In the Story " Ten letters Americans tell their President" by Eli Saslow, ( each chapter is about one story in the entire book), the story begins on January 8, 2010 at 8.00PM on a snowy Friday day. After the president has dinner , the president receives ten letters from a purple folder that the president calls " homework packet". The president tells us in the boom he receives or 200,000 letters everyday for six days a week. Then the story goes on. A woman named Jennifer Cline, a twentyseven year old woman married with her husband Jay Cline, with two sons. Jennifer is in debt with over 20,000, which she and her family calculated would take over over forty years to clear of the debt. Jennifer talks to her father that the only way out would be to file for her bankruptcy. Then the story goes on back to the president with him talking about before the secret service protection that had 20 men (protect the president whenever he goes somewhere) and was changed in 1908 to thousands of men to protect him, the president. The president talks about how other presidents were killed before, for example Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed to death at a Fords Theatre when he only body guard had left to get a drink. Then at the end of the story Jennifer and her family get a grant to erase all debt and give her family another chance and will be on top of the presidents credit report for ten years. The story ends with them celebrating saying " “To bankruptcy,” “To bankruptcy,” she said. “To fresh starts,” he said. “To fresh starts,” she said. “To 2010,” he said. “To 2010,” she said.”pg 55 Chapter 1
Bryan Jimenez #11
E.L.A 8
Ms. Stronks
10 - 26 - 2015
Ten Letters by Eli Saslow Chap. 2 " My own path to the Presidency was met with many challenges "
In the short story "Ten Letters" by Eli Saslow the story is about a boy named Stefan Johnson that's lives with his mother moving from apartment to apartment in South Philadelphia and his father is in sentenced two life times in prison.As Stefan grows up in his high school years, he becomes interested with president Barack Obama and wants to become president of his class and stop racism. In the beginning of the story, Stefan is said to look like, act like and have same skin tone and many similarities as Barack Obama. “He had the same pointed ears, same skin tone, same hand gestures, and the same measured manner of speech. There were worse things a black kid could be called at a Catholic high school in South Philadelphia."pg.56 (on iBooks). Stefan was tired of always Mexican and white people always being elected for president or representatives at his school. Stefan had enough and didn't tell him mom he would try to run for president. Stefan would for sure know, no one would vote for him only 6 people voted for him and others about twenty or more votes. One day Stefan wrote a letter to Barack Obama about how it's very difficult when changing to a private Roman Catholic school and how influenced Stefan was by president Obama and how alike both are. A few months later Barack Obama writes back to Stefan that said " Stefan, we are proud of you, so keep it up"pg63. Stefans mom laminated the writing on the wall and a Philadelphia newspaper company wrote about Stefan's success and exchange to the president. After Stefan's school heard about the news everyone started to tell Stefan, and writing on his year book " My fav prez!" President Graduate of 2010" Stefan then graduated with honors. At the e graduating Stefans mother was in very much debt but manages to keep going for working two jobs. Stefan is accepted into three good colleges like Hostra, La Salle and Pittsburgh. Stefan best wants to go to Hostra but is to much money about 40,000 dollars. Monica Johnson and both Later visited La Salle and both loved it then Stefan went there.