John Bridgeland is a national civic asset and a model public servant. A talented senior official in the Bush White House, after 9-11 he reached across lines of party and ideology with the aim of transforming national tragedy into a new culture of service and citizenship. This book records his tireless and creative struggle, overcoming political cynicism and bureaucratic foot-dragging, to foster a new "Greatest Generation." He shows why that effort is important to personal happiness and to national renewal, and provides insightful suggestions for the way forward.

Robert Putnam, Harvard University

As a gripping account of September 11, 2001, from inside the White House bunker and a powerful call to service for all Americans in the years to come, John Bridgeland’s Heart of the Nation is a must-read for citizen activists, history buffs, and political junkies of every stripe. With wit and grace, he explains why the American people are so eager to give something back to their country, and outlines a compelling agenda to give a new generation of citizens the chance to do more. As one of the most successful social policy entrepreneurs in America and one of the most influential proponents of service in our time, John Bridgeland has shown us what a difference an individual can make – and his book is a rallying cry for citizens across the political spectrum to find happiness through common national purpose.

Bruce Reed, former director, White House Domestic Policy Council, under President William J. Clinton

Heart of the Nation is an exciting and authentic account of a Presidential initiative to foster our civic spirit after 9-11 from a top official inside the White House. I know, because I was with its author nearly every step of the way. When the history of compassionate conservatism gets written, the efforts after 9-11 to foster a culture of service will be a vitally important chapter. As he did during his White House service in creating the USA Freedom Corps, Bridgeland connects national and community service to one of America’s oldest and most important traditions – our desire to volunteer in local communities to help one another, and in that process, discover the means to our own happiness. The Founders thought citizen engagement was a bedrock of American democracy – and Bridgeland makes a compelling case for the re-ignition of the little platoons of civil society that can strengthen our communities and country. Read this book, absorb its lessons and your life will be enriched.

Stephen Goldsmith, former Mayor of Indianapolis, former Chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Professor of Government at the John F. Kennedy of Government at Harvard University

Americans have always helped neighbors in need and rallied together during times of national crisis. But as the country confronts ever-greater domestic and global challenges, what can be done to make America’s unique volunteer spirit and can-do civic traditions soar to new heights? How can average citizens, community leaders, philanthropists, corporate executives, government officials and others be motivated more strongly than ever to work together to achieve the common good both at home and abroad? Nobody in America today is better qualified to provide intellectually rigorous yet action-oriented answers to these and related questions than John Bridgeland. Bridgeland is a civic leader for all seasons who has won the respect of the many top leaders in both political parties who, for over a decade now, have consistently sought and benefited from his wise counsel. From creating local nonprofit organizations focused on revitalizing inner cities to founding the first-ever White House program dedicated to mobilizing volunteers all across the nation, Bridgeland has gained powerful and practical insights about what motivates good people to do good, how to forge inter-sector partnerships that make a lasting and positive difference in people’s lives, and how to keep compassionate but cross-pressured political leaders in the fight to do what is right. Whether organizing leading researchers to develop better objective measures of civic health, or advising leading policymakers on how to solve specific problems like the high school dropout epidemic, Bridgeland has brought his front-line experiences to bear in ways that transcend polarized politics, bridge social divides, and get results. Now, in this meticulously researched and beautifully written book, Bridgeland shares what he has learned, from the streets of Cincinnati to the Oval Office, about what makes public-spirited citizens tick, and how government at all levels can do more to tap their energies and make real civic progress. Like its author, this critically important and fun-to-read book is brilliant, warm-hearted, and sincerely public spirited – a real national treasure.

John DiIulio, Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion & Civil Society, University of Pennsylvania

This lively story of John Bridgeland’s life inside and outside the George W. Bush White House, shaping the President’s call upon all Americans to volunteer for citizen service in response to the attack on 9-11-2001, is well worth reading. It’s a powerful tale of a promising part of our history that connects the first President Bush’s Thousand Points-of-Light initiative and President Clinton’s AmeriCorps with the second President Bush’s USA Freedom Corps that Bridgeland led, with the quantum leap in volunteering and national service authorized in the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of the first 100 days of the Obama Presidency. Bridgeland challenges readers to rediscover the idea of Public Happiness – the happiness that comes from participating actively in our self-government – which John Adams and Thomas Jefferson agreed they meant, above all, when they put Pursuit of Happiness, in capital letters, in the Declaration of Independence. Bridgeland brings that concept to life.

Harris Wofford, Former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Chair of America's Promise, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy

Ever since Benjamin Franklin, we Americans have been a nation that values civic engagement and service. John Bridgeland describes the noble bipartisan nature of that tradition, and he shows how we can and must keep that instinct alive.

Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life