Songs of America: Young Reader's Edition: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation by Jon Meacham, Tim McGraw
Published by Delacorte on 2023
ISBN: 0593178793
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Jon Meacham does an impressive job of connecting American music to major social issues in United States history, from the Revolutionary War to the 2008 election of America’s first Black President, Barack Obama. Country music superstar Tim McGraw’s added commentary throughout the book provides a more personal voice to the dryer historical analyses provided by Meacham. While the book is clearly well-researched and attractively presented with extensive color and black & white illustrations and photographs, I found the content much easier to appreciate once I began to recognize the actual songs the authors were discussing. I would recommend this book for collections with a special interest in American music history.

Reviewed by Crystal Wilder, University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus Library