Hot dogs, hamburgers, watermelon, fireworks, flags and a great patriotic work of American literature! Okay, maybe that last one isn’t exactly on the Fourth of July checklist, but it should be. After all, it’s not just the smell of barbecue that makes us proud to be American, so pick up one of these brilliant patriotic reads to reflect more thoughtfully on why our country’s worth loving and celebrating.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Dubbed by some the “patriot poet,” Walt Whitman is quite possibly one of the greatest champions of America who ever put pen to Paper, and Leaves of Grass, a collection of poetry that still graces schools’ required reading lists, is his masterpiece. The world-famous compendium celebrates the United States’ “athletic democracy,” its “divine average” (the blue-collar workers who lend the country its verve), and its “busy, teeming, intricate whirl” of urbanization—though not without bemoaning the horrors of its Civil War and the corruption of its future. If ever you need to rekindle your faith in the American spirit, it’s merely a matter of flipping open this nineteenth-century humanist’s work.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Many would argue that there’s nothing more patriotic than supporting the people who risk their lives in battle to protect our nation and our future, and accordingly, it would be impossible not to include a war novel on this list. There are, of course, countless great pieces of literature from this genre to choose from, but Stephen Crane’s American classic The Red Badge of Courage is perhaps the most renowned. Lauded for its unromanticized, incredibly realistic portrayal of the true nature of war, the story follows a young Union soldier through the muddied, bloodied trenches and, unlike so many novels that had come before it, it reveals his intense fears, not just his courage and heroism. Even now, over a century since it was published, this work is a tangible reminder of the emotional strain our troops must shoulder each and every day.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
There’s little that’s more proudly American than the immigrant experience, and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake beautifully captures the bravery and dogged determination that emanates from every family who ever touched down in the land of opportunity looking for a brighter future for themselves and their children. Warmly and profoundly, she tells the story of Gogol (Nikhil), the son of a Bengali couple who moved from Calcutta to Massachusetts in the 1960s, and his quest to chisel out a cultural identity for himself as a first-generation American born into a traditional South Asian family. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll cringe as you track Gogol through three decades of life, cheering him on as he conquers the feeling of rootlessness, negotiates familial expectation, and learns to balance the deep ideological differences that separate the cultures that shape him.
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
In the United States, where baseball fandom is handed down from father to daughter and mother to son like family heirlooms, Michael Lewis’s Moneyball is a must-read for lovers of the country’s favorite pastime. The nonfiction account explores how the 2002 Oakland A’s won so many games with one of the smallest payrolls in the league by using a data-crunching technique called sabermetrics. Statistics, you may be thinking, sounds yawn-worthy. Don’t be fooled though. The true story is all about athletic devotion, the heroic underdog, and the victory of brains over brawn—three themes that we can’t help but love as Americans.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Widely regarded as one of the most important African-American works of all time, Zora Neale Hurston’s most famous novel broke the mold by moving away from a Racial Uplift agenda and celebrating rural southern black people and female sexuality as she knew it. The tale immerses readers in post–Civil War Florida, where Janie, the granddaughter of a former slave and the daughter of a woman raped by her schoolteacher, moves through three tumultuous marriages and transforms from a voiceless teenager into a confident woman in control of her life and destiny. Though the work is built on historical realities, it’s the unfettered depiction of African-American life in all its grace that makes this one of our top patriotic reads.
Did we miss one? Share your patriotic recommendations in the comments section below or via our Facebook or Twitter feeds.
from www.grammarly.com/blog
http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/5-patriotic-reads-for-independence-day-weekend/
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