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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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