Welcome to St. Alban's!

As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding this summer, parishioners of all ages are invited to participate in a special Summer Reading Book Club sponsored by StAART, the St. Alban’s Anti-Racism Team. While there is much to celebrate about the past 250 years, the story is incomplete without an honest look at our full history—the triumphs AND the struggles. To that end, StAART recommends the following books:

For Adults and High School Students:

American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

by Jon Meacham

Meacham’s latest work illuminates the nation’s complicated past. This rich and diverse collection of primary sources covers a wide spectrum of history, from 1619 to the twenty-first century, with documents that take us back to critical moments in which Americans fought over the meaning and the direction of the national experiment. From the founders to Lincoln to Obama, from Andrew Jackson to Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan, from Seneca Falls to the March on Washington, this chorus—sometimes discordant and always fascinating—tells the story of the country and of its people. As clashes over liberty and slavery, inclusion and exclusion, play out, these voices, brilliantly framed by Meacham’s singular commentary, remind us that contentious citizenship and fair-minded observations are essential to bringing about the more perfect union envisioned in the Preamble to the Constitution, which Frederick Douglass called a “glorious liberty document.” Conflict is nothing new in our democracy; rather, as Meacham and these texts show, tensions are inherent, stubborn, and perennial. And American Struggle teaches us anew that to know what has come before, to watch as long-running disputes rise and fall, is to be armed against despair. Also available as an audiobook! Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer, historian, editor, and scholar of American politics and public life, focusing on leadership and American history. A faithful Episcopalian, Meacham was appointed Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral in 2021. He holds the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency and serves as co-chair of the Project on Unity and American Democracy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

For Ages 9-13:

America's Founding Myths...And What REALLY Happened

by Christy Mihaly

Have you ever wondered… Did Christopher Columbus REALLY discover America? What REALLY happened at the first Thanksgiving? Did Paul Revere REALLY shout “The British are coming!?" It’s time to pull the curtain back on these well-known myths to find out what REALLY happened and where these stories we’ve heard over and over again came from. Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with this exploration of the best-known stories about the founding of the United States. Interactive extras including silly speech bubbles, gatefolds, lift-the-flaps, and activities at the back make learning about American history fun and engaging for kids. This book encourages information literacy by empowering young people to ask questions, think critically and check sources.

For Ages 4-8:

An American Story

by Kwame Alexander

From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people's struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be. With stunning mixed-media illustrations by Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winning artist Dare Coulter, this is a potent book for those who want to speak the truth. Books can be ordered through Davidson’s Main Street Books using the links above, or your preferred bookseller, so go ahead and start your summer reading as soon as you like! And stay tuned for more information regarding opportunities for book discussions later in the summer.