The Story of America in 7 Books New Literary Series Launched
The New York Historical has announced the launch of The Story of America in 7 Books, part of its ongoing commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Beginning this fall, Joseph Luzzi, Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard, will lead monthly conversations that explore the country's history from Moby-Dick to The Great Gatsby.
“The ‘Great American Novel’ remains the ultimate literary pursuit, a quest to distill the sprawling, contradictory soul of a nation into a single, definitive narrative,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “For 250 years, American literature has evolved as a continuous effort to define the essence of the country, moving from the foundational myths of the early republic to the complex voices of the modern era. We hope this new series will inspire our visitors to think about these novels in a new way, going beyond what they learned in high school English class.”
The series is an offshoot of The Historical’s successful 'Breakfast University' franchise which began in winter 2026 and has had sold-out attendance.
Talks will take place at The Historical on the first Monday of each month this fall in four sessions, launching on September 14 with a focus on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the 1852 novel by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1850 novel set during the Puritan era of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
They will be followed on October 5 by Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, and on November 2 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, his 1906 fictionalized account of the corrupt meat-packing industry. On December 7, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) will be analyzed alongside Ernest Hemingway’s Lost Generation novel The Sun Also Rises (1926). A second semester, beginning in early 2027, will cover later novels from the 20th century.
“These literary masterpieces offer a remarkable opportunity for us all to learn more about our nation and the extraordinary role American writers have played in shaping our sense of national identity,” said Professor Luzzi.
Lectures will take place in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium at The New York Historical and will also be available via livestream. The program includes a 45 minute lecture followed by a Q&A. Attendees will receive reading guides and questions in advance to assist in their own reading of the novels.
