Happy Independence Day weekend!
In honor of our nation’s birthday, this week’s book recommendations will take you on a journey through U.S. history.
There’s a treasure trove of true stories to be found across nearly 250 years, and those who research and document history are often bringing new sides of those stories to light.
Take an opportunity to see American history in a new light with these reading recommendations.
Patrick McKenna, Lackawanna County Communications Director
Book: "The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780"
Author: Rick Atkinson
Preparations are well underway for the nation’s 250th anniversary, on July 4, 2026. But the war that led to independence had been underway for more than a year, beginning with the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World" at Lexington in April 1775, before the Founders put everything on the line with the Declaration of Independence.
Journalist-turned-military-historian Rick Atkinson chronicled the first 21 months of the war several years ago in “The British Are Coming,” the first installment of his trilogy on the Revolution.
The three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner’s second installment, “The Fate of the Day – Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780,” covers the middle years of the Revolution — and its conversion from a colonial dispute into a global war — with the same insight and narrative skill that he brought to “The British Are Coming.”
The book, like its predecessor, weighs in at about 800 pages. But the length is due to fascinating detail and nuance regarding not only the battles in North America, but politics in the colonies, London and Europe at large that ultimately led to American independence. Atkinson’s narrative style makes the pages fly by.
We see a serious and determined King George III doubling down on what he saw as his duty to preserve the empire, despite warnings from some members of Parliament that the war was un-winnable due to geography, debt, and the rebels’ European allies.
We see George Washington fighting his own political battles with the Continental Congress while struggling to keep an army in the field. And we see repeated strategic errors by the British, such as General Howe abandoning General John Burgoyne in the strategic Hudson Valley to occupy Philadelphia.
We see French and Spanish kings deciding to endorse a rebellion against a fellow monarchy to weaken the British Empire — even while knowing that it could inspire revolutions within their own domains.
For anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the Revolution beyond the bare historical outline, both of Atkinson’s books are essential reading.
Mary Scinto, avid reader (and Sarah Scinto's mom)
Book: "Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander In Chief"
Author: James M. McPherson
I realize it's another book about Abraham Lincoln, but I found the premise to be unique. Also, at 380 pages, it's more accessible than some of the other lengthy books.
The book covers the four years of his presidency and explores the fact that he was at war almost from day one until his assassination five days after surrender. It was intriguing to learn that a man with so little military knowledge was able to become the commander in chief and redefine the role of the presidency.
His struggles with the generals and the politics of the times is dealt with in depth, and it gives a clear picture of the extraordinary man Lincoln truly was. In addition, the book reads like a novel instead of the history textbook, once again making it a great recommendation for casual history readers.
The hard copy has wonderful pictures that I found fascinating. However, they do seem to not be available on the Kindle edition. I do hope you like my recommendation.
Jeanie Sluck, director, Taylor Community Library
Book: "Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady"
Author: Susan Quinn
I chose this book because Eleanor Roosevelt is a First Lady who I've always admired. This book discusses how Eleanor, who is very private and shy, is preparing to face the limelight and duties which are associated with becoming the First Lady.
Enter Associated Press reporter Lorena Hickok. It is through this friendship that Eleanor emerges from her shell and becomes one of the most influential First Ladies of the 20th century.
It tells of both their professional and private relationship, and how this relationship helped define the women each woman became. I totally recommend it, and I know you won't be disappointed if you do read it.
Sarah Scinto, WVIA Morning Edition Host
Book: “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America”
Author: Erik Larson
I will fully admit that historical non-fiction is not my usual genre, but it is my husband’s, and this book is one he recommended to me.
“The Devil in the White City” is the story of two sides of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair — that of its architect, Daniel H. Burnham; and of Dr. H.H. Holmes, one of America’s first serial killers who used the fair as a hunting ground.
Larson tells the stories of the two men and the fair that links them together in alternating chapters, writing them more like an imaginative narrative than the straight-laced, historical account you might expect.
I was sold on the book in the prologue when Larson assures readers that no matter how macabre, surprising or impossible the events he is about to describe sound, they are all true.
That’s all for this week’s edition of Bookmarks! Check back on July 19 to hear what some local book sale shoppers had to recommend. Then we’re looking for some of your favorite memoirs for Aug. 2.
