LIT LIFE

Dear President Obama ...

March 29, 2009|By Julia Keller

A few weeks ago I wrote a column that purported to explore the phrase "literary president." I was frankly perplexed as to why President Obama had been the automatic recipient of that sobriquet, based on little more than the fact that he has written two books. Many presidents have written books, both before and after their time in the White House. What, I wondered, makes Obama more "literary" than his predecessors? How do we determine such a thing?

When British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently visited the United States, his gifts to the First Family included a set of books by British authors. Yet according to media reports, Obama's gifts to the Browns consisted of no books at all, but a DVD set of 25 American movies. (Critics were quick to point out that the films were not formatted to play on electronics equipment used in the United Kingdom.)

Movies? From our literary president?

Everybody in the world is busy giving the president advice on how to fix the financial crisis. I have some advice for him too, but not about getting rid of toxic assets or making those AIG folks walk the plank:

Mr. President, why don't you take a vow, from this day forward, to give only books to visiting dignitaries? Not movies, not jewelry, not clothing -- but books, exclusively. If we're serious about this "literary president" thing, why not put some teeth behind it? Why not show the world that the United States really does believe that books matter, that stories are essential to our concept of ourselves and to the message we want to send to those who share the planet?

Imagine the impact of such a vow. Millions of American citizens would routinely write to the president, I believe, suggesting books he might hand out to world leaders and their families. Schoolchildren would undertake class projects that matched great American books with foreign dignitaries scheduled to attend a state dinner.

Most letters to a president, I would imagine, either excoriate him for some political decision or ask him for something. But these letters would be different: They would be lists of books. Books that inspire and inform. Books that soothe and provoke. Books that the American people want world leaders and their families to read and savor.

Nothing is more revealing of a nation's soul than its literature. Obama can, with one simple vow, demonstrate that he understands that. He can wear the mantle of "literary president" in a way that it has never been worn before. And he can make books the coolest things around.

Which books would you advise Obama to give to visitors? Which books, that is, do you believe best reflect this nation's history, character and aspirations?

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jikeller@tribune.com
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-03-29/news/0903270223_1_books-dear-president-obama-world-leaders
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