The New York Public Library is celebrating America’s upcoming semiquincentennial with a list of “250 notable books for all ages that reflect on and illuminate the American experience from a variety of perspectives.”
The list is divided into sections for adults, teens, and kids. Among the adult fiction books selected by the library are Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Adult nonfiction books on the list include David McCullough’s 1776, Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings, Hanif Abdurraqib’s There’s Always This Year, and Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How It Ends.
The teen list includes Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Elizabeth George Speare’s The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Safia Elhillo’s Home Is Not a Country, and Paula Yoo’s From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry.
Kids’ books honored by the library include Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Ekua Holmes; Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park; Nathan’s Song, written by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Maya Ish-Shalom; and The Little House of Hope, written by Terry Catasús Jennings and illustrated by Raúl Colón.
New York Public Library cardholders will have instant access to the 250 books through July 31, which (adult) patrons can enjoy while drinking a Liberty Lager, a beer inspired by George Washington’s recipe that is being produced by Talea Beer Company in conjunction with the library.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
