American History through Graphic Novels & Historical Fiction

The July display of Undergraduate Library books in the Shapiro Lobby explores American history through a collection of graphic novels and historical fiction. 

Learn about the lives of American historical and cultural figures like Alexander Hamilton, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and Zora Neale Hurston through graphic novels. Read graphic adaptations of historical documents in U.S. history in The Gettysburg Address and Great American Documents, Volume 1

Novels like I am Abraham, Burr, and Cloudsplitter recount the lives of real historical figures through fictional storytelling. Other books use fictional characters to recount periods in American history. In When the Emperor was Divine, read about the experiences of a family as they go through the forced imprisonment of Japanese American families during WWII. Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad tells the tale of two characters as they escape slavery via the underground railroad. 

This spreadsheet provides a complete list of the books on display and can help you locate the books after the display comes down.