We Gather Together (Young Readers Edition): Stories of Thanksgiving from Then to Now

by Denise Kiernan

This young readers adaptation of the New York Times bestselling We Gather Together shares the true story of how Thanksgving became a national holiday and the way gratitude is looked at in America

Thanksgiving is an American holiday that began when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and met the Indigenous tribes already living there.

Thanksgiving celebrations existed before the United States of America and were celebrated in other countries as well.

American Thanksgiving was always on the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving’s day, date, and even its existence was at the discretion of the president and other leaders until the date was officially established by Congress and signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941.

George Washington is the person who decided we should celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation at the same time each year.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor and author, petitioned five presidents until she convinced Abraham Lincoln to declare a national day of Thanksgiving in November of 1863, starting an annual tradition continuing to this day.

There is much fiction surrounding the creation of Thanksgiving in America. Denise Kiernan debunks myths, provides facts, and explains how and why Thanksgiving evolved in the United States the way it did—and what gratitude means to society.

This young readers adaptation of Kiernan’s We Gather Together should be required reading in every school in America today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Thanksgiving

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 26, 2023

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

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This was a LOT of information about the history of Thanksgiving, with a large emphasis on Sarah Josepha Hale. It did mention the sometimes problematic history of the holiday, but acknowledged that a holiday embracing the idea of gratitude is still a good idea.

That said, this just wasn't what I had been expecting. I was looking for something a little more like Ali and Saeed's Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, but with stories about Thanksgiving that could be used as read alouds. This was super well researched and interesting, but more academic than I had wanted.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adult, the content of this book is interesting and informative, but not as coherent as I would like. There are many tangents and the focus is sometimes hard to divine. Although it is a young reader's edition, it is not as young reader-friendly as I think it could be. Then many parenthetical explanations are helpful, but it seems that a comprehensive version for young readers was not created. Young readers will need to be quite dedicated to learning in order to persevere.

[Meagan Wolson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kind of bombards you with information from all directions. It is mostly the story of Sarah Josepha Hale and her tireless commitment to forcing her idea to have Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November on the American people.

Originally, I purchased it thinking it was for kids because of the "young readers edition," but I must have been mistaken as to what that means.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - some areas dragged a little more than expected like the history of getting the current date of holiday. Enjoyed the additional information about gratitude.

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Helen Meuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the history of Thanksgiving