Americans have long shouted from the fringes, but we’ve governed from the center. The Louisiana Purchase, the Thirteenth Amendment, Social Security, civil rights, environmental reforms: all eventually won bipartisan endorsement.
The center still exists. We simply have to find it again.
Book signing to follow the event.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage for a thought-provoking exploration of the people, places, and stories that have shaped the nation.
Drawing from her new book, This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip through U.S. History, Gage retraces the American story through 13 unforgettable journeys to historic sites across the country—from Independence Hall and the Alamo to lesser-known landmarks like the Eugene Debs House in Indiana and the historic Black town of Mound Bayou, Mississippi.
Part history, part travelogue, and part personal memoir, Gage’s travels took her to nearly 300 museums, battlefields, monuments, parks, and roadside attractions. Along the way, she spent the night in a decommissioned nuclear missile silo, visited a 19th-century utopian commune, attended Confederate Memorial Day observances, and even found history in Disneyland.
Through these experiences, Gage offers a fresh perspective on the American story—one that embraces the nation’s triumphs and contradictions while arguing that Americans can confront their past honestly and still love their country.
Join us for an engaging conversation about history, memory, and the places that continue to shape our understanding of the United States.
Book signing to follow the event.
5:30 PM Reception
6:00 PM Author Event
6:45 PM Q&A Session
7:00 PM Book Signing
Craig Fehrman is a journalist, historian, and New York Times best-selling author. The Wall Street Journal called his first book, Author in Chief, “one of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years.” The New York Times called his second book, This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark, “a page-turner and a fantastic achievement.” Fehrman lives in Indiana with his wife and children.
This event is free and open to the public.
Professor Jonathan Turley will be discussing his book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” The New York Times bestseller has been described by former NPR editor Uri Berliner as “Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”
Turley explores the unique elements of the American Revolution in comparison to its counterpart in France. He discusses why one became the world’s oldest democracy and the other became the infamous “Terror.” That story is told with vivid stories of the personalities of the age, including Thomas Paine’s, who was one of two leading figures in both revolutions (the other being Lafayette).
Turley takes that rich history and asks whether the American Republic can survive the 21st Century. He addresses the massive economic changes unfolding globally due to the combination of robotics and artificial intelligence. These changes will require the nation to recommit to what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy.” America’s foundations in both enlightenment and free market theories offers a roadmap for not just surviving but thriving in the 21st Century. It is the next chapter of what Turley calls the “unfinished story of the American Revolution.”
Book signing to follow the event.
Professor Jonathan Turley will be discussing his book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” The New York Times bestseller has been described by former NPR editor Uri Berliner as “Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”
Turley explores the unique elements of the American Revolution in comparison to its counterpart in France. He discusses why one became the world’s oldest democracy and the other became the infamous “Terror.” That story is told with vivid stories of the personalities of the age, including Thomas Paine’s, who was one of two leading figures in both revolutions (the other being Lafayette).
Turley takes that rich history and asks whether the American Republic can survive the 21st Century. He addresses the massive economic changes unfolding globally due to the combination of robotics and artificial intelligence. These changes will require the nation to recommit to what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy.” America’s foundations in both enlightenment and free market theories offers a roadmap for not just surviving but thriving in the 21st Century. It is the next chapter of what Turley calls the “unfinished story of the American Revolution.”
Book signing to follow the event.
Come hear award-winning author and historian Denise Kiernan talk about her new book, Obstinate Daughters. With each of her books, Kiernan uncovers the long-forgotten stories of those left to the margins, and now with Obstinate Daughters, she rewrites the story of America’s birth, finally giving the women who kept the colonies running and liberty alive the recognition they deserve—perfectly timed for the 250th anniversary of American independence. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue through The Book Worm Bookstore of Powder Springs.
Don’t miss our final book presentation and meet the author for a special book signing event!
The Real Ike: Eisenhower Fact and Fiction
by Martin Mack Teasley
Tuesday, 12/8 at 6 p.m. – Visitors Center Auditorium
IKE’S BOOK CLUB: A Yearlong Journey
Join Ike’s Book Club for a yearlong journey into the profound legacy and context of the 34th president. Our program features one book per quarter, each including a community Virtual Roundtable discussion and a special in-person Author Event.
Spring Quarter:
Ike’s Road Trip
by Dr. Brian C. Black
This book explores Dwight Eisenhower’s participation in the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy, which assessed the nation’s roadways for military use and later served as inspiration for the Interstate Highway Act of 1956.
• Virtual Roundtable: Tuesday, 2/24 at 6 p.m.
• Author Event: Tuesday, 3/31 at 6 p.m.
Summer Quarter:
Rising Star, Setting Sun
by Mr. John T. Shaw
Detailing the complex transition of power from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to John F. Kennedy, this book examines the shift that symbolized a new generational era in American politics.
• Virtual Roundtable: Tuesday, 5/26 at 6 p.m.
• Author Event: Tuesday, 6/30 at 6 p.m.
Fall Quarter:
Whistle-Stop Politics
by Mr. Edward Segal
Take an entertaining journey through 185 years of American politics, exploring how campaigning by train profoundly shaped elections, journalism, and culture.
• Virtual Roundtable: Tuesday, 8/25 at 6 p.m.
• Author Event: Tuesday, 9/29 at 6 p.m.
Winter Quarter:
The Real Ike: Eisenhower Fact and Fiction
by Martin Mack Teasley
Drawing on experience as a former deputy director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the author presents a fresh perspective on “Ike,” separating fact from fiction, addressing common myths, and answering frequently asked questions.
• Virtual Roundtable: Tuesday, 10/27 at 6 p.m.
• Author Event: Tuesday, 12/8 at 6 p.m.
Over fifty years ago, a groundbreaking moment changed the course of history. On October 7, 1975, President Ford signed Public Law 94-106, opening enrollment to women at US service academies.
Author Kathleen Kornahrens will tell of her experience as a member of the first class to include women at the US Air Force Academy as detailed in her book, “‘Bring Me Men…’ Brought Women: Marching with the First Female Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.”
Colonel Gail Colvin, USAF (Ret.) will join her to examine the legacy of President Ford’s signature.
Book sale, signing and reception to follow.
Best-selling biographer, Max Boot, talks about his latest book, a revelatory portrait of the telegenic leader who ushered in a transformative conservative era in American politics. Despite his fame as a Hollywood star and television host, Ronald Reagan remained a man of profound contradictions. Never resorting to either hagiography or hit job, REAGAN charts his epic journey from Depression-era America to “Morning in America.” Boot will provide fresh insight into “trickle-down economics,” the Cold War’s end, the Iran-Contra affair, and so much more.
Book sales, signing and reception to follow.
Best-selling biographer, Max Boot, talks about his latest book, a revelatory portrait of the telegenic leader who ushered in a transformative conservative era in American politics. Despite his fame as a Hollywood star and television host, Ronald Reagan remained a man of profound contradictions. Never resorting to either hagiography or hit job, REAGAN charts his epic journey from Depression-era America to “Morning in America.” Boot will provide fresh insight into “trickle-down economics,” the Cold War’s end, the Iran-Contra affair, and so much more.
Book sales, signing and reception to follow.
