8 must-read books for Civic Season

Held between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July, Civic Season is a national holiday co-created by Gen Z and our country’s most iconic history institutions designed to turbocharge civic engagement. Now in its fifth year, Civic Season invites thousands of participants across the country to visit museums, learn history, connect with their local communities, and imagine the future of the United States.

Linking together our oldest federal holiday (July 4th) and our newest (Juneteenth), Civic Season is all about exploring the nuances of history, considering our nation’s promises, and reckoning with where we have fallen short. As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, young people across the country are stepping up to make their voices heard and to shape the next chapter of the American story. The Youth250 Bureau, an initiative of the nonprofit Made By Us, consists of 100 Gen Zers working to bring youth voice to the 250th, and some of them have selected the perfect Civic Season reading list.

From fiction to nonfiction, dystopian stories to new takes on our history, check out these books on the Libby app from your local library to celebrate Civic Season!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: Connor Walsh, Seattle, WA

“Civic Season, for me, is about acknowledging the beauty and (existing) struggles of the American experiment, and Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead enriches our incomplete understanding of American life. Through a wrenching and hopeful story, the novel explores the lives of fictional characters living in contemporary 1990s and 2000s Lee County, Virginia, a county impoverished by the decline of its traditional industries and devastated by the opioid epidemic. Incorporating themes of class, the story humanizes and gives voice to those living in regions that haven’t shared in the spoils of the digital-first world. The protagonist, Damon ‘Demon’ Copperhead, shares a valuable insight while watching sitcoms, ‘We can hear all about the lives of people in New York or California. But try finding a show about people living in trailers in Lee County, Virginia. Nobody wants to know about us.’ As we trudge along towards a ‘more perfect union,’ we need reminders of the realities of all Americans, and Demon Copperhead uplifts key, unheard voices.”

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: Cameron Katz, Atlanta, GA

“Interior Chinatown is unlike any book I’ve ever read. The story follows Willis Wu, the son of Chinese immigrants who is boxed into ‘roles’ like ‘Delivery Guy’ on the fictional cop show Black and White. One day, Wu hopes to play the most prestigious role for Asian American men in this Chinatown universe: the celebrated ‘Kung Fu Guy.’ The novel simultaneously blends an experimental, screenplay format with enduring themes of belonging in community, the American dream, and representation in media. Like Civic Season, this novel engages with the nuances of our nation’s history, raising questions about identity that don’t have easy answers.”

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: Angelica Williams, Detroit, MI

“The first time that I encountered A People’s History of the United States was in AP English during my junior year of high school, squeezed into the borders of the Kindle app on my phone. Over the course of the month that we read it as a class, my peers and I learned to view American history through the lens of bias, assumption, and victory, comparing the themes and diverse perspectives in the book against the understanding of history that we had seen illustrated in our World History textbooks. The book is extensive but thorough, and depicts a version of history that oftentimes goes unseen—making it a perfect way to expand your understanding of the United States this Civic Season!”

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Chosen by: Meg Schanes, Philadelphia, PA

“During this Civic Season, we remember Maya Angelou as a poet of the people. Masterfully weaving her distinctive voice with themes of resistance, identity, and womanhood, Angelou tells both timeless and timely American stories in her third poetry collection And Still I Rise. There is a musical, rhythmic quality to Angelou’s work that allows the subject matter to sing, shedding the weight of traditional poetic canon to usher in a modern dress to rhyming verse. And Still I Rise invites readers of all kinds to become submerged in Maya’s world, one both lyrical and real.”

Baby-Sitter’s Club: Kristy for President by Ann M. Martin
Chosen by: Corinne Lerma, Cincinnati, OH

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have put middle school, the peer pressure, and the too-tight pigtails I wore every day behind me. I am, however, still sitting pretty with The Baby-Sitters Club and all of their charms, which I smuggled in my back pocket into adult life. In book #53, Kristy Thomas, the club’s president, reflects on the sorry state of Stoneybrook Middle School and takes on scholastic politics in the race for class president. I was introduced to the concept of student government while reading this book, as well as the concept of civic engagement and serving your community in whichever ways you’re best suited. Much like Civic Season, this book serves as a call to action for younger audiences. In our communities and in our country, we all have the right and the responsibility to ask questions, propose solutions, and add pages to the history books.”

Outlawed by Anna North
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: Trey Delida

“As we embark on yet another Civic Season, I’m reminded of stories that challenge traditional viewpoints and highlight history’s lesser known figures. Blending the themes of heroism, reclamation, gender, and sexuality, Outlawed by Anna North challenges the idea of what a ‘cowboy’ looks like. By flipping the identity we’ve been accustomed to on its head and replacing it with queer, feminist perspectives, North redefines what it means to be courageous. Through this expansive retelling that centers voices previously unheard, we’re taken on a journey of discovery and finding one's chosen family.”

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: Adamali De La Cruz, Milwaukee, WI

“At its core, Civic Season is about getting young people involved in civics and their communities. Parable of the Sower is not just a great example of young people as changemakers, but also an interesting speculation on what the future could look like if we don’t take action to address issues such as climate change and social inequality. The main character, Lauren Olamina, comes from a family steeped in community leadership because her father works as a reverend. After tragedy hits her community, Lauren is forced to look after herself and becomes a leader in her own right. By the end of the novel, it’s clear that she has left an impact on others and that they share her vision of safety and security. Through reading about Lauren’s struggle and growth, it’s possible for young people to see the world around them, one that often feels like it’s on the verge of collapse, and imagine themselves as forces for positive change.”

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
🎧 Audiobook
Chosen by: A.J. Schumann, Albuquerque, NM

“Steinbeck’s Depression-era epic follows the Joads, a family of tenant farmers driven from their home in Oklahoma by environmental collapse, predatory banks, and government neglect. As they travel west to California in search of work and dignity, they are met with a gauntlet of exploitation, xenophobia, and violence. The novel is a searing indictment of the conditions faced by migrant workers, urging readers to recognize the need for solidarity in the face of dispossession. This novel is a vital read for Civic Season because it reminds us that history is much more than a list of names and dates—it’s the accumulation of lived experiences, acts of resistance, and moments of reckoning that define what kind of society we inherit. The Grapes of Wrath dares us to confront one of the bleakest chapters in our nation’s past, and to remember that those who are often excluded from the American story have long shouldered its heaviest burdens.”

*Title availability may vary.