Happy 4th of July y’all!!
250 years of the United States of America… WOW!
This post is going to be all about some of my favorite books about American history and historical periods.
I hope y’all enjoy this post! :)
1. In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi
One of my favorite books about the Civil War, In My Father’s House follows the family who witnessed the war being started literally on their front lawn, to ending in their parlor (seriously!!).
As with all of Ann Rinaldi’s books, this one is very well-written and extremely well-researched.
“Love is like light and there are two kinds, the bursting fireworks of the moment and the solid, fixed stars that sometimes become obscured in the heavens, but are always there, year after year, for a lifetime.”
“He knows the most important language of all. Human compassion.”
~In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
While I referenced Atticus Finch in my Father’s Day post (which you can read by clicking the button below), this book is about so much more than the Finch family.
It’s about the Deep South during one of the saddest parts of U.S. history.
A story that is ultimately about human dignity and values, it is masterfully written, and such a gripping tale!
“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.”
“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.”
~To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. A Ride into Morning by Ann Rinaldi
This is a wonderful retelling of one of the lesser-known Revolutionary War stories - Tempe Wick, the girl who outsmarted mutineers in the winter of 1781, and saved her horse from being confiscated by them.
“My heart stopped beating, I know it did. Hearts do that sometimes, for just a beat or two. Then they start up again. But they never regain those missed beats, and nothing is ever the same afterwards. Life proceeds to a different cadence, and never again as harmonious as before”
~A Ride into Morning by Ann Rinaldi
4. Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
What an amazing picture of typical life in a large American family during the early 1920s!
This book is so hilarious, and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do so!
The sequel, Belles on Their Toes is also quite good. :)
“Some simpleton with pimples in his voice wants to speak to Ernestine,” he grumbled to Mother when he answered the phone.
“Although a graduate of the University of California the bride is nonetheless an extremely attractive young woman.”
~Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
5. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
This wonderful story about one of the most persevering and determined Americans ever is such an excellent read.
Helen Keller did not let being deaf and blind stop her from pursuing her dreams and becoming one of the most influential Americans of her time.
“Literature is my utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.”
“I wonder what becomes of lost opportunities? Perhaps our guardian angel gathers them up as we drop them and will give them back to us in the beautiful sometime when we have grown wiser and learned how to use them rightly.”
“Do not think of today’s failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow.”
~The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
6. The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
If this series isn’t the best portrait of the prairie settler mindset during the 1860s, then I don’t know what is.
It is such an excellent series that really captures this whole historical period so well.
“We start learning the minute we're born, Laura. And if we're wise, we don't stop until the Lord calls us home.”
Ma sighed gently and said, “A whole year gone, Charles.”
But Pa answered, cheerfully: “What's a year amount to? We have all the time there is.”
~Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
7. So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl by Barry Denenberg
One of my favorite series for 10–13-year-old girls who love history?
The Dear America series.
They’re fictional journals written from the perspective of girls living in different historical periods, from the landing of the Mayflower to stories of the Great Railroad Race, to World War II.
I picked Mary Driscoll’s diary to highlight because it shows so excellently the mindset of the early immigrants and also, sadly, the overwhelming prejudice against the Irish Catholics in the mostly Protestant New England.
We should never forget our immigrant roots, or the hardships that our ancestors endured to get us where we are today.
I am worn. Standing all day has caused my feet to ache terribly. Nothing relieves the pain. Weariness has crept into my bones. My eyes feel as if they will burst from my head thanks to the endless noise. The lint flies everywhere. Breathing itself is a burden.
-So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl by Barry Denenberg
8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is one of the most famous works of American literature, showcasing the dripping wealth and material success that equated to “happiness” in the flapper era.
A somewhat confusing read but a very vivid portrait of the 1920s in New York.
“And so, with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead.”
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
~The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
9. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
O. Henry has such a genius for catching the authentic spirit of the lower- and middle-class working Americans of the early 1900s.
Some of my favorite stories in this collection are “The Gift of the Magi”, “Springtime a la Carte”, “The Last Leaf”, and “A Retrieved Reformation”.
“Life is full of sniffles sobs and smiles. With sniffles predominating.”
~The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
10. Love Stories of World War II compiled by Larry King
I found this in a thrift store for $1 and it was such a good purchase!
A wonderful anthology that was especially interesting to me, as my great-grandparents met through the letters they exchanged throughout World War II.
This is quite an amazing snapshot of this time period in American history!
Please Comment!! :)
What is your favorite time period in American history?
Happy 4th of July & Happy Reading! 🎆🦅
-Mia Grace ✨