Rating: 
Summary: Great stories, too much Rather
Review: A more appropriate subtitle for this book might be, Those who achieved despite America's wrongs. Readers like me who come to this book expecting patriotic success stories of Americans aided by their nation's greatness will be disappointed by Rather's cynical view that hangs over this book.The book is chock full of success stories that were not broadcast during Rather's "American Dream" segments on the CBS Evening News program. The stories, due to Rather's fine writing skills, are inspiring, moving and heart-warming. The Americans portrayed are certainly deserving of the praise and attention this book brings them. Their stories alone make this book worth purchasing. But, caveat emptor, Rather brands this book with his cynicism of what is wrong with America and how the U.S. Constitution should be viewed. He profiles the successes of the heroes in this book against the failings in American society that they had to overcome. Rather's favorite American sins? Greed, big business, the wealthy, and white men in the less-enlightened past. Word of mouth will not be good among Republican readers. Rather, for the most part, shies away from famous household names in this collection. Even the people profiled in the "fame" chapter (with the exception perhaps of author Jacquelyn Mitchard) are not household names. While the subtitle of the book indicates these people come from the "heart" of the nation, most of those profiled here come from decidedly urban environments. But that should not detract from the fine stories presented here. This is a good book that could have been great if Rather would have checked his ego at the keyboard.
Rating: 
Summary: One VERY True Story!
Review: A reviewer has called into question the validity of the stories contained in this book. I can understand the skepticism, especially with respect to the Vietnam vet returning to adopt little Anna. I have read and re-read that story many times - and lived it too. Dan Rather captured the very essence of the experience my wife Karen and I had during our trip to Vietnam and the struggles which lead to our decision to adopt. We're disappointed only in our exclusion from the "abridged" audio book version - but will cherish this book as a legacy for our two children, Julie (home-made) and Anna.
Rating:
Summary: One VERY True Story!
Review: A reviewer has called into question the validity of the stories contained in this book. I can understand the skepticism, especially with respect to the Vietnam vet returning to adopt little Anna. I have read and re-read that story many times - and lived it too. Dan Rather captured the very essence of the experience my wife Karen and I had during our trip to Vietnam and the struggles which lead to our decision to adopt. We're disappointed only in our exclusion from the "abridged" audio book version - but will cherish this book as a legacy for our two children, Julie (home-made) and Anna.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: CBS News anchor Dan Rather gives us a truly fascinating look at 30 American Dreamers, their struggles and triumphs, and I can honestly say that the book doesn't lag in any single spot throughout, which is quite an accomplishment, when dealing with so many diffrent people's stories. Also, Rather proves to be a very solid writer, sprinkling levity and personal anecdotes in just the right amount, in my humble opinion. The first woman astronaut, a Food Network chef who remained illiterate until age 26, exceptional teachers, and author Jacquline Mitchard are but a handful of the folks Rather covers. Well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Reality vs. Illusion
Review: Clearly, an inspirational book - well written, cogently presented - all in true-to-form Dan Rather style. Whilst telling us about many "American Success" stories, Rather seems to suggest that the right idea at the right time, combined with hard work, stamina, and perhaps a little bit of luck will ultimately get you there - to riches (material and otherwise). Sadly, it's also part of the American Dream that the rate of failure is much higher than one expects, and occasionally, the reason for failure is also rooted in the "American Dream". Nevertheless, it's good to know that the Dream continues - a refreshing reminder amongst often too much bad news. A good read - but don't get too carried away.
Rating:
Summary: Reality vs. Illusion
Review: Clearly, an inspirational book - well written, cogently presented - all in true-to-form Dan Rather style. Whilst telling us about many "American Success" stories, Rather seems to suggest that the right idea at the right time, combined with hard work, stamina, and perhaps a little bit of luck will ultimately get you there - to riches (material and otherwise). Sadly, it's also part of the American Dream that the rate of failure is much higher than one expects, and occasionally, the reason for failure is also rooted in the "American Dream". Nevertheless, it's good to know that the Dream continues - a refreshing reminder amongst often too much bad news. A good read - but don't get too carried away.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy a book from this man??
Review: Dan Rather told Don Imus during his 2001 appearance by phone on the Imus in the Morning radio show simulcast on MSNBC: That the CBS Evening News avoided the Chandra Levy case "because the facts were so few" and he didn't want to fuel a "feeding frenzy" because, Rather intoned in setting a high standard for what is newsworthy, "whatever one may think of the Congressman and his behavior before and after the disappearance of the young woman, the police have said repeatedly that he's not a suspect in any crime." -- Asked if he reported the unsubstantiated charges of drug use by candidate George W. Bush, Rather answered with an emphatic "no," though he later promised to go "back to our computer files and if I've misstated to you, I'll come back to you and say I misstated it. But, I don't think I ran anything on that." In fact, in 1999 the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather ran multiple stories on the allegations. -- After conceding he did run stories in 1992 on sexual harassment allegations against Senator Bob Packwood, Rather realized the contradiction with his current rationale for ignoring Condit and expressed regret for his previous news judgment: "I think the Packwood thing was another feeding frenzy and unfortunately we took part in it in a way that I wish we hadn't." -- Mocked himself as he self-deprecatingly proclaimed "it's a matter of record I'm boneheaded," conceded "I'm bizarre" and boasted that "I've been a [dummy] all my life." You decide!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Danny Boy...
Review: First off, I love Dan Rather. He's a wonderful, passionate man whom I love to watch on the news. The problem is, he's not a writer. Not a very good one at least. This book is a noble attempt, but there is just so much that's wrong with it.
For one thing, there is just some bad writing in it. It has a lot of errors in fact and a lot of typos. Among others, he writes that Texas A&M University (rather than Texas Tech) is in Lubbock, and he says that Ryne Sandberg in in the Baseball Hall of Fame (he just should be soon). There is also bad grammar (this is beyond the Texas colloquialisms in the book which I think are fine-I'm a Texan myself). These are fairly small problems, but they are oftly annoying, and they are not good signs in a book written by a journalist who's supposed to report facts. Furthermore, he just has few narrative talents, at least not those required for a book. He tells the stories as a journalist on Headline News would--concise, to the point, and without much flavor. They're just there; the reader is rarely drawn in.
The most glaring flaw, though, is that there are a lot of flaws in logic in the book. For instance, one of the stories is about a ten-year-old boy who realizes that many of the underpriveleged at his school cannot afford school supplies, so he works together an organization that collects and disperses those needed supplies. This is all obviously a good thing. But then, Rather relates a joke told by the boy's mother who said she needed to haul the school supplies around so she "traded in [her] Lexus for a Durango, and now [she's] getting a Yukon because the Durango isn't big enough." My problem is the huge contrast here. On one hand, there are all of these kids lacking necessities and the heroes who are helping them are laughing about purchasing one expensive SUV after another for themselves. How is this inequality emblematic of the American Dream? How does this book manage to lament the rising poverty rates and terrible living conditions and still manage to promote excessive materialism? There are some people in the book who are praised for having overcome hardship to make millions (some of them stepping on other people's heads to do so) and others who are praised for having given up millions to help those in need. Frankly, these two "ideals" don't go together. Nevertheless, these people, according to Rather, have all attained the American dream. There are a lot of contradicting ideas expressed in these stories. Furthermore, I don't really think Rather has a great concept of what the American dream is. When Sister Sylvia Schmidt founds a homeless shelter in Tulsa, OK, I don't think she is following the American Dream. I think she's following dreams that go far beyond the American Dream, and I think she's rejecting the prevalent, primarily materialistic, concept of the American Dream of today's society.
I'm giving the book two stars because I like Dan Rather, and because some of the stories were rather inspiring. Neverthess, it's not a good book. I will continue to watch Dan Rather on tv, but I'm quite sure I won't read a book by him again.
Rating: 
Summary: Selective Questionable Bias But Written With Joy For All!
Review: Many enjoy picking on Dan Rather no matter what he does in life. He goes to Democratic Fund-raiser for his daughter, is man enough to admit it was a mistake, and still people call for head! I mean, when was the last time you ever saw any news casts talk about how many people are saved from gun ownership instead of killed by gun control? Yet, FBI statistics estimates it happens 183,000 per month. Ever seen or heard such stories on the news? Still, Dan Rather has written an interesting book with wide appeal and wonderful stories. Rather is one of the finest News Readers in America with teaching credentials and years of experience in news gathering.
The book is an extraordinary display about people coming back from setbacks, seeking new values, and going after their own dreams in America. My only question while reading was can we believe it? Over the years, Dan has made his particular partiality known calling into question his professionalism, values and creditability. Although the book was enjoyable to read, I could not help wondering if any of it is made up, dressed up to the nines, and not properly research with journalistic checks to make sure the stories were true. But in the end, I just read the stories and enjoyed them. At the same time, the book reminds me of a copy of "Profiles Of Courage" by John F. Kennedy, who also was taken to task about whether he wrote the book. I say, poppycock to all those critics. When book carries a name of a person, responsibility is automatic and respect forthcoming. Books are written by these Anchors so they can stay in the news themselves as the ratings continue to plummet. News is changing in America by doing more promotions of stories about shows on Networks than real news. They seem to be out of touch with America for some reason.
Rating:
Summary: Moving collection of stories about Americans
Review: Read THE AMERICAN DREAM by Dan Rather . . . it is a moving
collection of stories about Americans who struggle for and achieve
their desires and ambitions . . . none of them is particularly
famous, and that's what i liked about the book . . . it was
very real . . . inspiring, too. There were several memorable passages; among them:
Education alone might not make you a fortune or bring you
fame, but Rubylinda [Zickafoose] sees that it gives you
something very personal and permanent. "I've seen life
without education," she says, "and I see what I have
now and how blessed I am to have the ability to know, and to
reason, and to learn. It's something that goes with me
wherever I go, and no one can take that away from me."
In this light, education just isn't part of the American dream,
it's a tool for living the dream every day. Once gained, nothing
can take it away. I have to wonder how one person [Sister Sylvia Schmidt]
manages to do so much. Life presents us with countless
crises to be addressed, and America's particular list of
problems can seen overwhelming at times. In Sylvia's
view, though, these are opportunities for improving
ourselves through service. Her advice? "Number one
is not to try to take it all on." Instead, she counsels,
"Say 'What is the one thing I can do?' and enjoy doing
it. I think that's the most important thing, not to do it
just out of a sense of guilt or obligation. It's got to be
a real enrichment in our lives." With words like these,
backed by a lifetime of good work, Sister Sylvia reminds
us that sowing should have as prominent a role in the
American dream as reaping. And as we sow, I think she
would agree, so shall we all reap. Everyone in this book offered their personal take on
the American dream, and their ideas were as diverse as
they. All, however, were dedicated reamers, in the best
possible sense. Perhaps because of his youth, it was
Josh [Marcus] who provided the most Utopian, the
most impossibly beautiful vision. "I think the American
dream is for a prefect society," he said plainly. "For
everybody to be equal. For everybody to have the same
opportunities in life. For the rich to give back to the poor,
and for the poor to help themselves. And everyone
getting along and having lots of peace." Thank you, Josh,
for the answer. If I had to pick just one, that would be it.
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