The New York Historical Launches “The Story of America in 7 Books,” a New Literary Series with a Historical Focus

Photo Courtesy of The New York Historical

Featuring Bard College Professor’s List: Huckleberry Finn, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Moby-Dick, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, The Jungle, and The Sun Also Rises

The New York Historical has announced the launch of The Story of America in 7 Books, part of its ongoing commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Beginning this fall, Joseph Luzzi, Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard, leads monthly conversations that explore the history depicted in the “Great American Novel”—from Moby-Dick to The Great Gatsby. 

“The ‘Great American Novel’ remains the ultimate literary pursuit, a quest to distill the sprawling, contradictory soul of a nation into a single, definitive narrative,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “For 250 years, American literature has evolved as a continuous effort to define the essence of the country, moving from the foundational myths of the early republic to the complex voices of the modern era. We hope this new series will inspire our visitors to think about these novels in a new way, going beyond what they learned in high school English class.”

The series is an offshoot of The Historical’s successful “Breakfast University” franchise—which began in winter 2026 and has had sold-out attendance. A well-received speaker at Breakfast University, Professor Luzzi will bring his commanding talks to hundreds of readers at The Historical on the first Monday of each month this fall in four sessions. The Story of America launches on September 14 with a focus on Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the 1852 novel by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1850 novel set during the Puritan era of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. On October 5, Herman Melville’s 1851 seafaring narrative Moby-Dick is explored. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s famous novel first published in the US in 1885, is paired with The Jungle, muckraking journalist’s Upton Sinclair’s 1906 fictionalized account of the corrupt meat-packing industry, on November 2. On December 7, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal portrait of Jazz Age America, The Great Gatsby (1925), is analyzed alongside Ernest Hemingway’s defining novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises (1926). A second semester, beginning in early 2027, will cover later novels from the 20th century, bringing this literary exploration of American identity closer to the present day.

“These literary masterpieces offer a remarkable opportunity for us all to learn more about our nation and the extraordinary role American writers have played in shaping our sense of national identity,” said Professor Luzzi. “Whether you’re encountering these novels for the first time, revisiting them years later, or just want to join our conversation, we’ll all gain a deeper understanding of how these books tell the American story.” Joseph Luzzi received his PhD from Yale and is the author of nine books, most recently The Innocents of Florence: The Renaissance Discovery of Childhood. His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholars Award.

Lectures take place in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium at The New York Historical and are also available via livestream. The program includes a 45-minute lecture followed by a Q&A. Attendees will receive reading guides and questions in advance to assist in their own reading of the novels. Participants are welcome to read as much or as little as they wish—there is no “homework” or advance preparation required for the events, as Professor Luzzi will highlight the key elements of each work and connect its themes and ideas to the world today. To purchase tickets, visit nyhistory.org. 

About The New York Historical 
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.