Brush up on your American history with these books about former US presidents

With Presidents Day approaching early next month, what better time to relax, sit back and think back to a time we could talk about Washington without screaming at each other.

Ahh, those were the days.

It’s also a good time to read some American history, knowing we won’t be graded at the end of class. Here, courtesy of the Tucson Festival of Books, are some noteworthy looks at former U.S. presidents.

“You Never Forget Your First” by Alexis Coe. Most of George Washington’s biographers have been men. Most of their accounts have been dry as toast. Not this one. Coe looks at Washington’s life from a woman’s point of view, and presents him as a living, breathing person, not a mythical hero from the past. The result is one of the most refreshing, easy-to-read bios you’re likely to find about anyone. — Bill Finley

“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders. Saunders’ breakout novel centered on the death of Willie Lincoln, the president’s 11-year-old son, in 1862. The Civil War was less than 12 months along when Willie was laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. Historians seldom dwell on it, but Saunders – relying on what he learned about Lincoln – imagines how Lincoln was changed by the night Willie died. — Jody Hardy

“George Washington’s Final Battle” by Robert P. Watson. This is a look at Gen. Washington’s last big battle: the fight to establish the American capitol on neutral ground on the shores of the Potomac. Not only was it an important compromise for the U.S., the emergence of Washington, D.C., became an important symbol to the rest of the world. — Bruce Dinges

“The Lincoln Conspiracy” by Brad Meltzer. Every grade school student knows about the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. Less well-known was a similar incident that targeted Lincoln on the train trip from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration. Had the plot been successful, American history might have evolved much differently than it has. — John Humenik

“I Am George Washington” also by Brad Meltzer. This was the ninth in Meltzer’s “I Am” series of picture books for children ages 5 to 8. It introduces America’s first president in a casual, kid-friendly way. — Kathy Short

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“Travels With George” by Nathaniel Philbrick. Four years ago, Philbrick invited his wife and dog to join him on a road trip that would re-trace Washington’s journey from Mount Vernon to the then-U.S. Capitol, New York City. His book looks at the ways America has changed – and stayed largely the same – since 1789. — Bill Finley

“Call Us What We Carry” by Amanda Gorman. This is the first poetry collection from the young Los Angeles poet who exploded on the scene when she performed “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration last year. It offers a unique look at America and Americans. — Savannah Hicks

“Traitor to his Class” by H.W. Brands. Americans pay special homage to Presidents Washington and Lincoln, and rightfully so, but Franklin D. Roosevelt is right beside them in the Presidents Hall of Fame. An aristocrat by birth, Roosevelt was shunned by his own family for entering politics. Once president, all he did was guide the nation out of the Great Depression and lead it to victory in World War II. — Bruce Dinges

“Destiny of the Republic” by Candice Millard. James Garfield was one of the more brilliant men ever to become president, but things didn’t go well for him right from the start. He was shot in the back by a political zealot four months after taking office. Garfield survived, but his ordeal did not unite the country. To the contrary. — Tricia Clapp

“The Hemingses of Monticello” by Annette Gordon-Reed. On Presidents Day we remember all American presidents, so consider this recent release from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed. Here she introduces us to the Hemings family. The story begins at Monticello, where they were slaves at the estate of Thomas Jefferson. And there they stayed, for generations. Gordon-Reed will take part in Tucson’s book festival in March. — Bruce Dinges

“The First Kennedys” by Neal Thompson. Those who remember the presidency of John F. Kennedy may want to look for this one when it releases next month. Thompson examines Kennedy’s roots, the Kennedy clan that fled the potato famine in Ireland and – 100 years later – ascended to the pinnacle of public life in America. — Tyler Meier