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.

The Red Badge of Courage

by Stephen Crane

Publication year 1895

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Fear, Shame & Pride

Tags Military & War, American Literature, Historical Fiction, US History, American Civil War, Naturalism, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

The Red Badge of Courage was written in 1895 by Stephen Crane, a novelist, poet, and journalist well known for his naturalist style and for incorporating the inner lives of common and marginalized people. The novel won wide acclaim for Crane, though his life after the book’s publication was distinguished by scandal and money troubles. Its themes reframe the concept of military duty as a rite of passage, detailing a highly individual and self-searching act... Read The Red Badge of Courage Summary

The Rights of Man

by Thomas Paine

Publication year 1791

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Power & Greed, Social Class, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, US History, European History

Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man (1791) is one of the 18th-century’s most influential political treatises. It offers a spirited defense of the ongoing French Revolution and calls for dramatic reforms in Britain. Paine wrote Rights of Man as a direct response to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), a conservative critique that professes skepticism and even horror at the course of events in France since the Revolution began in 1789. Rights of... Read The Rights of Man Summary

The Right Stuff

by Tom Wolfe

Publication year 1979

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Space

Tags US History, Science & Nature, Journalism, Technology, Technology, World History, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction, Biography

The Right Stuff is a lively account of the early American space program and its roots in the subculture of military test pilots that developed after World War II. Wolfe’s eclectic, wide-ranging narrative combines numerous elements: technological advancements in mid-20th-century flight; the generation of daring pilots who pushed innovations to their limits; and reflections on the moral, cultural, and political significance of the first astronauts at the height of the Cold War. Taken together, these... Read The Right Stuff Summary

The River of Doubt

by Candice Millard

Publication year 2005

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Animals, Environment, Plants, Place, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Biography, US History, History of the Americas, Politics & Government, Travel Literature, Action & Adventure

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey (2005) is a work of nonfiction by Candice Millard, a former writer and editor for National Geographic. The book describes Roosevelt’s 1914 expedition down an unexplored river in the Amazon rainforest, which nearly cost him his life. Despite poor preparation for the trip, Roosevelt and the group managed to overcome the Amazon’s physical and psychological challenges and placed a 1,000-mile river on the map in a historic... Read The River of Doubt Summary

The Room Where It Happened

by John Bolton

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, US History, World History, Biography

The Room Where It Happened is a nonfiction memoir published in 2020 by American diplomat John Bolton. A New York Times best-seller, the book chronicles Bolton’s 17-month tenure as national security advisor under President Donald Trump. Between April 2018 and September 2019, Bolton was party to some of the most important events in Trump’s presidency, including two summits with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, the US’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and the 2019... Read The Room Where It Happened Summary

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

by Jill Lepore

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Truth & Lies, Love

Tags World History, Arts & Culture, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, US History, Social Justice, Psychology, Biography

The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a nonfiction book by Jill Lepore, published in 2014. It falls into the categories of history, comics, women’s studies, and biography, and won the American History Book Prize from the New York Historical Society. Lepore is a professor of American history at Harvard University and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. This guide was written from the hardcover first edition.SummaryThe first section, called “Veritas,” includes nine... Read The Secret History of Wonder Woman Summary

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1936

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Guilt, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fate, Shame & Pride, Safety & Danger, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Education, Education, US History

“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” is a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway that was first published in Cosmopolitan in 1936. It explores themes of power and dominance, courage and cowardice, and the nature of masculinity. The story details a hunting party and love triangle in which a husband, a wife, and their hired huntsman struggle for dominance and power over one another. This guide references the collection The Snows of Kilimanjaro... Read The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Summary

The Sign of the Beaver

by Elizabeth George Speare

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Masculinity, Self Discovery, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Published in 1983, The Sign of the Beaver is a historical adventure novel for middle grade readers written by Elizabeth George Speare. Based on a true story that took place in 1760s Colonial America, the book follows the adventures of a young English boy who, while living alone in the Maine wilderness, befriends a local Penobscot boy who teaches him how to survive. The experience changes his views of himself, his family and fellow colonists... Read The Sign of the Beaver Summary

The Sisterhood

by Liza Mundy

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Teamwork, Politics & Government

Tags Historical Nonfiction, US History, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Espionage

... Read The Sisterhood Summary

The Sisters Brothers

by Patrick Dewitt

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Death, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Western, Symbolic Narrative, Trauma & Abuse, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Gender & Feminism, American Literature, American Civil War, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure, Humor

The Sisters Brothers is a 2011 novel by Canadian writer Patrick DeWitt. Set in 1851, it traces the journey of Charlie and Eli Sisters, two hired killers traveling from Oregon to San Francisco to find a man called Warm, who allegedly stole something from their boss, the Commodore. The darkly comic Western is in the picaresque genre, as the brothers’ episodic misadventures explore different communities populating the American West.The Sisters Brothers is divided into 64... Read The Sisters Brothers Summary