America at 250: Books for Adults

Reflect on American history and the founding of the United States with these books for the semiquincentennial.

Updated June 30, 2026
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Liberty is sweet : the hidden history of the American Revolution
Holton, Woody
Paper Book
A "deeply researched and bracing retelling" (Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian) of the American Revolution, showing how the Founders were influenced by overlooked Americans--women, Native Americans, African Americans, and religious dissenters. Using more than...
The last king of America : the misunderstood reign of George III
Roberts, Andrew
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating--and...
The American Revolution : an intimate history
Ward, Geoffrey C.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The Roosevelts, and others: a richly illustrated, human-centered history of America's founding struggle--expanding on the landmark, six-part PBS series ...
Not Your Founding Father: How a Nonbinary Minister Became America's Most Radical Revolutionary
Sankovitch, Nina
Paper Book
A thrilling celebration of a forgotten early American renegade, Not Your Founding Father reconsiders just how radical the American experiment could have been. Early in the morning of October 10, 1776--in the small farming community of Cumberland, Rhode Island, in a house...
Hero of two worlds : the Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
Duncan, Mike
Paper Book
Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. As a...
A republic of scoundrels : the schemers, intriguers & adventurers who created a new American nation
Head, David (Historian)
Paper Book
The Founding Fathers are often revered as American saints; here are the stories of those Founders who were schemers and scoundrels, vying for their own interests ahead of the nation's. We now have a clear-eyed understanding of Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin...
The American Revolution and the fate of the world
Bell, Richard
Paper Book
In this revelatory and enthralling book, award-winning historian Richard Bell reveals the full breadth and depth of America's founding event. The American Revolution was not only the colonies' triumphant liberation from the rule of an overbearing England; it was also a cataclysm that pulled in...

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