Revolutionary Reading
The Fourth of July has always held a special place in my heart.
Today I shared why I loved July 4th as a kid on Fiction Flock's Blog - along with 4 Classic American Authors Every Woman Should Read. (Spoilers: My reasons are far from patriotic, though I loved waving my little flag on the fourth as much as the next kid.)
My love of the summer holiday grew as I did and no matter where I lived, it always included family gatherings, grilled foods, swimming pools, and fireworks.
We've celebrated our nation's birthday with big themed blowouts, inviting everyone we knew to celebrate with us.
We've celebrated in folding chairs along parade routes - and once, even marching in one!
We've celebrated at the lake when the grandparents hosted holiday weekends at a couple of pretty awesome vacation rentals.
We've celebrated at the community pool.
We've celebrated watching Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum save the planet from aliens.
We've celebrated tailgate style in 100+ degree heat playing kickball with other families while we waited for fireworks to begin.
I think you get the idea - Independence Day is a big deal in our house and we celebrate it with gusto!
What we've never done, though, is really focus on (and forgive my theft of a catch-phrase)...the reason for the season.
If you're stepping in that, I invite you to take one small step toward remedying that this Independence Day.
How?
By simply doing what we love doing most - reading.
Before we hang the flags, put on our swimsuits, and fire up our grills, let's take a moment to center our thinking around this one piece of Revolutionary Reading.
The Declaration of Independence, July 1776
Considering the profound impact it had on our history, The Declaration of Independence is startlingly concise and packs no punches. When was the last time you actually read it? If you want a quick read guaranteed to goad your sense of liberty, start by reading this document that dared to declare that all men were created equal - a whopping 246 years ago.
Bonus: If reading The Declaration of Independence stirred your patriotic passions, you might enjoy this hands-on experience.
What do you think?
What would you add to a list of Revolutionary Reading? Please share your picks in the comments.
And in case you're wondering who made the cut for the 4 Classic American Authors Every Woman Should Read that I shared today at Fiction Flock, here's the link. 🇺🇸
*image from the American Institute for Economic Research
Independence Day is also a very special holiday in our family. Coming from a family with several members having served in different branches of our military and being part of a next generation of family with several former and present members serving in the military adds an extra level of meaning to our celebrations. We have even celebrated in foreign countries. In HS my vocal jazz choir performed “The Declaration” as recorded by The 5Th Dimension and so I have a good chunk memorized. I graduated HS during the country’s bicentennial- talk about patriotic celebrations!! I do enjoy reading early American historical novels and Kenneth Roberts’ series beginning with Rabble In Arms is one of my favorites.
In your guest blog you mentioned an author I have never heard of, so of course I need to read something by her! Thanks for posting and Happy Independence Day!