Literacy Promotion
The Literacy Promotion Committee, first established in 1989, is to promote adult literacy and involvement in literacy programs for children and adults. This committee’s goal is to Shine a Light on Literacy as we examine the causes of illiteracy and how we can help fulfill the objectives of this committee.
Here is a list of recommended readings!
For more information, please reach out to Janet Gardner, Chapter Librarian
Children’s Books about the Revolutionary War
I am George Washington (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer
Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne
A Revolutionary Field Trip: Poems of Colonial America by Susan Katz
George Washington: The First President by Sarah Albee
Patriots in Petticoats by Shirley-Raye Redmond
What Was the Boston Tea Party? By Kathleen Krull
Who Was George Washington? By Roberta Edwards
Who Was Alexander Hamilton? By Pam Pollack
Who Was Betsy Ross? By James Buckley Jr
Who Was Paul Revere? By Roberta Edwards
Who Was Thomas Jefferson? By Dennis Fradin
Who Was Ben Franklin? By Dennis Fradin
Lafayette! A Revolutionary War Tale by Nathan Hale
The Boy Who Carried the Flag by Jana Carson
Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky
Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady
Young Adult Books about the Revolutionary War
Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz
Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Hamilton & Peggy: A Revolutionary Friendship by LM Elliott
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
My Brother Sam is Dead by Christopher Collier
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Sophia’s War by Avi
The Fighting Ground by Avi
George Washington’s Socks by Elvira Woodruff
April Morning by Howard Fast
The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory
Biographies of Founding Fathers (and their families)
Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America by Catherine Kerrison
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
John Marshall by Richard Brookhiser
James Madison by Richard Brookhiser
George Washington on Leadership by Richard Brookhiser
The First Congress by Fergus Bordewich
Jefferson and Hamilton by John Ferling
James Madison by Lynne Cheney
Books about Black Revolutionary Heroes & Figures
Black Patriots and Loyalists: Fighting for Emancipation in the War for Independence by Alan Gilbert
Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution by Judith van Buskirk
Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America by Douglas R Egerton
From Slaves to Soldiers: The 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the American Revolution by Robert Geake
The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution by William Cooper Neil
Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution by Gretche Woelfle
America's Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes & Early Leaders with 21 Activities by Nancy Sanders
Adult Books about the Suffrage Movement in the U.S.
Suffragists in Washington D.C. by Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Why They Marched by Susan Ware
The Woman’s Hour by Elaine Weiss
The Women’s Suffrage Movement by Sally Roesch Wagner
Victory for the Vote by Doris Weatherford
After the Vote Was Won by Katherine H Adams and Michael L Keene
Votes for Women! By Winifred Conkling
Roses and Radicals: The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet
And Yet They Persisted: How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Johanna Neuman
Gilded Suffragists: The New York Socialites who Fought for Women's Right to Vote by Johanna Neuman
A Woman's Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot by Mary Walton
Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists by Jean H Baker
Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement by Sally McMillen
Children’s Books about the Suffrage Movement in the U.S.
Camilla Can Vote: Celebrating the Centennial of Women's Right to Vote by Mary Morgan Ketchel and Marsha Blackburn
Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote by Kirsten Gillibrand
Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage by Claire Rudolf Murphy
Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone
A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women's Rights by Kate Hannigan
Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote by Barb Rosenstock
Miss Paul and the President: The Creative Campaign for Women's Right to Vote by Dean Robbins
I Could Do That!: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote by Linda Arms White
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, a Kitten, and 10,000 Miles by Mara Rockliff
What Is the Women's Rights Movement? By Deborah Hopkinson
Who Was Susan B. Anthony? By Pam Pollack
Susan B. Anthony: Fighter for Women's Rights by Deborah Hopkinson
Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote, 21 Activities by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights by Anne Kamma
History Smashers: Women’s Right to Vote by Kate Messner
How Women Won the Vote: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and Their Big Idea by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The Voice that Won the Vote: How One Woman's Words Made History by Elisa Boxer
The Woman’s House (Young Readers Edition) by Elaine Weiss
Books About Women in the Revolutionary War
Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton
Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady
First Ladies of the Republic by Jeanne Adams
Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue by Susan Casey
Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence by Carol Berkin
Following the Drum: Women at the Valley Forge Encampment by Nancy Loane
Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts
Adult Historical Fiction Novels Set During the Revolution
I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott
Patriot Harts by Barbara Hambly
Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Galbadon
The Rebels by John Jakes
The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
Drums Along the Mohawk by Walter D Edmonds
The Crossing by Howard Fast
Bunker Hill by Howard Fast
The Hornet’s Nest by Jimmy Carter
Books about the U.S. Constitution
A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution by Carol Berkin
America’s Constitution: A Biography by Akhil Reed Amar
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 by Pauline Maier
The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution by David O Stewart
The Framers' Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution by Michael J Klarman
The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison by James Madison, Edward J Larson, and Michael P Winship
American Epic: Reading the U.S. Constitution by Garrett Epps
How to Read the Constitution and Why by Kim Wehle
The Constitution Today by Akhil Reed Amar
Children’s Books about the U.S. Flag
F is for Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Why Are There Stripes on the American Flag? By Martha E.H. Rustad
I’m Your Flag So Please Treat Me Right by Julia Cook
Our Flag Was Still There by Jessie Hartland
Red, White, and Blue by John Herman
Long May She Wave by Kit Hinrichs
America’s Flag Story by Karen Robbins
Our Flag by Carl Memling
American Symbols: What You Need to Know by Melissa Ann Ferguson
Books About Genealogical Research/Tips
Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com: How to Find Your Family History on the #1 Genealogy Website by Nancy Hendrickson
Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide by Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer
The Family Tree Problem Solver: Tried-and-True Tactics for Tracing Elusive Ancestors by Marsha Hoffman Rising
The Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Genealogy by Kenyatta Berry
Genealogy for Dummies
Books About Leadership, Especially for Non-Profits
Good to Great for the Social Sector by Jim Collins
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger
Start with Why By Simon Sinek
Steward Leadership in the Nonprofit Organization by Kent Wilson
Forces for Good by Leslie R Crutchfield
The Volunteer Management Handbook by Tracy Connors
Connect: How to Double Your Number of Volunteers by Nelson Searcy
Books about the American Indian in American History
The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities by Colin Calloway
Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia by Woody Holton
The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation by Colin Calloway
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown
The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West by Peter Cozzens
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andres Resendez
Navajos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life by Jim Kristofic
Adult Books About George Washington
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Phillbrick
His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis
Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner
Washington’s End by Jonathan Horn
The First Conspiracy: The Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer
George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade
The Indian World of George Washington by Colin Calloway
In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Phillbrick
Young Washington by Peter Stark
Adult Books About Abraham Lincoln
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer
Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
Every Drop of Blood by Edward Achorn
Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer
With Malice Towards None by Stephen B Oates
The Problem with Lincoln by Thomas di Lorenzo
Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk
Lincoln’s Battle with God by Stephen Mansfield
Books About DC History
Suffragists in Washington DC by Rebecca Boggs Roberts
Chocolate City by Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove
Madness in the City of Magnificent Intentions by Martin Summers
A History Lover’s Guide to DC by Alison Fortier
Empire of Mud by JD Dickey
Washington: A History of our National City by Tom Lewis
Grand Avenues by Scott Berg
Books about DC For Kids
Good Night Washington DC by Adam Gamble
Night-Night Washington DC by Katherine Sully
All Aboard! Washington DC by Haily Meyers
Hello, Washington DC by Martha Zschock
Larry Loves Washington DC by John Skewes
Journey Around Washington DC From A-Z by Martha Zshock
Larry Gets Lost in Washington DC by John Skewes
Washington DC From A-Z by Alan Schroeder
Mr. Bodding’s Studio: Washington DC ABCs by Mr Boddington’s Studio
Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano
On the Loose in Washington DC by Sage Stossel
My Little Golden Book About the White House by Jen Arena
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out by NCBLA
First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew by Robbin Gourley
Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President by Charlotte Pence
Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Nation’s Capital by Charlotte Pence
Novels That Feature the DAR
The Famous DAR Murder Mystery by Graham Landrum
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Graphic Novels About the American Founding
One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale
Lafayette! By Nathan Hale
Alexander Hamilton by Jonathan Hennessey