New book explores how U.S. presidents helped shape Scouting

David-ScottThe first thing you notice when you pick up My Fellow Americans is its weight.

The new book from Eagle Scout David C. Scott feels heavier than you might expect from the outside.

Inside, though, Scott makes sure the stories about each U.S. president’s dealings with the Boy Scouts of America never feel weighed down. The details are fascinating and well-researched; the stories make history spring to life. And the full-color pictures — the cause of the book’s extra weight — transport you back in time.

My Fellow Americans takes you from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, showing each president’s contributions toward helping build the Boy Scouts of America into what it is today.

There’s plenty to be learned here, even for those who know their BSA history. Like, did you know in 1928, at the request of Herbert Hoover’s Interior Secretary, the BSA created a committee dedicated to recruiting Native American youth? Or that an honor guard of Eagle Scouts attended Gerald R. Ford’s funeral in 2006?

Those are two of the hundreds of interesting stories packed into Scott’s book. The fascinating tales go from cover to cover.

I had the pleasure of meeting David at the BSA’s National Annual Meeting last month, where he was kind enough to donate a copy to each attendee at the BSA’s Americanism Breakfast.

You can get your own copy via ScoutStuff.org or Amazon.com. Read the first three chapters on Amazon, and you’ll be hooked.

Need further convincing? Check out these testimonials:

My Fellow Americans is a great, uplifting experience that reminds us of the impact that the presidents had on Scouting and that Scouting had on them. We certainly evolved together as our nation went through its challenging moments.”

– Gary Butler, Deputy Chief Scout Executive/COO, Boy Scouts of America

“My Fellow Americans is a great testament to the Boy Scouts of America and our outreach programs to include everyone.”

– Jose F. Niño, National Executive Board Member, Boy Scouts of America


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.