Two friends–a Democrat and a Republican–travel across America “on a deeply personal journey through the heart of a divided nation . . . to find growth, hope and fundamental strength in their own lives” (Bob Woodward) and the country they love, in good times and bad. In the year before Donald Trump was elected president, Jordan Blashek, a Republican Marine, and Chris Haugh, a Democrat and … and Chris Haugh, a Democrat and son of a single mother from Berkeley, CA, formed an unlikely friendship. Jordan was fresh off his service in the Marines and feeling a bit out of place at Yale Law School. Chris was yearning for a sense of mission after leaving Washington D.C.
Over the months, Jordan and Chris’s friendship blossomed not in spite of, but because of, their political differences. So they decided to hit the road in search of reasons to strengthen their bond in an era of strife and partisanship. What follows is a three-year adventure story, across forty-four states and along 20,000 miles of road to find out exactly where the American experiment stands at the close of the second decade of the twenty-first century.
In their search, Jordan and Chris go from the tear gas-soaked streets of a Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona to the Mexican highways running between Tijuana and Juarez. They witness the full scope of American life, from lobster trawlers and jazz clubs of Portland and New Orleans to the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma and the prisons of Detroit, where former addicts and inmates painstakingly put their lives back together.
Union is a road narrative, a civics lesson, and an unforgettable window into one epic friendship. We ride along with Jordan and Chris for the whole journey, listening in on front-seat arguments and their conversations with Americans from coast to coast. We also peer outside the car to understand America’s hot-button topics, including immigration, mass incarceration, and the military-civilian divide.
And by the time Jordan and Chris kill the engine for the last time, they answer one of the most pressing questions of our time: How far apart are we really?
In the great tradition of American road trip sagas, Chris and Jordan set out across America. Two young people with different politics and outlooks, they were able to see the cool and inspiring things that bind us as a nation. Now more than ever, this is an important book-and also an enjoyable one!
What our country needs right now is Union. Americans might not always get along-or see things the same way-but that doesn’t have to be our undoing. Jordan and Chris capture our current moment of upheaval, yet leave readers with reasons to hold fast to what we have. This book is a unique tale told through two pairs of eyes-one that offers not just a sense for where we are, but who we are and why that still matters.
This is the best account of contemporary American society I have read in the last year. Why? The authors actually roll up their sleeves and set out on the journey to see, learn, and understand what bonds Americans together (not just what divides us). The authors are interesting themselves, but even more interesting are the many characters they meet along the way. Highly recommended!
A compelling, provocative, narrative that takes two men on a cross country journey filled with excitement and adventure, but even more importantly, addresses and answers many of the current problems we are now facing in a politically charged and divided nation.
This is an eye-opening tale of road trip adventures, told with humor and compassion. It is full of character study, and, really, a character study of the United States itself. These two guys come from different perspectives, but it is clear early on how much they love this country. They love it even more as they go along. At the same time, they are arguing their way across those miles, and are stuck with each other for days. The result is that they come to see the country through each other’s eyes and learn to talk, with mutual respect, about even the hardest subjects. You will be left wanting to hear more, about them and about the people they meet along the way. And maybe, like me, you will be left with greater hope for our country and our ability to talk across our biases than you started with.
This book is beautiful.
Jordan Blashek, who leans politically right, and his law school buddy Chris Haugh, who leans left, took 4 road trips across America in search of an answer to a question: In a divided America, what’s happening to the American Dream?
Blashek and Haugh share the answers they found on the road, from 2016 Trump Rally attendees, a bible thumping mac truck driver, a young soldier joining the army, an aspiring immigrant, a group of prisoners learning Shakespeare, and others.
With the upcoming election, we are poised to see once again just how divided America is.
This book is a glimmer of hope. It shows the complexity beneath the headlines, the nuance on the streets, where people don’t fit neatly into “red” and “blue” boxes and where human decency is more common than the media makes it seem.
It’s also a book about friendship—their own—which is almost torn apart by political differences, but held together by the grace of their mutual respect.
Recent events have demonstrated that the many schisms that divide us are complex and difficult to unpack. This book offers a timeless perspective on the power of grace, nuance, and respect to bridge across divides. It deserves a wide readership.
Union takes readers on a deeply personal journey through the heart of a divided nation. Haugh and Blashek discover an instinct to endure and improve that is shared by the left, the right, and the ever-narrowing center, and detail Americans’ abilities to find growth, hope, and fundamental strength in their own lives.
Union, A Democrat, A Republican, And A Search For Common Ground is a fascinating and emotional journey through the eyes and minds of two exceptionally thoughtful young men with widely divergent politics and backgrounds. Despite their differences, their friendship is forged through unique experiences with diverse Americans confronting their own personal and social challenges. This book is a beautiful memoir of their road trips, an engaging textbook on civics, history and geography, and an intellectually rigorous, yet respectful, debate stage for today’s current issues. A “Must-Read” for all ages, especially in today’s polarized climate.
In this book we are challenged by two intelligent seekers to take a road trip of our minds and souls in search of what binds us…or rips us apart…as Americans.
There are so many incredible takeaways in this powerful and beautifully written story of two friends who hit the road to better understand what unites, rather than divides our country. As we currently grapple with our country’s painful history, social injustices, a global health crisis, and an upcoming election that will further inflame the political divide, this book is exceptionally timely and a must read for anyone questioning how we can come together. I loved reading the authors’ thought-provoking and politically charged conversations, and seeing how they found a natural framework to go deeper and unearth their true identities through their time on the road. This book made me want to do better in my own relationships and approach conversations with genuine curiosity, empathy, humility, and understanding. I think Union will have a lasting impact on how readers approach difficult conversations and see our country– I know I’ll certainly will!
Friends, I want to recommend this book Union by Jordan Blashek and Chris Hough, a Republican and a Democrat who go on a journey across America to see if common ground can be found.
In a time where we’ve never been so divided, Union offers a vision of hope, a vision of how we might come together across seemingly impossible political divides. As we see from this story, bridging those divides isn’t impossible. It may take a while, but it is journey that can happen one step, one conversation, one mile at a time.
Beyond its two star-crossed protagonists, there is a third character present throughout this story: the American landscape. The authors genuine love for the American landscape seems to run as deep as the love they develop for its many eclectic characters. It is this landscape and its elemental beauty that provides a constant refrain from the many heated arguments that threaten to derail their journey and partnership.
I loved this book. I loved watching its realistic vision of hope come together piece by piece, conversation by conversation, against the backdrop of this beautiful country and the many incredible characters they encounter.
Buy this book if you want a great and easy read that will give you hope. And if you have a friend you can’t see eye-to-eye on politically, buy it for them and watch what happens!
While reading Union, A Democrat, A Republican, And A Search For Common Ground, I laughed, I cried, and for the first time in years, I felt hope: Hope that our national experiment will survive, hope that there is more that binds than divides us, hope that our younger generations can find the good in this country. I fell in love with both authors and every person they met along the way…which really means, I fell in love with Americans across the country. Regardless of background or politics, everyone who reads Union will be uplifted and inspired by their fellow citizens and the great nation which we co-inhabit. Jordan and Chris provide lessons in history, civics and interpersonal relationships, and model strategies to speak and to listen with respect and dignity. This should be required reading for every high school, college and graduate student, as well as co-workers, family members and….well, everyone! Bravo to these two new authors!