Help maintain the American Story archive at Syracuse University. I’m donating the proceeds of my New York Times Best Selling book to keep the storytelling flame burning. The Perfect gift for someone who needs a lift.  (Don’t we all?)  Stories of seemingly ordinary people who have found solutions to problems we all face.  A book about the best of us. 

Get your autographed copy of  for just $20. 

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Want me to write a personal note with the autographed copy?  Send me an email:

bob@myamericanstories.com

Recently Posted American Stories

Betting on a Town’s Future

Betting on a Town’s Future

Paid your taxes? Dreaming of a better way to fund government? Maybe more lotteries? Back in 1986, governments were beginning to experiment with gambling to raise money. The mayor of McClusky, North Dakota mayor bet on his town’s future. He left it to chance. Friday nights down at Elms cafe, you could find him dealing blackjack. The money he won went to charity. All of it. In four years, this village of 650 people had raised $57-thousand dollars. Gambling. Players figure they couldn’t lose. If they did, their money helped paint the town’s pool or buy a new ambulance. It had been a blessing for some, a curse for others.

Migrant Mona Lisa Update

Florence Thompson’s picture haunted the nation. Her grandson saw the photograph hanging inside a G.I.’s tent in Vietnam. The face had been printed black and the Black soldier who owned it swore she was Black. Florence and her story had not yet been found. But that frozen moment of her life, that picture, writes its own story in each of us.

A Hunk of Learning Love

Some of us are lucky enough to have had a great teacher. A cheerleader who changed our lives. Frank Cooper told his students something that stuck — Keep Your Promise.  He said that dressed as Elvis. https://youtu.be/pMYqJ5oUmkE

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“These are remarkable and poignant stories that need to be told.”

  • KEN BURNS

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“Those of us who know and work with Bob Dotson stand in awe of his gifts as a writer.  Like the work so many viewers have come to love on NBC, this collection of stories captivates and inspires.”

  • SAVANNAH GUTHRIE

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“Throughout his remarkable career Bob Dotson has searched for the real essence of America – not by interviewing the so-called famous but by seeking out those unnoticed people we pass by every day.  Dotson is a national treasure for caring enough to listen.”

  • MEREDITH VIERA

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