The Grafton Public Library presents…

American Democracy: The Bold Experiment

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Book	Author	Dewey Number	Description
The Unknown American Revolution	Nash, Gary B.	973.3 NAS	The American Revolution, writes Nash was messy, deadly, and radical through and through—far from the sanitized, mythical version of the textbooks.
Revolutionary Summer: the Birth of American Independence	Ellis, Joseph	973.3 ELL	A traditionalist, Ellis sticks to 1776 and writes an insightful history of its critical, if often painful, events.
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence	Maier, Pauline	973.3 MAI	Kirkus Review states: “Arguably, the best book ever written on the Declaration of Independence.”
The Creation of the American Republic	Wood, Gordon S.	320.973	A study of political thought during the period of constitution-making.
Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy	Griffin, Susan	323.609 GRI	Combining contemplative memoir with social and political history, Griffin explores both the inward and outward dimensions of our democracy.
A More Perfect Union: The Making of the United States Constitution	Peters, William	342.73 PET	A narrative with all the drama of good fiction, this book is an accurate, day-by-day account of the pivotal event of American history-
These Truths (Part One p. 3-149)	Lepore, Jill	973 LEP	A comprehensive history of the United States—focus on Part One: The Idea.
Angel in the Whirlwind	Bobrick, Bob	973.3 BOB	Readable, enlivened by many excerpts from the writings of participants famous and humble, this is a good primer on the revolution—but not a revolutionary one.
American Creation	Ellis, Joseph	973.3 ELL	Sharply conceived and smoothly executed—a worthy addition to Ellis’s books lucidly explaining the nation’s early history.
In Defense of Liberty	Freedman, Russell	J 342.73 FRE	The Bill of Rights is not a dusty, old document for dreary study in school, but a living document ever relevant to our lives.
The First Ladies	Schwartz Foster, Feather	973.09 SCH	Focus on the early first ladies for our discussion.
Founding Brothers	Ellis, Joseph	973.4 ELL	An exceptionally readable work, one that infuses life and order into the study of the early republic.
Founding Mothers	Roberts, Cokie	973.3 ROB	Roberts brings us women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps.
Ladies of Liberty	Roberts, Cokie	920 ROB	With a little-seen perspective and fascinating insight into the culture of the day, this is popular history done right.
The Bill of Rights and Beyond: 1791-1991	Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution	342 SEV	Published in celebration of our 200 year anniversary, this book brings you all the historic documents which make the United States of America what it is today.
Washington	Chernow, Ron	92 WAS	Chernow won the Pulitzer for this biography. Read parts 3 and 4 for this discussion.
Benjamin Franklin	Isaacson, Walter	92 FRA	A Ben Franklin for the ages. Start with chapter 12 for this discussion.
His Excellency	Ellis, Joseph	92 WAS	Biography of Washington, who “surrounded himself with the most intellectually sophisticated collection of statesmen in American presidential history” and forged a republic.
Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway	Barry, Dave	320.973 BAR	Dave Barry turns political pundit, employing Dave Barry’s firm grip on matters governmental as well as a lot of other foolishness.
Alexander Hamilton	Chernow, Ron	92 HAM	Author presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation. Chapters 3-13 deal with the formation of the republic.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power	Meacham, Jon	92 JEFF	An outstanding biography that reveals an overlooked steeliness at Jefferson’s core that accounts for so much of his political success. Read Part II and some of Part III.
The Constitution of Our United States		342 CON	The Constitution, the Amendments, The Declaration of Independence…
Real Democracy	Bryan, Frank M.	320.809 BRY	Frank M. Bryan examines one of the purest forms of American democracy, the New England town meeting.
Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge’s View	Breyer, Stephen	347.731 BRE	For the general reader, a sitting Justice explains how the Supreme Court won the public trust and what it must do to keep it.
From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act	Finan, Christopher	323.443 FIN	Book traces the fight for free speech from the turn of the nineteenth century through the War on Terror. Christopher
And the Pursuit of Happiness	Kalman, Maira	320.473 KAL	On inauguration day Kalman traveled to Washington, D.C., launching a national tour that would take her from a town hall meeting in Newfane, Vermont, to the inner chambers of the Supreme Court. A picture book for adults.
Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution	Fritz, Jean	JUV 342.73 FRI	No one writes history for children better than Fritz; funny, pungent and impeccably accurate, her contribution to the plethora of books written for the Constitution's bicentennial should be at the top of everyone's purchase list.