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American Lives Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of American Lives books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the American Lives series? Start with "American Lives, Volume I To 1876 (By: Willard Sterne Randall)" (1997) and follow publication order through all 46 books.
The complete American Lives reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

American Lives, Volume I To 1876 (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
1997

American Lives, Volume II Since 1877 (By: Willard Sterne Randall,Nancy Nahra)
1997

Local Wonders (By: Ted Kooser)
2002

Secret Frequencies (By: JohnSkoyles)
2003

In the Shadow of Memory (By: Floyd Skloot)
2003

Thoughts from a Queen-Sized Bed (By: Mimi Schwartz)
2003

Gang of One (By: Fan Shen)
2004

Out of Joint (By: Mary Lowenthal Felstiner)
2005

The Fortune Teller's Kiss (By: Brenda Serotte)
2006

Bigger than Life (By: Dinah Lenney)
2007

What Becomes You (By: Aaron Raz Link,Hilda Raz)
2007

Just Breathe Normally (By: Peggy Shumaker)
2007

Between Panic and Desire (By: Dinty W. Moore)
2008

Yellowstone Autumn (By: W.D. Wetherell)
2009

Searching for Tamsen Donner (By: Gabrielle Burton)
2009

In Rooms of Memory (By: Hilary Masters)
2009

Driving with Dvorak (By: Fleda Brown)
2010
American Lives (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
2011

Eleanor Roosevelt (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
2011

My Ruby Slippers (By: Tracy Seeley)
2011

This Is Not the Ivy League (By: Mary Clearman Blew)
2011

Harry Truman Gives 'Em Hell (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
2011

Descanso for My Father (By: Harrison Candelaria Fletcher)
2012

Martin Luther King Jr. Brother Martin Has A Dream American (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
2012

Such a Life (By: Lee Martin)
2012

Island of Bones
2012

The Days Are Gods (By: Liz Stephens)
2013

Body Geographic (By: Barrie Jean Borich)
2013

Weeds (By: Evelyn I. Funda)
2013

Works Cited (By: Brandon R. Schrand)
2013

The Pat Boone Fan Club (By: Sue William Silverman)
2014

Andrew Carnegie (By: Willard Sterne Randall)
2014

Get Me Through Tomorrow (By: Mojie Crigler)
2015

Queen of the Fall (By: Sonja Livingston)
2015

My Wife Wants You to Know I'm Happily Married (By: Joey Franklin)
2015

Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System (By: Sonya Huber)
2017

When We Were Ghouls (By: Amy E. Wallen)
2018

A Certain Loneliness (By: Sandra Gail Lambert)
2018

Island in the City (By: Micah McCrary)
2018

The Twenty-Seventh Letter of the Alphabet (By: Kim Adrian)
2018

This Fish Is Fowl (By: Xu Xi)
2019

The Virgin of Prince Street (By: Sonja Livingston)
2019

The Distance Between (By: Timothy J. Hillegonds)
2019

Meander Belt (By: M. Randal O'Wain)
2019

Borderline Citizen (By: Robin Hemley)
2020

How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences (By: Sue William Silverman)
2020
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