In Other Words, Leadership

March 2020. Recently-widowed Governor Janet Mills sits alone in Maine's executive mansion, facing an impossible choice: impose unprecedented COVID restrictions on her state, knowing it will destroy livelihoods and trigger fierce opposition. An hour away in the remote Maine woods, young mother and homesteader Ashirah Knapp watches her family's world unravel—then does something unexpected. She picks up a pen and writes the governor a letter of support, promising to send one every week "until we are through this time."

What follows is an extraordinary correspondence between two women from opposite ends of Maine's social spectrum, navigating not just the pandemic but the defining moments of our era: vaccine development and skepticism, George Floyd's murder and nationwide protests, the January 6th Capitol attack. Through handwritten letters never intended for publication and the governor's private journal, these women discover their shared values and what it truly means to lead. Shannon A. Mullen weaves this intimate, behind-the-scenes account into a powerful celebration of civility, compassion, and resilience—proof that even in our most divided times, grace and understanding can prevail.

This edition includes a new foreword from Dr. Nirav Shah and discussion questions for reading groups.