5 Books to Read About America this 4th of July
5 Books to Read About America this 4th of July
1.
Each 4th of July we celebrate our country's independence and our pride in being American citizens. But it is also important to remember our checkered past and to recognize our country has made lots of mistakes. This book is about how the FBI got its start by "solving" the mystery of the Osage murders. Read my full review here.
2.
Of course I had to include a book about Chicago (I love this city!) This is another book about our country's dark past - I promise not all of the books are depressing. I read this one right before I moved to Chicago last year. It is actually two stories in one: the first is about the planning of the Chicago World's Fair; the second is about H.H. Holmes, a mass murderer who took advantage of young women coming to see the fair. This book was written awhile ago, but in recent news the family of H.H. Holmes has asked his body to be exhumed in order to test if it is actually him! Read more about it in this article by the Chicagoist.
3.
This is a much more lighthearted book, but still a great one to learn more about The United States of America. Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of America's greatest architects, creating an architectural style unique to the United States. This is a work of historical fiction about a love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and one of his clients, Mamah. Frank and Mamah met in 1901 when Mamah and her husband, Edwin commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build their home in the suburbs of Chicago.
4.
"The Clark family story spans nearly all of American history in three generations, from a log cabin in Pennsylvania to mining camps in the Montana gold rush, from backdoor politics in Washington to a distress call from an elegant Fifth Avenue apartment. The same Huguette who was touched by the terror attacks of 9/11 held a ticket nine decades earlier for a first-class stateroom on the second voyage of the Titanic." - Amazon Book Description. If that quote doesn't scream to be included in a list of books about America, then I don't know what does. I read this book back in 2014 and I was fascinated by Huguette Clark and her complicated history, I think you will be too!
5.
This is the one book on this list I haven't read, but I've been meaning to! I think it is pretty obvious why I included it: 1) Our country is currently obsessed with Hamilton: The Musical. I saw it in Chicago a couple of months ago and it totally lives up to the hype. 2) Alexander Hamilton is an important part of America's history! He was a founding father and he established our national banking system. Listen to Lin Manuel Miranda tell his story in this episode of Drunk History.
