With the Fourth of July just around the corner, there is a sense of patriotism in the air. Barbecues are planned and American flags are hung. Everyone comes together to celebrate the country and the people that make it. 

To gear up for the festivities, why not read a patriotic book? Check out the suggestions below, filled with stories of important historical figures, like ones who helped make America what it is today and the diverse stories that make it into the melting-pot country we all love.

1. My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray

Meet Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, a woman who struggled to define herself and find her place in the wake of the war. Dray used thousands of letters and original sources to weave together the iconic story of the Hamiltons and how Elizabeth shaped an American legacy. 

2. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

In 1946 Manhattan, one morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase. When she opens it, she discovers a dozen photographs of different women. She soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman leader of a network of female secret agents, and is thrust into an adventure of a lifetime.

3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

In 1969, Chase Andrews is found dead and the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya isn’t what she seems to be and yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued with her, she opens herself up to a new life. This coming-of-age story was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and reminds everyone that we are shaped by the children we once were. 

4. Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Every year the Levin family spends the summer at their grandmother’s historic home in downtown Nantucket. However, like much of America, nothing is the same. As the summer of 1969 comes and goes, men will walk on the moon, Ted Kennedy will sink a car, and the Levin family will experience drama of their own. 

5. Freedom Lessons by Eileen Harrison Sanchez

Freedom Lessons is the story of how three different people come together in rural Louisiana town in 1969. Told in different perspectives of Colleen, a young white teacher; Frank, a black high school football player; and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher, this novel will show the unexpected effects of school integration. 

6. Mani/Pedi by Krista Beth Driver

After escaping Vietnam with two toddlers, two young sisters, and her husband, Charlie spends two years in refugee camps and eventually makes it to America. This true-life, rags-to-riches story depicts Charlie’s journey as she works at the bottom of the nail industry and builds an empire. 

7. Mission Afghanistan by Elie Paul Cohen

Mix elements of a spy thriller and an adventure story, and you get this memoir by Elie Paul Cohen. From time as an anti-militarist to serving as a liaison emergency doctor, his life offers a unique perspective on Afghanistan and the medical challenges that came with the expansion of terrorism into Europe and America. 

8. Sarah’s War by Eugenia Lovett West

The year is 1777 in the United States, and the thirteen states are divided by politics. Sarah Champion, a Patriot and parson’s daughter, is sent from rural Connecticut to live with her rich Loyalist aunt in Philadelphia. Written for any history lover, this book filled with love, treachery, and dreaming will capture your attention until the last page. 

9. The House That Made Me by Grant Jarrett

In a candid collection of essays, a group of diverse authors reflect on their homes, neighborhoods, and experiences that helped shape them. It rewrites what the concept of home is to some people and will give the reader a fresh insight overall. 

10. Bess and Frima by Alice Rosenthal

Meet Bess and Frima, two nineteen-year-old Jewish best friends in the Bronx. When they both get summer jobs in upstate hotels in June 1940, they have ideas of romance, but with both very different visions of it. Will their young love have happy endings? As life tangles with the war, they face challenges they have never dreamed of.