This book, what it is and what it represents, is a part of what makes America great. It's the voice and image of the people (well, around half of them), made into something tangible that you can see, read, and experience for yourself. It is the concept of freedom of speech made into reality. Whether one agrees with the message or not, one has to admire the power of the idea itself, and how it caught the imagination of so many.

This is not a book by one person, but thousands. It is not a single voice, but many voices, speaking from the heart in simple terms words of apology for a wrong they felt was done. From anger to sadness to hope, the feelings expressed in these images and on these handwritten signs are honest and true and heartfelt. The word "grassroots" is thrown around a great deal these days, usually inaccurately, but that word describes the idea behind this book perfectly...something that started as a simple idea and inspired many others to follow suit. It was not planned. It just...happened. This is the essence of a true grassroots effort.

The pictures willl show you that the people represented here are not stereotypical in the least. They're not all hippies, peaceniks, or college students. They're not even all Democrats! There are people here from red states and blue states, from Boston and Seattle but also from Texas and Georgia and yes, even from Ohio and Florida. There are people young and old, blue collar workers, teachers, high school students, farmers, mothers, and members of the United States military. There are no celebrities here, no political pundits, no "loony lefties." Just everyday people, most of whom you've probably never met and never will, but they all have something to say.

Each page has something funny to offer, or something touching... often both. It is a reminder of how we took that difficult time after the election in 2004 and turned it into a unifying moment, showing the world that we were better than how it seemed on November 2nd, speaking the same words in the voice of thousands, reaching across the country and around the world to spread the simplest of messages: "We're so sorry."

Like it or not, this book is not the voice of the loudest few. It is the voice and the image of the many, who are usually silent but on this occasion had to speak, to make their voices heard so that their silence was not interpreted as acquiescence or agreement. These are the voices we don't normally hear from, speaking honest words from the heart.

This is the face and the voice of America. Whether we agree or disagree with what they're saying, maybe we should all at least take the time to listen to them, and to see them for what they are. Americans.

All political debate aside (since this isn't the forum for it), this book is a collection of photos sent in just after last year's presidential election by (mostly) Americans who were disappointed and upset over the results (though there are a few photos of people from other countries, commiserating).
The website was a great outlet for people to express their feelings, and they did so with wonderful photos of themselves with signs that were sometimes very touching and often quite funny (like the woman who offered to bake everyone cookies). Each photo expresses a lot with few words, and you get a sense of their genuine love of their country, their hurt over the election and irrepressible sense of humour.
I don't think this book was intended as anything other than a snapshot (pun intended) of a portion of the country in a vulnerable moment in history, but it's very well done, and will renew your faith that there are many people out there who, after sending in their photo, probably took a deep breath, dusted themselves off, and are now working very hard towards the next election.

I had the misfortune of seeing this book in a store in Bangor, and recognized the contents from a website that was being touted in a right-wing chatroom I visit on occasion. I flipped through it, and was thoroughly disgusted with what I saw: Emaciated-looking punk college kids, hammerheaded adults hanging billboards over their babies' heads like ads for local bistros, pink-haired degenerate drop-outs with the mother-of-all-puss-faces front and center, and other assorted anti-intellectual appeasers of Islamofascism.

And the beauty of it all was a foreword by the political cartoonist, Ted Rall, a man whose abiding hatred for the right and George Bush is stronger than even that of Michael Moore. Yes, the same Ted Rall who raised a nation's ire with a scathing commentary on the life and death of Pat Tillman, an ex-NFL'er who gave up millions of dollars and a life of luxury to fight as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, and died in "friendly fire" during combat operations; the way Rall ripped this good man's sacrifice to pieces got him knocked out of syndication in some newspapers (but not a lot). This is all one needs to know about this book.

To the appeasers who participated in this worthless tome: You should be ashamed of yourselves. Your abominable and all-consuming enmity of President Bush has blinded you to the reality that there are monsters known as Radical Islamicists who are right now killing your brothers and sisters. These monsters don't give one flying care about your political affiliation, your religious beliefs (or lack thereof), or whether or not you care for politics: they would just as soon hack off your heads than spit on you and call you "infidel."

Remember that those who appease the devil get nothing but hell in return. You on the left who support this work have no idea how petty and hypocritical this book makes you look. Just the mere fact that Rall is involved tells one all one needs to know about this book's contents. The election is over...get on with your lives.