Born on the 4th of July

The creation of anything unique and beautiful is never simple. Each year, on the 4th of July Americans celebrate the flawed perfection that is our country. On this national holiday, our minds are filled with visions of battle victories, flags flying, and young soldiers coming home, but we must also acknowledge the toil, strife and sadness that often accompany the creation of a nation. So when you join family, friends and neighbors on this 4th of July, imagine those who came before you who united in the cause for country, a place of their own and believed in something revolutionary.   American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis was a national bestseller and the 1997 National Book Award Winner. "In American Sphinx, Ellis sifts the facts shrewdly from the legends and the rumors, treading a path between vilification and hero worship in order to formulate a plausible portrait of the man who still today hovers over the political scene today.”- Publisher Summary   The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel is a current bestseller and has been in the spotlight for six weeks. "The Astronaut Wives Club tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, meeting regularly to provide support, friendship, and entertainment while their husbands raced to the moon."- Publisher Summary   The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections by Tom Brokaw is a follow up to his bestseller, The Greatest Generation. Brokaw shares the letters, stories and positive responses he received after the publication of his book by the same name. "I first began to appreciate fully all we owed the World War II generation while I was covering the fortieth and fiftieth anniversaries of D-Day for NBC News. When I wrote in The Greatest Generation about the men and women who came out of the Depression, who won great victories and made lasting sacrifices in World War II and then returned home to begin building the world we have today–the people I called the Greatest Generation–it was my way of saying thank you. I felt that this tribute was long overdue, but I was not prepared for the avalanche of letters and responses touched off by that book."- Tom Brokaw, news anchor   Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic is a personal memoir of his experience in the Vietnam War and his role as an anti-Vietnam War advocate in the years that followed. Kovic's story inspired the 1989 film adaptation by the same name. The film was directed by Oliver Stone, a Vietnam Veteran himself, and starred Tom Cruise as the wheelchair bound soldier. "As relevant as ever, this book is an education. Ron is a true American, and his great heart and hard-won wisdom shine through these pages." —Oliver Stone, filmmaker   Renee Lienhard is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive

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