and beyond to meet some of the nameless heroes and tireless givers of hope that help to make others shine. When I read a book, I tend to read some and then skim a sentence or two. I could not do it with this book. His stories held the right mixture of detail and truth that kept your attention focused on the story. None were so long that your interest waned but they weren't short either.
All in all, there were plenty of stories that were uplifting, hopeful and showed the gritty determination to overcome obstacles that makes up the American spirit. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
May 29, 2013
The stories were very good but I had a hard time following along...there wasn't a lot of detail but I guess most of the people he interviewed didn't want to be in the spotlight. I never saw his spots on the Today Show but think I may have enjoyed watching them better than reading about them. It still was very inspiring and nice to read about these extraordinary people and how they help others!
June 15, 2013
A little bit "dry". The stories seemed to run-on from one to another. Did not live up to my expectations. I was hoping for more.
September 6, 2013
Bob Dotson captures multiple glimpses of Americana in this very small volume which, though generally overlooked, are worthy of the highest praise. An un-employed truck driver took a job cleaning medical tools. Armed with only a high-school education and his innate ability, he began tinkering with those tools and soon perfected some of the earliest tools for microsurgeries. This led to his teaching surgery for more than 30 years.
Bob tells the tale of a young New York couple -- the Dwyers -- who moved west with the dream of owning a ranch but ended up running a muffler shop. Their dream changed when they agreed to look after an entire family in addition to their own five sons. These were the six children of parents who wanted so much for their children’s future that that assisted them in fleeing from Communists who had taken over their native Vietnam. The Tran children escaped a few at a time under most harrowing circumstances and became the second family at the Dwyer’s home. The only thing their Vietnamese parents asked of them was to “do your best.” All six of the Tran children graduated from college and all five of the Dwyer children also attended college. The oldest daughter Tran Thu-Nga was second in her class at Johns Hopkins Medical School and became a highly regarded research physician. During these later years, the Tran parents had finally gotten out of Vietnam. The Tran children had 4 loving parents – the American foster parents who gave up their dreams to raise them and the Vietnamese parents who loved them so much that they were willing to let them escape to freedom.
Bob ventured to Petaluma, California, the location for the filming of the iconic movie American Graffiti, with a then unknown director named George Lucas. The success of that low-budget movie boosted Lucas into an unimaginable level with his epic Star Wars. Not long after the filming of American Graffiti, Petaluma lost its last movie theater. Twelve-year-old Taylor Norman and six of her close friends of the same age began dreaming of opening another theater. They began trying to find out how to make a Petaluma movie theater profitable. After meeting 2 hours per week for more than a year, they drafted a business plan which even impressed the staff of George Lucas when they sent it to him. With some initial assistance from Mr. Lucas and four years of persistence, their dream of a new Petaluma movie theater came true.
Fred Benson, the richest man on Block Island, Rhode Island, lived his entire life in an unheated room in a home he didn’t even own. A few years back he won $500,000 in the state lottery. He threw the biggest birthday party anyone could remember and invited all the children on the island. After the festivities, he announced he’d pay the tuition on any child there who wanted to go to college. At age 54 he went to college, got a degree in education, and taught high school shop when there was a housing shortage. The island’s four builders all got their start with Fred.
John Suta’s dream as a youth was to become an opera singer. He taught himself 5 languages and studied the piano. Reality entered the picture, and he had to become a pipefitter to support his family. In his post-retirement years, he used much of his meager savings to purchase an old French horn with hopes of re-kindling his early dream of a musical career. With no extra funds for lessons, he went to the local middle school and asked to join the beginner’s band. The principal was very supportive, thinking the kids might be able to learn a lot from a man who described himself as “another 13-year-old with 64 years of experience at being 13.” The old pipe fitter connected those kids with the music he loved becoming the band’s heart in the process.
Alfred Preis was a Jewish architect who fled from the Nazis and made his way to Honolulu, Hawaii. He and his wife were picked up after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor as possible spies. He was detained in a camp within sight of his home and when he was finally released, found that he had lost his home because the mortgage went unpaid. Initially, he could only find work digging ditches but eventually was hired to design something special – the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.
Mario Capecchi was the son of a single mother. She was sent to a concentration camp and he had to fend for himself as a four-year-old. He lived in bombed-out houses and stole what food he could find. By the war’s end, he was a sick and starving little boy lying naked on a hospital bed with no sheets or blankets. His mother located him, bought his clothes, and he said he had his first bath in six years. They arrived in the Philadelphia area when Mario was 9 years old, unable to speak English and having never been to school. He made the very best of his new opportunity in America and re-paid America’s kindness by becoming a scientist. He worked with Dr. James Watson, one of the men who discovered DNA. Watson said that Capecchi’s breakthrough studies will likely be the keys to conquering cancer. In 2007 Dr. Mario Capecchi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
These are but a sampling of the incredible and at the same time heartwarming stories that Bob Dotson highlights in this wonderful book. I was a very enjoyable read which I VERY HIGHLY recommend.
[Book 36 of 2013 Target 50
(Jan-6; Feb-3; Mar-3; Apr-4; May-6; Jun-6; Jul-5; Aug-2; Sep-1)]
Bob tells the tale of a young New York couple -- the Dwyers -- who moved west with the dream of owning a ranch but ended up running a muffler shop. Their dream changed when they agreed to look after an entire family in addition to their own five sons. These were the six children of parents who wanted so much for their children’s future that that assisted them in fleeing from Communists who had taken over their native Vietnam. The Tran children escaped a few at a time under most harrowing circumstances and became the second family at the Dwyer’s home. The only thing their Vietnamese parents asked of them was to “do your best.” All six of the Tran children graduated from college and all five of the Dwyer children also attended college. The oldest daughter Tran Thu-Nga was second in her class at Johns Hopkins Medical School and became a highly regarded research physician. During these later years, the Tran parents had finally gotten out of Vietnam. The Tran children had 4 loving parents – the American foster parents who gave up their dreams to raise them and the Vietnamese parents who loved them so much that they were willing to let them escape to freedom.
Bob ventured to Petaluma, California, the location for the filming of the iconic movie American Graffiti, with a then unknown director named George Lucas. The success of that low-budget movie boosted Lucas into an unimaginable level with his epic Star Wars. Not long after the filming of American Graffiti, Petaluma lost its last movie theater. Twelve-year-old Taylor Norman and six of her close friends of the same age began dreaming of opening another theater. They began trying to find out how to make a Petaluma movie theater profitable. After meeting 2 hours per week for more than a year, they drafted a business plan which even impressed the staff of George Lucas when they sent it to him. With some initial assistance from Mr. Lucas and four years of persistence, their dream of a new Petaluma movie theater came true.
Fred Benson, the richest man on Block Island, Rhode Island, lived his entire life in an unheated room in a home he didn’t even own. A few years back he won $500,000 in the state lottery. He threw the biggest birthday party anyone could remember and invited all the children on the island. After the festivities, he announced he’d pay the tuition on any child there who wanted to go to college. At age 54 he went to college, got a degree in education, and taught high school shop when there was a housing shortage. The island’s four builders all got their start with Fred.
John Suta’s dream as a youth was to become an opera singer. He taught himself 5 languages and studied the piano. Reality entered the picture, and he had to become a pipefitter to support his family. In his post-retirement years, he used much of his meager savings to purchase an old French horn with hopes of re-kindling his early dream of a musical career. With no extra funds for lessons, he went to the local middle school and asked to join the beginner’s band. The principal was very supportive, thinking the kids might be able to learn a lot from a man who described himself as “another 13-year-old with 64 years of experience at being 13.” The old pipe fitter connected those kids with the music he loved becoming the band’s heart in the process.
Alfred Preis was a Jewish architect who fled from the Nazis and made his way to Honolulu, Hawaii. He and his wife were picked up after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor as possible spies. He was detained in a camp within sight of his home and when he was finally released, found that he had lost his home because the mortgage went unpaid. Initially, he could only find work digging ditches but eventually was hired to design something special – the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.
Mario Capecchi was the son of a single mother. She was sent to a concentration camp and he had to fend for himself as a four-year-old. He lived in bombed-out houses and stole what food he could find. By the war’s end, he was a sick and starving little boy lying naked on a hospital bed with no sheets or blankets. His mother located him, bought his clothes, and he said he had his first bath in six years. They arrived in the Philadelphia area when Mario was 9 years old, unable to speak English and having never been to school. He made the very best of his new opportunity in America and re-paid America’s kindness by becoming a scientist. He worked with Dr. James Watson, one of the men who discovered DNA. Watson said that Capecchi’s breakthrough studies will likely be the keys to conquering cancer. In 2007 Dr. Mario Capecchi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
These are but a sampling of the incredible and at the same time heartwarming stories that Bob Dotson highlights in this wonderful book. I was a very enjoyable read which I VERY HIGHLY recommend.
[Book 36 of 2013 Target 50
(Jan-6; Feb-3; Mar-3; Apr-4; May-6; Jun-6; Jul-5; Aug-2; Sep-1)]
February 13, 2020
If we hear only bad news, tradgedy begins to seem normal. It is not. Nothing is more American than optimism that overcomes hardship. - Bob Dotson, author
August 29, 2013
seeking solutions from those seldom asked, lottery for college, its so far away the mind is your best friend—island, quiet and listen for more, humor overcomes apathy quicker, dead chicken marketing, not do what like—like what do, persistence and patience, start everyday with nothing, adventure where resistance, Alaska dragon slayers, everything a variation of past patients, make a deal with heart/trust for lifetime, no try just do, all called to be Saints, sow seeds for good, birth is victory of life over death, ¼ graduated Newfoundland Lewisport scholarship funded for all, OK 28 black towns and 37 Indian nations to homesteads, real heroes seldom believe, fame is a vapor, plant to multiply naturally with wind weather water, focus on goal not glamour, writing memory not moment, make your life, smiles to brighten, character revealed in doing not saying, explore no pity humor commitment practically persistent imagination understand history strive.
June 4, 2013
I highly recommend this book. While the writing is "old school journalism," I was entranced by the stories of real people. Yes, it made me laugh and cry. I even thought that some excerpts would be wonderful nonfiction to use in the classroom. However, the stories are forced to all flow from one to the next with contrived transitions that remind me of my journalism classes in college. That being said, this type of journalism is a dying breed and it made me nostalgic.
June 9, 2013
The content of this book was uplifting. You see so many examples of people doing the right thing, helping others, and making a difference in the lives around them. It inspires you. The only difficulty I had with this book is sometimes things needed to be explained a bit better. You weren't always sure who the narrator was referring to, or when a new story started. But dealing with a bit of confusion occassionally does not take away from the message of the book.
May 4, 2013
A ***** star review for "American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things" by Bob Dotson
"American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things" is a deeply moving and endlessly fascinating alternative narrative for everyone who yearns to feel good about America!
"American Story: A Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things" is a deeply moving and endlessly fascinating alternative narrative for everyone who yearns to feel good about America!
July 31, 2013
I listened to this on cd. I liked it a lot, but by the end I was a bit worn out. I would have liked a few more in dept stories rather than such short snippets all the time. But I found myself telling people stories from this book as I listened. I also felt inspired to live a big life, and influence those around me. To be part of the real America.
August 27, 2013
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Great book! Really puts the focus on the good that people still do in this country, even though it's not on the news. Makes me wonder why it's not! A lot of editing/grammar errors, but I had an "Advance Uncorrected Proof" copy so hopefully they found them all and fixed them!
July 6, 2013
Along the lines of a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, with a patriotic theme. Dotson expands his television interview stories and has found some amazing stories to tell. An OK read that maybe tries a little too hard to string the stories together in thematic chapters. Dotson shows a reporter's love for finding unique stories in unexpected places.
May 1, 2013
I saw this after reading a newspaper article based on one of his "American Stories", and it was an enjoyable, quick, light-hearted read. It read quickly and was a feel-good book. Definitely the kind of book I'd buy my dad for gift.
May 17, 2013
Great stories! What a celebration of the American spirit. I enjoyed the colloquial tone of the story and the little bio bits from the author. I highly recommend this book whether you're a fan of Bob Dotson or not.
May 17, 2013
I loved the individual stories, but often found myself looking for more - and in some rare cases, less. The theme was there, but at the end I struggled to find that one story to use as an example when talking to folks aabout the book. There are gems that you need to go back and think about.
September 27, 2013
A refreshing reminder about everyday, unsung heroes who all too often go unnoticed. These are the Americans we should be championing in the news rather than paying attention to Miley's latest meltdown or a Kardashian's latest divorce. An inspiring read.
May 1, 2013
I love the idea that everyone has a story!
May 31, 2013
This is a feel good read about people Bob Dotson has meet in his career. It was an easy read with some really interesting stories.
June 9, 2013
Just did not keep my interest stopped on page 25.
July 7, 2013
Good parts but a bit boring. Not completely happy with it. Parts of it are nice to read.
July 21, 2013
Great book!!! Very, very inspirational. Tons of stories of just regular people.
Read
August 9, 2013A fun read which leaves me with hope for the United States,
October 3, 2013
I really enjoyed all of the stories in this book. My only criticism is that it probably could have been organized a little better! It felt a little all over the place.
February 15, 2014
You'd swear this book had been written by Charles Kuralt.
October 3, 2013
A lovely collection of stories--a fun, feel-good read. Recommended!
April 5, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “WISDOM DOESN’T ALWAYS WEAR A SUIT”… & TO READERS… MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TEARS & TISSUES”
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The author, Bob Dotson has spent over four decades telling his stories of Americana on the “Today Show”… and he has many awards and fame for his endeavors. I have never seen his TV show… but I’m so very thankful I read this book. To describe this book to a potential reader is simple in one respect… and agonizingly difficult… but yet enjoyable… in another vein… how do you write with smoke? (Writing with smoke is an analogy the author uses in some of his stories.). If a wondrous child was blessed with the ability to transform his or her childhood dreams and fantasies of princesses and giants and rabbits that could fly… into words in the water of a pool… simply by maneuvering his little finger… the emotional effect… to an adult… would be the stories in this book.
To the demographic of Americans that are old enough… or enlightened enough… to know of… and treasure… the paintings of the American legend… and gift… Norman Rockwell… I offer a simple yet powerful description… as follows: the words and stories in this book… are what the world would have had… if the good Lord never gave a paint brush to Norman Rockwell… and only blessed him with a pen!
I do not need to give you intricate detail of any of the heart-tugging stories that range from tiny settlements in remote Alaska… to tiny islands in the Atlantic… and everything in between… and from soldiers in many wars that didn’t make it home… to soldiers that did. Stories that include characters that YOU WILL fall in love with… that you will cry for… that you will hope and pray that you can emulate in even the tiniest manner… if even for one single day.
You will feel… and I truly mean feel… for the innate “goodness”… of so many people young and old… in every corner of our wonderful country of America. These stories will give you hope… and as ugly as this world has seem to become… and man’s inhumanity to man… may have rightfully made you cynical… at least I’m honest enough to admit it has to me… these stories will at times… at least for a precious moment… make you stop… and say… perhaps I can try a little harder to bring a moment of peace… or happiness… or just show some understanding… and give an absolute heartfelt shoulder of empathy and support to another person… when it is least expected.
And you will cry… and you will feel proud of your fellow Americans… and it will change your worldview if only momentarily… and there will be tears.
There are great achievements despite pain… there are great achievements despite loss… there are great achievements… despite awful abusive childhoods… and almost all the achievements… are for the betterment of others… and there will be tears.
After reading this book you will feel like you’ve “read” and “felt” over two-hundred pages of Norman Rockwell paintings.
I’m sure you’ve heard many books described as being a good book to give as a gift… well this book will make a great gift to yourself!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The author, Bob Dotson has spent over four decades telling his stories of Americana on the “Today Show”… and he has many awards and fame for his endeavors. I have never seen his TV show… but I’m so very thankful I read this book. To describe this book to a potential reader is simple in one respect… and agonizingly difficult… but yet enjoyable… in another vein… how do you write with smoke? (Writing with smoke is an analogy the author uses in some of his stories.). If a wondrous child was blessed with the ability to transform his or her childhood dreams and fantasies of princesses and giants and rabbits that could fly… into words in the water of a pool… simply by maneuvering his little finger… the emotional effect… to an adult… would be the stories in this book.
To the demographic of Americans that are old enough… or enlightened enough… to know of… and treasure… the paintings of the American legend… and gift… Norman Rockwell… I offer a simple yet powerful description… as follows: the words and stories in this book… are what the world would have had… if the good Lord never gave a paint brush to Norman Rockwell… and only blessed him with a pen!
I do not need to give you intricate detail of any of the heart-tugging stories that range from tiny settlements in remote Alaska… to tiny islands in the Atlantic… and everything in between… and from soldiers in many wars that didn’t make it home… to soldiers that did. Stories that include characters that YOU WILL fall in love with… that you will cry for… that you will hope and pray that you can emulate in even the tiniest manner… if even for one single day.
You will feel… and I truly mean feel… for the innate “goodness”… of so many people young and old… in every corner of our wonderful country of America. These stories will give you hope… and as ugly as this world has seem to become… and man’s inhumanity to man… may have rightfully made you cynical… at least I’m honest enough to admit it has to me… these stories will at times… at least for a precious moment… make you stop… and say… perhaps I can try a little harder to bring a moment of peace… or happiness… or just show some understanding… and give an absolute heartfelt shoulder of empathy and support to another person… when it is least expected.
And you will cry… and you will feel proud of your fellow Americans… and it will change your worldview if only momentarily… and there will be tears.
There are great achievements despite pain… there are great achievements despite loss… there are great achievements… despite awful abusive childhoods… and almost all the achievements… are for the betterment of others… and there will be tears.
After reading this book you will feel like you’ve “read” and “felt” over two-hundred pages of Norman Rockwell paintings.
I’m sure you’ve heard many books described as being a good book to give as a gift… well this book will make a great gift to yourself!
June 17, 2020
A collection of stories of real people that have done some pretty big things in a very altruistic way. My favorite: The Migrant Mother. The story of the lady in the famous photo by Dorothea Lange during the Depression. I remember that photo. Her name was Florence Owens Thompson. Turns out she was in Nipomo, California at the time the picture was taken. She was on her way to Watsonville after picking beets in the Imperial Valley. Recently widowed in the picture, she was found years later in a trailer park in Modesto, CA. Remarrried, and had a couple more children. she died of cancer and heart problems
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2021
This book reads very much like it was written by a guy who is a fairly entertaining party guest....and he knows it. The entire premise of this book (which was, if I'm reading correctly, based on a section of a morning news show that he headed up) is great, big stories about the little people in America. But the way he tells it is a little sucrosey. Which, actually, may be the editing, it's hard to say. There are also some portions that are a little cringey, but I can overlook these as being part of the times...
June 2, 2024
I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book, read by the author. The short, inspiring stories were perfect to pass the time while driving. It would have been helpful, though, if there was some sort of transition between stories. Because there wasn't even a pause between them, it could be hard to determine when one story ended and another began. Overall, I enjoyed these wonderful and heartwarming stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews