United States 250th Anniversary
The 76 in 2026 Reading List is a collection of 76 books covering a variety of the most influential people and pivotal moments in American History.
The Library wishes to thank Dale and Liz Sosniecki for their dedication to creating the 76 in 2026 reading list.
Edward Robert McClelland’s “Chorus of the Union” is a testament to the rivals, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Their legendary debate for the 1858 senate race cemented them as eternal rivals to the public eye. But, when the union was threatened by the start of the civil war, the two put their old rivalry aside for the greater good. Their rivalry and reconciliation changed history.
Edward Lengel wrote this account about the “Lost Battalion” in the first world war. These six-hundred American Soldiers were trapped by German Troops in a ravine in the Argonne Forest. After a week of constant shelling they walked out with less than a third remaining. This is their tale of both heroism and terrible losses in the midst of a devastating war.
Jared Orsi created this interesting biography of the explorer Zebulon Pike. While Pike wasn’t as acclaimed as some of his contemporaries, his exploration of a large portion of the American interior still stands the test of time. This book details his life all the way to his victory and death in the Battle of York during the War of 1812. This is the account of a remarkable American explorer.
In the years immediately after the Revolutionary War the country was near bankruptcy, and the Articles of Confederation proved to be a disaster. In what could have been an overly complicated book, author Carol Berkin tells the tale of how men from a variety of backgrounds invented an intricate Constitution, with the goal of creating a balance of power and preserving liberty.
Michael C. Harris recounts the disastrous Battle of Brandywine Creek with this book. He details how General George Washington’s attempt to stop the British forces from taking Philadelphia (where the continental congress was meeting) failed, and how Washington used the lessons from that failure to ultimately defeat the British and win the American Revolution.
Through painstaking research, Author Rona Simmons found an unusual, and highly disturbing fact. The deadliest day in WWII for Americans wasn’t at Pearl Harbor or D-Day, rather it was October 24, 1944. Through several individual stories she recounts the horrors that they went through during what had been thought to be an “average day” in WWII.
In the worst maritime disaster in American history, the steamboat Sultana, which was carrying more than twenty-one hundred recently released Union POW’s, exploded killing nearly everyone onboard. Author Alan Huffman excellently recounts the events that led to this disaster, and why this disaster was overshadowed by the end of the civil war.
Military history buffs will relish this biography of Clark, Missouri’s own Omar Bradley. In this incredibly detailed account by Jim Defilice, everything from military organization to politics are laid bare for the reader to examine. This is a fascinating insight into the mind of “The GI General”, his campaign to defeat Nazi Germany, and his small-town Missouri roots.
This exhilarating story, written by Nicholas Best, is about the events leading up to the 1st World War’s end on November 11, 1918. The author goes into great detail into the minds of both sides during the closing days of the war. Pay close attention to the brief reference to Private Henry Guenther, a German American infantry man who ironically was the last casualty of the war.
In this unique twist on the Korean war the author, Adam Lazarus, weaves a story of how two iconic American heroes, the future astronaut John Glenn and Baseball legend Ted Williams wind up on the same airbase in South Korea. The two pilots, despite their wildly diverging backgrounds, bonded while flying eight missions together. This unlikely duo would define their generation.
In one of the most pivotal battles of the war of 1812, Lieutenant Thomas Machonough managed to best a superior English fleet in the narrow reaches of Lake Champlain. This stunning victory even influenced the peace terms that ended the war. This book, written by Charles G Miller, is a riveting account of this battle and of the Lieutenant who made it happen against all odds.
H. W. Brands writes this account on the three giants of the early 18th century. The politicians Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster all came from wildly different backgrounds. Their arguments over states rights and slavery would change the United States forever by paving the way for the Civil War. A must-read for any history buff of the pre-war period.
A founding Father who is sometimes overlooked, Chief Justice John Marshall helped solidify both the U.S Constitution and our judicial branch. Marshall had an incredible resume, starting out as a simple frontiersman to a Revolutionary War soldier (fighting at the Battle of Brandywine) to diplomat, to Secretary of State, and finally, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Author Jay Feldman brilliantly weaves multiple story lines together that include the Native American Prophet Tecumsah, a slave murder by two of Thomas Jefferson’s relatives, and the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. Those three quakes would have measured over 8.0 on the modern Richter scale and literally forced the Mississippi to flow backwards.
Over six decades ago author Walter Lord wrote this definitive piece on “A date which will live in infamy”. This account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor is told through the eyes of those who lived it, as the author combed through countless testimonies and interviews. A truly remarkable book that chronicles one of the darkest days in American History.
John Hersey writes this book on the dropping of the atomic bomb. He expertly explores the human costs of the bombing through the eyes of six survivors. This classic piece of history, written just after the end of the war, remains as vivid and haunting as it did the day the bombs first fell. This is a must read for anyone looking into the history of WWII.
Stephen Woodworth’s excellent book captures a dynamic America in the 1840s as it surges Westward, expanding into Texas, New Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and California. It recognizes the significance of the Gold Rush, the roles that the telegraph and the railroad served to accelerate this growth. A worthy read of the history of the United State’s drive from “Sea to shining Sea”.
Triggered initially by the Indian Removal Act of 1830, multiple tribes in the South were evicted from their ancestral lands. Author John Ehle’s focus is on the seventeen thousand Cherokee and African Americans who were forcibly removed to what is now Oklahoma in the years 1838-1839. Tragically thirty-five hundred died along the way in what became known as the Trail of Tears.
Skillfully researched and wonderfully written, author David Detzer, portrays the 6 months from Lincoln’s election to the Confederates firing upon Fort Sumter in Charleston’s harbor. The book focuses on the political machinations on both sides of the future Union and Confederacy, the people of Charleston, South Carolina, and most importantly, major Robert Anderson, commander of the fort.
Army General Hal Moore and embedded reporter Joe Galloway recount a riveting story of one of the earliest battles of the Vietnam War: the Battle of La Drang in 1965. The book also helps visualize the use of Army helicopters to bring in reinforcements and remove the wounded (Air Calvary). The book was turned into a movie of the same name starring Mel Gibson.
Popular author Tom Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff” juxtaposes the carefree behavior of NASA’s 7 Mercury Astronauts in the early 1960’s to the flying of experimental high speed aircraft in the desolate Mojave Desert. From the man who first broke the sound barrier but never became an astronaut, Chuck Yeager, to the first American in space, Alan Shepard, this book is a blast!
The second book in Michael Shaara’s epic Civil War Trilogy, this historical novel earned him the Pulitzer Prize. Told from the perspective of people who were there it expertly tells the story of Gettysburg. This book has a reputation for excellence to the point that it was once required reading for the US Army officer Candidate School! A true must read for any budding Civil War historian.
It only took 102 minutes for the North Tower of the World Trade Center to collapse after American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the structure. New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn were able to access an incredible amount of oral histories from first responders and tower survivors to create a masterful, readable account of this national tragedy of September 11, 2001.
Author Irwin Unger writes this fascinating biography of an incredibly complex man whose presidency ushered in a vast set of social programs including Medicare, Medicaid, Civil Rights Initiatives, funding for the National Endowment for the Arts plus more. Though unable to draw the Vietnam war to a conclusion, LBJ is still noted as one our Top Ten Presidents by many!
Proclaimed author David McCullough does a deep dive into the genius mechanical aptitude and singular focus of Wilber and Orville Wright. Their incredible drive would lead them to make the first airplane at great risk to life and limb. Despite not having much in the way of formal schooling, these two bicycle mechanics would usher in the age of aviation.
In this fast-paced book, by the author AJ Blame, president Harry S. Truman’s first four months in office dealt with more critical decisions than any other Presidency. This Missouri politician’s accidental presidency decisively juggled the dropping of two atomic bombs, thwarting Stalin’s attempted last minute grab of Denmark, and the creation of the United Nations.
This account by Steven E Ambrose is perhaps the most definitive work on Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the Upper Northwest, and President Thomas Jefferson’s faith in their Corps of Discovery. This book chronicles Jefferson’s long held ambition to the fates of the explorers afterwards. A must- read story about the very beginnings of America’s manifest destiny.
This is an extraordinary book of the most critical year of the Revolutionary War by master historian David McCullough. This extensively researched book goes into both General George Washington and his rival General William Howe as they waged war. Despite his lack of experience Washington was able to keep his army intact and eventually turn the tide.
The Mexican-American War proved to be the proving grounds for many young officers who would go on to be generals in the Civil War. This must read book by Author Martin Duggard explores the war that would refine familiar names such as Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davins, William T. Sherman, and James Longsheet into the giants of the Civil War.
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Pulitzer Prize winning book captures Theodore Roosevelt ascending into the presidency in 1901. Frustrated by an inactive Congress and its inability to rescue the middle class, Roosevelt used the Muckraker press to help him establish social reforms. But after his presidency the rift between himself and his handpicked successor, William Taft, brought it to an end.
The Pulitzer Prize finalist, Max Boot’s, biography of the 40th President continues to intrigue readers in the details of Ronald Reagan’s life. This work delves back into his alcoholic father, his Governorship of California, and lastly his Presidency. Despite significant opposition Reagan managed to stabilize the country and made Americans feel pride in their country again.
One hundred and fifty years ago this June, in the Little Bighorns Colonel Custer’s 7th Cavalry was decisively defeated by the Lakota Chief Sitting Bull. This book, expertly written by Nathaniel Philbrick, goes into the fine details of the battle, the causes of the Great Sioux War of 1876, the people involved, and the decisions that lead to the infamous “Custer’s Last Stand”.
Written by James Bradley this book is about one of the most iconic photographs of World War II. During the battle of Iwo Jima, five marines and a navy copsman scaled Mount Suribachi and planted the U.S. Flag, while battle still raged below them. This account, written by the son of one of the remaining marines, tells the tale of both valor, and the terrible human cost of the battle.
Author Gwynne’s wonderful book “Empire” is a beautifully written narrative of one of our most hideous periods in American history. It tracks the attempted annihilation of the powerful Comanche tribe of the American West. Interwoven into this account is the story of a kidnapped nine-year old girl whose mixed blood son becomes the last and greatest Chief of the Comanches.
Whereas John Steinbeck’s characters left the Southern Great Plains during the Great Depression, historian Timothy Egan focuses on those who stayed. This is the story of those who endured the Depression’s evil twin sister, the Great American Dust Bowl. They watched their beautiful soil dry into a fine black sand which devastated entire towns and infected their children with pneumonia.
This account, written by Adam Jortner, is of Techumseh’s Confederacy rise and fall. When war leader Techumseh’s drunken younger brother Tenskwatawa uses a solar eclipse to gain a reputation as a prophet the die is cast for the Native Americans living west of the Appalachians. They were ultimately crushed by General Willam Henry Harrison during the war of 1812.
Author/Historian Stephen E. Ambrose tackles the story of the greatest American engineering achievement of the 19th century: the building of the transcontinental railroad. This massive undertaking spanned almost two thousand miles of continuous tracks linking Ohio with California. This 18th century marvel changed the fate of the American West Forever.
When gold was discovered on the American River above Sutter’s Fort in 1848 it set off a tidal wave of people from around the world flocking to California. Author HW Brands sifts through the history of the California Gold Rush. This book invites readers to view the lives of some of the most interesting people in the eighteenth century as they scrambled for any sign of gold.
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The idea that the renowned renegade author Norman Mailer would write a book on NASA’s space program and the 1969 Apollo moon landing is a little surprising… but Mailer pulls it off with impeccable style. This is an informative book on Apollo 11’s moon landing and the details of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. A must read.
David Halberstam, a former magazine journalist, wrote this authoritative book on the Vietnam war. In this book he discusses how America inherited and expanded the French Indochina War and ultimately lost Vietnam. Given the brilliant minds in the Kennedy-Johnson administration, this book questions their failure to foresee the outcome of the war.
This is Richard Kluger’s detailed account on the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling and its aftermath. In its May 17th 1954 ruling, the Supreme court made judicial history by ending segregation in schools. This unanimous ruling overturned decades of precedent and in the process proved a catalyst for the burgeoning civil rights movement.
Bonnie Mitchell’s biography recounts the life of a beloved U.S. Representative Jerry Litton. A rising political star from Chillicothe, Missouri Jerry Litton’s life, and that of his family, was tragically cut short on the eve of his victory in the 1976 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. This is the true account of a man who many believed would become a U.S. President.
This is the story of the birth of the U.S. Army written by William Hogeland. After a devastating defeat of irregular US forces by confederations of Native Americans, President Washington ordered Brigadier General “Mad” Anthony Wayne to form a more disciplined force. Anthony’s newly formed “legion” quickly defeated the confederation at the battle of Fallen Timbers, and gained Anthony the title of the “Father of the U.S. Army”.
