Union
A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search for Common Ground
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Union
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Narrated by:
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Jordan Blashek
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Christopher Haugh
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Cameron Scoggins
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Written by:
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Jordan Blashek
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Christopher Haugh
About this listen
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 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, DC.
Over the months, Jordan and Chris' 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 44 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 21st 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?
©2020 Jordan Blashek and Christopher Haugh (P)2020 Little, Brown & CompanyWhat the critics say
"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." (Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author)
"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!" (Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs)
"More than ever, America needs people like Chris and Jordan to teach and inspire us to build our own bridges across the diverse experiences and perspectives that make up our great country. Union is a book for anyone who believes in the future of America, despite this moment of polarization and divided politics. This beautiful travel log gives us hope for a more optimistic shared future." (Kerry Healey, President of the Center for the Advancement of the American Dream, former Lt. Governor of Massachusetts (R)