Veteran newsman Dan Rather is now a first-time graphic novelist...

Veteran newsman Dan Rather is now a first-time graphic novelist at age 89 with "What Unites Us." Credit: For The Washington Post/Tamir Kalifa

Dan Rather sat in the Texas blackout without heat or power or self-pity. He eventually was told to evacuate, amid fears his freezing sewage pipes might burst, but steps from his low-rise condo near downtown Austin, he could see just how much worse many people were suffering.

"A broad community effort to help is needed. So is accountability," the newsman tweeted Feb. 19 to his 2 million followers after the historic storm buckled Texas's electrical grid. Rather's heart was hurting for his home state. But he was also warmed by how everyday residents rose to the occasion.

"It's at a time like this I think that traditionally, Americans pull together," says Rather when he hopped on the phone in late February, the power to his home just restored.

Themes of cooperation during crisis run through Rather's latest work, "What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism" (First Second, $28.99), a just-released graphic novel adaptation of his 2017 best-selling prose book of the same title, in which the longtime CBS journalist essays on his love of country and American character, as well as of libraries and media freedoms. (Both books were co-written by Elliot Kirschner, and the new release is illustrated by Tim Foley.)

Rather — a first-time graphic novelist at age 89 — shared his thoughts on the project and the pandemic.

On his book's theme of empathy:

"The imperative of empathy and the imperative of teaching empathy — it becomes clearer after a major weather event like we've just been through. One of the reasons I wanted to include a chapter on empathy is that I found a lot of people didn't even know what the word "empathy" meant. There's a big confusion thinking that compassion means the same thing as empathy. Certainly it's true that any time there's a cataclysmic or disastrous event, I do think there's a natural inclination to be empathetic. It's not pity — it's not feeling sorry for people, It's saying: Let me come as close as I can to walking in that person's shoes."

On division within the United States:

"There have been so many voices that seek to exacerbate our differences and have really deepened our hurtful differences, racial [injustice] being one of them. There are so many voices that came to the fore — that sought for personal and partisan, political or ideological gain to exacerbate these differences and problems — that we were and are in danger of forgetting what it is that holds us together."

On American political leadership:

"It's time to stop, take a breath and let's review what holds us together. Because if we don't do that, then there's no way we can hold a constitutional republic based on the principles of freedom and democracy such as we have. Nobody's kidding themselves. We have real, deep and abiding problems that large sections of us are never going to agree on. But we constantly have to keep in mind: Well, what is it we do agree on?"

On the role of media:

"We have to remind ourselves, and at least gently remind others, that a free and fiercely independent press is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy. If you don't have that, you're not going to have the kind of government and country that we have had and have."

America's flaws have deepened Dan Rather's love of country, his...

America's flaws have deepened Dan Rather's love of country, his "What Unites Us" avatar - a trenchcoated narrator - says in the new graphic novel illustrated by Tim Foley. MUST CREDIT: First Second/World Citizen Comics Credit: First Second /World Citizen Comi

On writing his first graphic novel, which features himself as the illustrated narrator:

"Humility is not a word generally associated with present or former television anchors. But I didn't intend for this to be about me; I sought to use my own experiences to give examples of what we're talking about. I have a hope that when this pandemic is over and we can all begin to gather again, that 'What Unites Us' will be a conduit for me to engage with audiences of younger readers, who are the future and inspire me."

On what he likes about the graphic novel:

"The rise of graphic novels came well after my reading habits were set. As I learn more about them, I realize they are unique and compelling. We live in a visual age and this is really its own art form. I now see why they're so popular. I barely knew what one was. In watching this book take shape, with these wonderful drawings and the imagination of the artist, this has been an inspirational experience for me. It's like seeing something in your mind suddenly take shape in ways that surprise and delight you."

On whether he will attend his first comics convention after the pandemic:

The short answer and the long answer is: Yes.

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