Unified: How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Country by Tim Scott, Trey Gowdy

Working together

UNIFIED is a story of friendship between two conservative. politicians from very different backgrounds. The book is well-written, and told in a casual, conversational manner.  The frienship between these two men really shines through in every chapter.

Keep in mind, however, that UNIFIED is not really a political book.  If you are more interested in partisan politics, or getting the inside scoop on those wily Democrats, this is probably not the book for you.  There are no partisan swipes in this book; in fact, Tim talks admirably about some key Democrat leaders.

Each chapter has sections from each other, alternating, so as to give different perspectives.  The main theme is not politics, but rather an overview of how their own friendship started, and has strengthened over the years. 

Role Models

One chapter discusses the power of role models. Each author discusses someone who had a major impact on their life.  This was my favorite chapter.  The congressman tells the story of "Mr Littlejohn," his Sunday School teacher, and a liberal Democrat who taught Trey the message of compassion and love for others.  Tim tells the story of the kind manager from Chick-fil-A, who saw the potential in Tim and mentored him.

Perhaps the most powerful chapter is the discussion on different perspectives on the police interaction with the black community.  I found the senator's accounts of being profiled very convincing.  Senator Scott relates how police have followed him without cause on numerous occasions--even to the point of denying him entrace to Congress!

Reconciliation

The book concludes with a plea for "Reconciliation.” This section includes ideas on how to reach out to folks who are different than us.  What a great idea!

I found most of UNIFIED quite interesting; however, I didn't find the sections about the inner workings of Congress that interesting. Other readers might disagree with me.