Whether it’s via their tone, topic, or tenor, certain works just say “America.” Here are three such titles, suggested by David Bruce Smith, founder of the Grateful American™ Foundation:

• Scoundrel Time by Lillian Hellman. In gripping detail, the activist/playwright recounts her surreal — and fraught — experience of being hauled in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy era.
• The Financier by Theodore Dreiser. Greed, backstabbing, and the relentless pursuit of power take center stage in this caustic, cautionary tale of the American Dream gone horribly wrong.
• Death Be Not Proud by John J. Gunther. Stricken with a fatal brain tumor, 17-year-old Johnny nonetheless perseveres with tremendous maturity and goodwill in this heartbreaking memoir written by his grieving father.

Each year, the Grateful American™ Foundation, through its Book Prize, honors excellence in children’s historical nonfiction and fiction focused on the people and events that have shaped the U.S. since its birth. This year’s recipient is Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor for The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor. To learn more about the prize or to nominate a title for 2020, click here.

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