An inspiring new book by Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow reveals a few instances when President Obama personally helped struggling Americans whose stories reached him as part of a daily ritual to read ten letters from average citizens every day.

From an excerpt of Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President:

A few times during his presidency, Obama admitted, he had written a personal check or made a phone call on the writer's behalf, believing that it was his only way to ensure a fast result. "It's not something I should advertise, but it has happened," he told [Saslow].

 Many other times, he had forwarded letters to government agencies or Cabinet secretaries after attaching a standard, handwritten note that read: "Can you please take care of this?"

"Some of these letters you read and you say, ‘Gosh, I really want to help this person,' " the president said.

(READ the story in the Washington Post)