The most recommended American Revolution books

Who picked these books? Meet our 182 experts.

182 authors created a book list connected to the American Revolution, and here are their favorite American Revolution books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

What type of American Revolution book?

Loading...

Book cover of Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America

Neil Baldwin Author Of Martha Graham: When Dance Became Modern

From Neil's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Scholar Storyteller Idealist Ice-skater Poet

Neil's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Plus, Neil's 6-year-old's favorite books.

Neil Baldwin Why did Neil love this book?

I have written about indigenous peoples and about the idealized trajectory of American history.

But neither of these projects prepared me for the astonishing, mind-bending lens-reversal of Indigenous Continent, the story of “what happened here,” from the point of view of the first tribal-nations occupants through a narrative that gives the lie to Robert Frost’s “the land was ours before we were the land’s.” Scrupulously researched, not a polemic, Hamalainen’s text feels like a bracing corrective. 

By Pekka Hämäläinen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Indigenous Continent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

American history and self-understanding have long depended on the notion of a "colonial America", an era that-according to prevailing accounts-laid the foundation for the modern United States. In Indigenous Continent, the acclaimed historian Pekka Hamalainen shatters this Eurocentric narrative by retelling the four centuries between first contacts and the peak of Native power from Indigenous points of view. Shifting our perspective away from Jamestown, Plymouth, the American Revolution and other well-worn episodes on the conventional timeline, Hamalainen depicts a sovereign world of distinctive Native nations whose members, far from simple victims of colonial aggression, controlled the continent well into the…


Book cover of EntrepĂ´t of Revolutions: Saint-Domingue, Commercial Sovereignty, and the French-American Alliance

Michael Kwass Author Of Contraband: Louis Mandrin and the Making of a Global Underground

From my list on the Haitian Revolution from a historian of France.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University who studies the history of France and the French empire. My research stretches from the age of Louis XIV through the French Revolution, exploring questions of political economy, capitalism, empire, the Enlightenment, and popular culture. At a moment when historical research is becoming increasingly specialized, my work builds bridges between political, economic, and cultural history. 

Michael's book list on the Haitian Revolution from a historian of France

Michael Kwass Why did Michael love this book?

Covo investigates long-neglected economic aspects of the Haitian Revolution. Beginning in the pre-revolutionary period, when the French called the colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) the “Pearl of the Caribbean,” this deeply researched book spotlights the role Haiti played as a commodities hub during the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. I find this book particularly important because it shows how imperial trade and racial capitalism defined the age of commercial republicanism.

By Manuel Covo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked EntrepĂ´t of Revolutions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Age of Revolutions has been celebrated for the momentous transition from absolute monarchies to representative governments and the creation of nation-states in the Atlantic world. Much less recognized than the spread of democratic ideals was the period's growing traffic of goods, capital, and people across imperial borders and reforming states' attempts to control this mobility.

Analyzing the American, French, and Haitian revolutions in an interconnected narrative, Manuel Covo centers imperial trade as a driving force, arguing that commercial factors preceded and conditioned political change across the revolutionary Atlantic. At the heart of these transformations was the "entrepot," the island…


Book cover of Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution

Jordan Baker

From Jordan's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Historian Writer Book-lover Nerd

Jordan's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Jordan Baker Why did Jordan love this book?

Jay Dolin is a lifelong lover of the sea and all things naval history, and it shows!

Rebels at Sea is the fascinating tale of how Americans outfitted privateers during the American Revolution in order to undermine British naval supremacy. This was a story from the American Revolution that I had never heard before and it shed new light on both that conflict and period for me.

I was truly enraptured by the pluck of the rebelling colonists who outfitted merchant ships with cannons and everyday sailors who turned themselves into a makeshift navy. It truly gave a whole new angle on the ragtag nature of the revolution’s early years. 

By Eric Jay Dolin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rebels at Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The heroic story of the founding of the US Navy during the American Revolution has been told before, yet missing from most maritime histories of the country's first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels, from 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war, that truly revealed the new nation's character-above all, its ambition and entrepreneurial ethos.

In Rebels at Sea, best-selling historian Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission and contends that privateers, though often seen as profiteers at best and pirates at worst, were in fact critical to the American Revolution's outcome. Armed with cannons, swivel guns, muskets and pikes-as…


Book cover of The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America

James Polchin Author Of Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America

From my list on crime that reshapes our understanding of the past.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always liked narrative history and how we can take research and turn it into a story. More importantly, I love books that can recover the histories of marginalized people—people who don’t make it into the history textbooks. Historical true crime gives me access to realities we don’t often see. Court transcripts, detective reports, news accounts, and oral histories all combine to illuminate a world beyond the famous and known. I’m drawn to those books (and book projects) that ask the question: what can we know about the past if we look at it through the lens of a crime? Whose realities do we witness through such a lens? 

James' book list on crime that reshapes our understanding of the past

James Polchin Why did James love this book?

Sweet drew me in from the start with this story of 17-year-old seamstress Lahan Sawyer who was raped in late 18th century New York. The book not only tells us the story of this crime and Sawyer’s courage to press charges but also opens a window into life in that era, from class dynamics to legal proceedings around claims of rape, to the political dynamics of New York in those years after the Revolution.

But what I really love about this book is its narrative force. Sweet renders the world of a New York recovering from war as he speculates and contextualizing Swayer’s life within the broader city, which she had little power to control. 

By John Wood Sweet,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Sewing Girl's Tale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On a moonless night in the summer of 1793 a crime was committed in the back room of a New York brothel - the kind of crime that even victims usually kept secret. Instead, seventeen-year-old seamstress Lanah Sawyer did what virtually no one in US history had done before: she charged a gentleman with rape.

Her accusation sparked a raw courtroom drama and a relentless struggle for vindication that threatened both Lanah's and her assailant's lives. The trial exposed a predatory sexual underworld, sparked riots in the streets, and ignited a vigorous debate about class privilege and sexual double standards.…


Book cover of By Force of Arms: An Isaac Biddlecomb Novel

Carol Newman Cronin Author Of The Oliver Series: Oliver's Surprise and Cape Cod Surprise

From my list on sailors that get sailing right.

Why am I passionate about this?

My favorite place to be is on salt water, in a sailboat. When that’s not possible, I either write about sailing or seek out stories that take me out to sea. I was first on a sailboat at ten days old, and as a lifelong sailor and Olympian, I speak sailing. So, I really appreciate other authors who write about my passion in a truly knowledgeable voice. I’m so glad I took the time to put this list together because it reminded me of some old favorites I'm going to put back on my TBR list. 

Carol's book list on sailors that get sailing right

Carol Newman Cronin Why did Carol love this book?

I loved this book because it combined a fast-paced story, historically accurate sailing ships, and a healthy dose of (accurate) maritime history. I’ve read it several times, and I still wish I could pick it up for the very first time and not know what was going to happen next. Best of all, there are six more books that follow this one! 

By James L. Nelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked By Force of Arms as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As the War of Independence begins in earnest, American merchant seamen prepare to strike the First blows. None strikes more deftly than Isaac Biddlecomb, captain of the Judea, whose smuggling Activities are making a mockery of His Majesty's Royal Navy. Pursued by HMS Rose, he sacrifices the ship he loved to the depths, together with the fortune he stood to gain, rather than surrender.

On the run from the enraged forces of King George, Isaac disguises himself as a merchant seaman. He is reunited with Ezra Rumstick, a comrade and fierce rebel, as the revolution gathers momentum. On a brig…


Book cover of Her Name Was Mary Katharine: The Only Woman Whose Name Is on the Declaration of Independence

Beth Anderson Author Of Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier

From my list on children’s stories on the American Revolution.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an educator, I’ve experienced the power of true stories to engage readers, widen their world, spur thinking, and support content areas. I’ve learned plenty from these books, too! As an author, I’m fascinated with many aspects of the American Revolution that I never learned about as a student. Researching this time period has revealed much more than men at war. The revolution affected every aspect of life—a “world turned upside-down.” Today, we’re fortunate to have a range of stories that help kids understand that history is about people much like them facing the challenges of their time and place. 

Beth's book list on children’s stories on the American Revolution

Beth Anderson Why did Beth love this book?

We all know about the Declaration of Independence and recognize at least a few of the dozens of signatures of the men who signed it. But who knew about the single female name that appears on the document?

Here’s the story of Mary Katharine Goddard, a businesswoman and newspaper publisher, who dared to break the norms of society. When the call went out for a printer to publish the treasonous Declaration, she rose to the task and went so far as to put her name on it! This story offers a fascinating peek into the life of a revolutionary woman.

By Ella Schwartz, Dow Phumiruk (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Her Name Was Mary Katharine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

A rousing picture book biography of the only woman whose name is printed on the Declaration of Independence.

Born in 1738, Mary Katharine Goddard came of age in colonial Connecticut as the burgeoning nation prepared for the American Revolution. As a businesswoman and a newspaper publisher, Goddard paved the way for influential Revolutionary media. Her remarkable accomplishments as a woman defied societal norms and set the stage for a free and open press. When the Continental Congress decreed that the Declaration of Independence be widely distributed, one person rose to the occasion and printed the document-boldly inserting her name at…


Book cover of The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

James Charles Author Of My War with Hemingway

From James' 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author History buff Political junkie Swimmer Dreamer Quantum entangled quark

James' 3 favorite reads in 2024

James Charles Why did James love this book?

I discovered things about Samuel Adams and the American Revolution I hadn't known. And I'm a damn Yank! I never realized just how important to the American cause he was.

By Stacy Schiff,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Revolutionary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the Revolution, "Samuel Adams was the man." With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history.

Stacy Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution. A singular figure at a singular moment, Adams amplified the Boston Massacre. He helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party. He employed every tool available to rally a town, a colony, and eventually a band of…


Book cover of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened

Brenda Smith Author Of Becoming Fearless: Finding Courage in the African Wilderness

From Brenda's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Adventurous Creative Animal lover Fearless Honest

Brenda's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Brenda Smith Why did Brenda love this book?

I am a few years older than the author and grew up in the suburbs of Boston, three towns away from his childhood home. The childhood he describes completely mirrors my own.

Like McKibben, I have witnessed the same disturbing changes happening in our country over the past 50 years. I, too, have shaken my head in disbelief at the transformations and asked, “How can this be happening?”

McKibben’s fierce curiosity and detailed research explain this change by examining how the definition of patriotism has taken on a different meaning, how the role of religion has waned significantly, especially in younger people’s lives, and how our economic class structure has inverted.

All these changes add up to a major transformation in American culture and values. I could relate to every premise he offered, saying, “Wow, this all makes sense!”

By Bill McKibben,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the New Yorker's Best Books of 2022

Bill McKibben―award-winning author, activist, educator―is fiercely curious.

“I’m curious about what went so suddenly sour with American patriotism, American faith, and American prosperity.”

Like so many of us, McKibben grew up believing―knowing―that the United States was the greatest country on earth. As a teenager, he cheerfully led American Revolution tours in Lexington, Massachusetts. He sang “Kumbaya” at church. And with the remarkable rise of suburbia, he assumed that all Americans would share in the wealth.

But fifty years later, he finds himself in an increasingly doubtful nation strained by bleak racial…


Book cover of Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America
Book cover of EntrepĂ´t of Revolutions: Saint-Domingue, Commercial Sovereignty, and the French-American Alliance
Book cover of Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,727

readers submitted
so far, will you?