![\"Brooklyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Brooklyn-Public-Library-250.jpg\" "\\"Brooklyn")
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Photos courtesy of Gregg Richards<\/p>\n
Ahead of the United States\u2019 250th anniversary this summer, the Brooklyn Public Library released this week a list of 250 notable books on American history. \u201c250 for 250<\/a>\u201d features titles published between 1776 and 2025 and reflects a wide range of perspectives on American history and storytelling, beginning with Thomas Paine\u2019s \u201cCommon Sense.\u201d More than 600 books were considered by a committee of nearly two dozen librarians.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the books that we believe have influenced this country and contributed to where we are today,\u201d Jess Harwick, the librarian who coordinated the selection committee, said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs librarians, we know that it\u2019s not just about the books themselves, but rather what they represent\u2014a wide variety of American perspectives and voices sharing the stories of our streets, neighborhoods, and nation as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, a small group of notable Americans was asked to select a book from the list and write a short essay on its significance to them and the nation.<\/p>\n Participants include Ethan Hawke, who reflected on \u201cThe Outsiders\u201d by S.E. Hinton; Constance Wu, who wrote about \u201cGilead\u201d by Marilynne Robinson; Julian Shapiro-Barnum, who discussed \u201cAmerican Born Chinese\u201d; Ilana Glazer, who wrote about \u201cThe 1619 Project\u201d by Nikole Hannah-Jones; and Britt Lower, who reflected on \u201cJust Kids\u201d by Patti Smith, among others.<\/p>\n In a statement, Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of BPL, said the list highlights the \u201cfull range\u201d of the \u201chuman experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBooks remain one of our most powerful tools for defending democracy. They help us understand ourselves, each other, and the world around us,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cTogether, the books on this list tell a story of our nation, our commitment to the ideals of freedom and justice for all, and that ongoing search for common ground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we continue to pursue a perfect union, this extraordinary list considers the full range of the American\u2014and human\u2014experience,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The list adds renewed excitement to Independence Day in NYC, which already has a full slate of events planned for the nation\u2019s semi-quincentennial. From July 3 to July 8, \u201cSail4th 250<\/a>\u201d will bring six days of festivities across the five boroughs, including the arrival of the largest fleet of tall ships ever to sail into New York Harbor.<\/p>\n In addition, the New York Public Library will display its rare copy of the Declaration of Independence from July 1 to July 3, one of the few surviving \u201cfair copies\u201d handwritten by Thomas Jefferson. The document will be shown as part of the library\u2019s exhibition \u201cRevolution: 1776 and Beyond<\/a>,\u201d which will explore New York\u2019s role in the American Revolution and its influence on global revolutions.<\/p>\n RELATED:<\/p>\n \n Get Insider Updates with Our Newsletter! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photos courtesy of Gregg Richards Ahead of the United States\u2019 250th anniversary this summer, the Brooklyn Public Library…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":207580,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-207579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Brooklyn-Public-Library-250th-Books-2-1040x694.jpg\")
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