James Patterson hopes to 'get people thinking' beyond 'themselves' with 'American Heroes'
James Patterson says in these politically divided times, Americans have "never needed heroes as much as they do right now.”
The best-selling author is bringing readers stories of bravery in his new book with Matt Eversmann, "American Heroes."
The book, which hits shelves on Monday, features interviews with military veterans or those close to them discussing their experiences and inspiring acts of valor that earned them recognition such as the Medal of Honor.
The project, Patterson acknowledged, is "not going to turn the tide," in the polarized country, but could help to "get people thinking about 'we,' rather than themselves."
"It's a totally selfish kind of approaches to things — 'All I really care about is my pocketbook,'" Patterson, 77, said.
"Obviously a lot of people have good reason to worry about their pocketbooks, but there's something bigger than that. Democracy, it's a big deal," Patterson said.
"I'm not being political, because you can go on both sides of the aisle and sort of be in favor of democracy, but we really need to take that seriously right now," he said.
Some of the "American Heroes" stories include that of Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee.
Holding a grenade while his base "was being overrun in Afghanistan," Plumlee "literally ran to the sound of gunfire," Eversmann said. The Green Beret "almost single-handedly stopped ISIS from taking over an entire [Forward Operating Base,]" added Eversmann, who served in the Army for 20 years and has penned four other books with Patterson.
Plumlee was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Biden in 2021.
From World War II to the Iraq War, in "all these battles across history," Eversmann said he and Patterson found the heroic soldiers were the "same guys and gals cut from the same cloth."
The real-life accounts from soldiers who "serve us all" are "politically agnostic," Eversmann said.
"We should all work hard to be just a little bit more like these men and women," he said.
Patterson encouraged readers to regift "American Heroes” after they’re done with it: "Give it to the teenagers and give it to the college kids... People of a certain generation will talk about sacrifice, but I don't think a lot of younger people really understand the sacrifices that have been made."
While stating he was "not going to get political" because he doesn't appreciate when entertainers weigh in on politics, Patterson said, "Anybody who talks about people like this as 'losers,' that's just bad. That's just terrible."
"It's a terrifying thing. And I would think that military families would also agree that, no, that's just out of bounds. That's over the line. You just can't do that," he said.
In 2020, The Atlantic reported that former President Trump referred to a cemetery in France where more than 2,200 U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I are buried as "filled with losers." Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, later corroborated the reporting. Trump has repeatedly denied making the remarks.
Without naming Trump, Patterson called it "crazy talk" to disparage soldiers.
"These men and women are unbelievable, what they do," he said, "and they really are heroes."
Patterson, who's been called the "most popular storyteller of our time," is in an increasingly rare position of being a public figure who maintains across-the-aisle relationships. Trump referred to the prolific scribe as a friend when he gave him the National Humanities Medal in 2019, while former President Clinton has written two novels with Patterson.
Patterson chalked up the friendships to "human to human" experiences, recalling how Clinton once called to invite him and his wife, Susan, to dinner.
"[Clinton] said, 'Sue, look at me on your phone.' And he was with his grandkids, and he was wearing a head-to-toe tiger suit," Patterson said.
"And you go, OK, here's a human being," the writer said.
On the other end of the political spectrum, Patterson remembered when Susan helped resolve some toy trouble for Eric and Lara Trump.
"At one point, their kid had lost their sock puppet and they couldn't find it. It was their kid's favorite toy. And Sue knew where they were made, so we went and got a sock puppet."
"Just human stuff," Patterson said. "I really won't talk to any of them about who you vote for, what's going on. I just don't do it."
While Patterson has spoken out against book bans, he said the outcome of the presidential election would be unlikely to directly affect the issue.
"The main stuff there has to happen locally. It's not going to happen in the White House," he said, adding, "people just have to use a lot of common sense."
"I don't want a stranger telling the people in my family what they should and shouldn't read," Patterson said. "You take care of your family. I'll take care of my family. I think that's a reasonable approach to a lot of things."
Asked if he could write a political thriller as wild as this unprecedented election year, he quipped, "I got a big imagination."
"I remember Philip Roth saying at one point he was going to quit writing fiction because he said the stuff that's going on in the world, I can't compete with it. And we're kind of getting there to some extent," Patterson said.
"It's like, oh my god, what could I write that would be more thrilling, in a bad way, than some of the things that are going on now? So it's a challenge."
Date: |
-
Business - The Wall Street Journal
James Patterson Launches on Substack in Search of an Unfiltered Outlet
The bestselling author started the “Hungry Dogs” venture after finding it difficult to get opinion pieces published at major news organizations.Yesterday -
World - The New York Times
Could Weight-Loss Drugs Help Get People Back to Work? The U.K. Wants to Find Out.
The British government announced a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical partnership with Eli Lilly, including a trial that will study the impact of a weight-loss drug on work and productivity.21 hours ago -
World - ABC News
A record-setting teen climber returns home to Nepal to a hero's welcome
A Sherpa teenager has returned to Nepal to a hero's welcome after becoming the youngest person to scale all the world’s 14 highest peaks2 days ago -
Sports - ABC News
A record-setting teen climber returns home to Nepal to a hero's welcome
A Sherpa teenager has returned to Nepal to a hero's welcome after becoming the youngest person to scale all the world’s 14 highest peaks2 days ago -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
He was a Week 1 fantasy hero. Now it's time to cut him
Scott Pianowski examines six players you might be better off without on your fantasy football roster.21 hours ago -
Tech - GameSpot
James Gunn Shares First Photo Of Superman's Dog
Superman's dog Krypto has been a Superman Family mainstay since his introduction in 1955. The white shepherd has appeared in numerous television series and films, such as Smallville (though renamed ...21 hours ago -
Top stories - CBS News
Will the price of gold hit $3,000 in 2024? Here's what experts think.
The price of gold has surged so far in 2024. But will it hit the $3,000 mark this year? Here's what some experts think.Yesterday -
Politics - The Hill
Majority think CBS should release Harris's '60 Minutes' transcript
A majority of Americans believe CBS should release a full transcript of its recent "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Harris and think the network edited it to cast her in a favorable ...Yesterday -
Top stories - CBS News
Many adults think they have undiagnosed ADHD. Here's what to know.
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, may be more common in adults than we realize. Dr. Céline Gounder explains what to know about the diagnosis.22 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
Politics - The Hill
Half the country will vote for Trump. What is his appeal?
Donald Trump's appeal is based on uniting three strands of conservatism, aversion to government, aversion to change, and aversion to difference, and he has been able to do this by his authenticity.28 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politics - The Hill
Florida health officials sued for censorship over abortion campaign ad
The citizen-led ballot initiative Floridians Protecting Freedom has filed a lawsuit against state health officials alleging political speech has been censored in the state. The Florida Department ...30 minutes ago - Abortion -
Politics - The Hill
How Democrats can get Black men off the fence and to the polls
Democrats must frame voting as an opportunity for these men to not only secure their bag but to strengthen our democracy too.43 minutes ago -
Politics - The Hill
Harris, Schiff hold commanding leads in California
Vice President Harris and Democratic Senate candidate Adam Schiff hold wide leads over their Republican rivals in their respective races, according to a new polling. Polling from Emerson College ...46 minutes ago - California -
Politics - The Hill
Omarosa: Trump 'dictated' doctors' letters about his medical history
Omarosa Manigault Newman claimed that former President Trump “dictated” what doctors wrote about his medical history during a Tuesday evening CNN appearance. “Let’s recall that Donald Trump ...50 minutes ago - Donald Trump