Books on U.S. History

Explore national history with this collection of study guides for fiction and non-fiction texts covering events, key figures, and viewpoints that have shaped the United States over the centuries. A sampling of topics within this collection includes the Puritans, Indigenous peoples, the successes and failures of the country's founders, U.S. presidents, war, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and more.

Facing East from Indian Country

by Daniel K. Richter

Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, American Literature, World History

In his 2001 book Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America, historian Daniel K. Richter presents an account of early American history from a rarely seen perspective: that of the Indigenous peoples who were present in North America as the first European colonists arrived. Using primary sources and imaginative reconstruction, the book examines Cultural Accommodation, Racial Antagonism and Erasure, and The Influence of Resources and Materials on Historical Events, reorienting readers... Read Facing East from Indian Country Summary

Facing It

by Yusef Komunyakaa

Publication year 1988

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Death, Grief

Tags Lyric Poem, US History, Vietnam War

The poem “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa is a meditation on the first time Komunyakaa visited the US Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Komunyakaa served in the Vietnam War as an Army journalist for the military newspaper, Southern Cross, until he was discharged in 1966. He began writing about the war approximately 14 years after coming home from Vietnam.Prior to this, he had only written one poem about his experience in the war, and... Read Facing It Summary

Falling Man

by Don DeLillo

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Place, Fate, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, 9/11, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Falling Man is a 2007 novel by American author Don DeLillo. The novel explores the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. This guide uses an eBook version of the 2011 Picador edition of Falling Man.Plot SummaryOn September 11, 2001, a group of 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacks commercial passenger planes and attempt to crash them into American landmarks. In addition to one plane that crashed... Read Falling Man Summary

Family of Spies

by Christine Kuehn

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, The Past, Family, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags US History, European History, World War II, Memoir & Autobiography, Politics & Government, Espionage

... Read Family of Spies Summary

Farmer Boy

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Publication year 1933

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Perseverance, Family, Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Agriculture, Animals, US History, Parenting, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Coming of Age, World History

... Read Farmer Boy Summary

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

by Hunter S. Thompson

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Nation

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Journalism, Addiction & Substance Abuse, US History, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Travel Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1971 novel by American author Hunter S. Thompson. The book chronicles the story of journalist Raoul Duke and his attorney Doctor Gonzo who drive to Las Vegas, ostensibly to cover an iconic off-road vehicle race. However, they are also looking to “find the American Dream” and take with them a car’s load of hard drugs. Duke is a fictionalized surrogate for Thompson, while Gonzo is based off... Read Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas Summary

Finding Margaret Fuller

by Allison Pataki

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Midlife, Future, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Equality, Fate, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, US History, Gender & Feminism, World History

... Read Finding Margaret Fuller Summary

Flesh and Blood So Cheap

by Albert Marrin

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Language, Race, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Place

Tags US History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Social Justice

Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy (2011) is a historical nonfiction book intended for an audience of young readers. It was written by Albert Marrin, a former history professor and author of dozens of historical nonfiction books.Marrin, whose academic focus was on liberty under the law, wrote often about times of suffering and movements for liberation, including The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution (1988), Years of... Read Flesh and Blood So Cheap Summary

For Cause and Comrades

by James M. Mcpherson

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Education, Education, American Civil War, Military & War, American Literature, World History

For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War is a 1997 nonfiction book by James M. McPherson. McPherson has taught at Princeton since 1962 and written numerous books on the American Civil War, including Battle Cry of Freedom, which won the Pulitzer Prize in History. After several instances of visiting Civil War battlefields and finding himself unable to satisfactorily answer why so many men gave their lives in the war, McPherson sets out... Read For Cause and Comrades Summary

Founding Brothers

by Joseph J. Ellis

Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, Education, Education, US History, World History, American Revolution, Biography

The Pulitzer Prize–winning book Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation is the work of renowned American history writer, Joseph J. Ellis. Published in 2000, Ellis’s book examines the lives, contributions, and relationships of the men responsible for establishing the new American nation following the defeat of the British in the 1776 war of independence. Ellis first introduces the idea that the American Revolution, while seeming inevitable to modern Americans, is by no means a forgone conclusion at... Read Founding Brothers Summary

Founding Mothers

by Cokie Roberts

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, American Revolution, Colonial America, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, World History, Biography, Politics & Government

Published in 2004, Cokie Roberts’s Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation is a non-fiction, historical study of the role women played in establishing the United States as an independent nation. This study guide refers to the first edition of the text, published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in 2004.  In her introduction, Roberts recalls her childhood delight at hearing tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers. However, she recognizes that she... Read Founding Mothers Summary