Having grown up in New York’s Mohawk Valley in the 1980s, I remember seeing the faded Bicentennial flags still flying years after the occasion on the rundown streets of Schenectady, a city decimated by Rust Belt erosion. Those memories are resurfacing now, as America prepares to celebrate a new milestone, the Semiquincentennial. Thus far, I’ve found no better reading to accompany the occasion than Beverly Gage’s lucid and moving This Land Is Your Land, a PW bestseller that hit shelves earlier this month. In it, Gage offers a cohesive travelogue of U.S. historical sites, taking a cue from Woody Guthrie to recognize that as much as we might differ on the meaning of sites like the Alamo or Independence Hall, they belong to all of us. Below, Gage offers a reading list of 13 works that correspond to each chapter in her book, further illustrating why American history ought not be molded into a single story.

Elsewhere, Election author Tom Perrotta talks about his latest novel Ghost Town. It’s a story of friendship and tragedy in a1970s New Jersey, inspired by Perrotta's return to his hometown during the Covid-19 pandemic. We also hear from web cartoonist Gemma Correll about her graphic memoir, Anxietyland, in which she crafts an imaginary theme park to portray her experiences with anxiety and depression.

In terms of excellent books on offer, April has proven to be far from the cruelest month. Happy reading!

—David Varno