Book Nook

America’s 250th Birthday, its semiquincentennial, is on July 4th. Refresh your memory or learn something new about the birth of our country by checking out a book or video at the SaddleBrooke Community Libraries.

“When in the Course of Human Events”… so begins our Declaration of Independence, some of the most famous words written in the English language. Historian Walter Isaacson declares the second sentence of that document “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” in his new book of the same title. Learn how Thomas Jefferson came to write it and how it was edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams in this very short but fascinating book. Available at both SaddleBrooke One (SB) and DesertView (DV) libraries, it’s important reading.

“We the People…,” the opening words of the U.S. Constitution, adopted 11 years after the Declaration of Independence, inspire and guide the laws of our nation. Available at DV, “We the People: a History of the U.S. Constitution” and “The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning” highlight the history and relevancy of this great document. Of course, a copy of the Constitution is also available for checkout.

How did America begin? So asks Nathanial Philbrick in his book “Mayflower”. (DV) Our country did not spring from Plymouth Rock directly into the Revolutionary War. The Pilgrims and King Philip’s War affected the colonies and the beginnings of the country.

Rick Atkinson’s award-winning books on the American Revolution are available at DV. The first is “The British are Coming”, winner of the George Washington prize, and the second is “The Fate of the Day” covering the middle years of the Revolution. They are parts one and two of a trilogy, the third yet to be published.

Other Revolutionary War nonfiction titles available include “Our First Civil War” by H. W. Brands and “The Cause” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Ellis. (DV). The Cholla Library at MountainView (MV) carries some interesting titles such as “The Indispensables: the Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware”. Look for books with the Dewey decimal number 973.

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Interested in who exactly were the Founding Fathers? Check out the new biography of George Washington, “American Patriarch” by H. W. Brands, available at SB.

“The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams”, who Thomas Jefferson called the leader of the Revolution, is authored by Pulitzer-winning Stacy Schiff and available at DV and MV. Paul Revere was riding to warn Samuel Adams when he embarked on his famous ride. Read all about it in “The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America” by Kostya Kennedy (DV).

Fictional stories can provide vivid portrayals of Colonial history with titles like “My Dear Hamilton” (DV, SB) and “Mrs. Benedict Arnold” (SB).

When it’s too hot to go outside, check out Ken Burns’ acclaimed video series, “The American Revolution”. It’s a comprehensive look at the Revolutionary War, as well as the events leading up to it (DV). Other DVDs of the period include the mini-series “John Adams” and the fictional movie “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson.

The Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) provides the funding to purchase new books, DVDs and audiobooks for the SaddleBrooke Community Libraries. Visit their website at sbfsl.org. Learn more about the Libraries at sblibraries.com.