Patriotic and delicious - it's what the founding fathers would've wanted
The 4th of July is more than just an opportunity to watch fireworks while eating endless amounts of hot dogs and red, white, and blue Jell-o. It’s a chance to brush up on exactly what it is we’re celebrating – the United States, the Declaration of Independence, all of the U.S. history you’ve forgotten over the years. Below are reading recommendations for both kids and adults to peruse this weekend, from picture books about fireworks to hardcovers about Barack Obama.
BOOKS FOR KIDS
A list from Kaboose suggests over a dozen picture books about the 4th of July’s history and celebration. The titles are divided into two age groups, 4-8 and 9-12, and include everything from books about the Constitution and Star-Spangled Banner to craft books with 4th of July activities.
Kidsreads also offers recommendations with a shorter list designed to “give [kids] more insight into our country’s history and what it means to be an American.” The list focuses on quality picture books and links to other patriotic series and chapter books.
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Adults shouldn’t underestimate how much they might learn from reading one of the above-mentioned picture books, but if you’re looking for something a little thicker, the New York Times best-seller list is a good place to start. Four out of the week’s top 10 hardcover nonfiction books focus on patriotic or political topics that will get you thinking about the country we live in. Titles include:
- Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin (review)
- Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by Doug Stanton (review)
- Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe (review)
- The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America’s Promise by Joe Scarborough
And for those who prefer The Onion to the National Review, NPR asked Onion writer Nathan Rabin to recommend three books that answer the question, “What does it mean to be a great American?” Rabin chose the biographies of three very different men who, to him, embody the American spirit. See his choices here.
HAVE A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
*************
Want to know more about us? Check out “What is Books & Authors and Why Should You Care?”
