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Literary Patriotism
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The best way to celebrate your fourth! Image taken from phillyBlurbs.com
What better way to wait around for the fireworks than to grab a book to read by the pool? In celebration of the land of the free and the home of the brave, let us take this opportunity to examine the best in the nation: both those great literary works that showcase our history, and pieces from the hands of the greatest writers in the country.
John Steinbeck: East of Eden
From one of America’s greatest writers and cultural figures comes a story that emulates the first story ever told. This biblically inspired tale is a reenactment of the fall of Cain and Abel, followed as it repeats generation after generation. Set in the heart of the historic Salinas Valley in California, Steinbeck’s work is as rich in naturalistic detail as it is in cultural scope.
Larry Watson: Montana 1948
Because the young life of our nation is made up of a vast expanse of culture, it is patriotic even to examine those historical complexities that may not be cause for celebration. In an epic from the American northwest, Watson unfolds a story that manages to capture America’s deepest secrets and darkest problems while still retaining the depth of its spirit.
the Dear America series (various authors)
Serving as an entertaining read and a history lesson all in one, these fictional diaries for younger readers detail the most important events of our history. They offer a deeply personalized account of everything from the journey on the Oregon Trail to the panic of the Salem Witch Trials, all within a comfortable 50-odd pages.
Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
In the early 1940s, America was searching for heroes. In Chabon’s charming and passionate novel, cousins Sammy Klayman and Josef Kavalier find them in the pages of New York City’s burgeoning art form, the comic book. The novel is equal parts a history of one of America’s most beloved art forms and the fabled biography of the two men at its heart.
Tim O’Brien: The Things They Carried
In this collection of interrelated short stories, though categorized as a ‘work of fiction’, O’Brien supposedly recounts several of his own experiences from America’s most controversial war. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the novel follows a platoon of soldiers through the Vietnam War.
Barack Obama: The Audacity of Hope
This beautifully written memoir is a reminder from our 44th president that, no matter the turmoil that plagues our past, present and future, we are a nation that is driven by optimism. He asks for politics rooted in faith, nobility and inclusiveness, the same things that this country is founded on.
Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Known to some as the “archetypal American maverick,” Huck Finn is representative of the greatest America we could ask for. Natural in dialect, endearing in character, philosophic in thought and democratic in action, perhaps Twain’s most pivotal work is a searing portrait of America’s past that has the power to last far into the future.
Robert Schlesinger: White House Ghosts: Presidents and their Speechwriters
A veteran Washington reporter takes us behind the scenes to reveal an important cabinet member: the presidential speechwriter. A meticulously researched account, it examines and exults the talented Americans who wrote the words to inspire a nation.
John Irving: The Cider House Rules
This classic from the “American Dickens” follows on the journey of a boy trying to find his place in the world, a coming-of-age novel travels from innocence to experience in a way that only the American dreamer can. Following in the footsteps of great British works such as Jane Eyre, Irving’s heart-wrenching story is a powerful portrait of life and love.
