The United States is celebrating its 250th birthday this summer, giving Americans a chance to reflect on the nation’s past and imagine its future. Who better to help us make sense of this moment than Jill Lepore? The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and author of “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” joined the “Book Review” podcast to recommend some reading for the occasion. She also revisits the politics and drama of America’s previous birthdays, and discusses how a dystopian novel may be the most relevant read about the country right now. After that, Elisabeth Egan, an editor at The Book Review, lays out some of the summer’s most anticipated beach reads. Books Discussed on This Episode: “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/books/review/we-the-people-jill-lepore.html) ,” by Jill Lepore “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State,” by Jill Lepore (forthcoming) “American Scripture (https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/m/maier-scripture.html) ,” by Pauline Maier “Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s,” by Marc Stein “Gliff (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/books/review/gliff-ali-smith.html) ,” by Ali Smith “Yesteryear,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/05/books/review/yesteryear-caro-claire-burke.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Caro Claire Burke “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/books/review/belle-burden-strangers-memoir-of-marriage.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Belle Burden “Whistler,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/books/review/whistler-ann-patchett.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Ann Patchett “The Things We Never Say,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/books/review/the-things-we-never-say-elizabeth-strout.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Elizabeth Strout “Man Overboard!,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/books/review/summer-beach-reads.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Kathleen Rooney “American Fantasy, (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/books/review/american-fantasy-emma-straub.html?eafs_enabled=false) ” by Emma Straub “A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck” (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/books/review/a-marriage-at-sea-sophie-elmhirst.html?eafs_enabled=false) : Sophie Elmhirst “The Shampoo Effect,” by Jenny Jackson The “Nantucket” book series (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/books/best-elin-hilderbrand-books.html?eafs_enabled=false) , by Elin Hilderbrand “Cool Machine,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/podcasts/tbr-summer-books-roundup.html) by Colson Whitehead “London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/podcasts/patrick-radden-keefe-london.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Patrick Radden Keefe “How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University,” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/books/review/theo-baker-how-to-rule-the-world.html?eafs_enabled=false) by Theo Baker Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.