Whether it’s via their tone, topic, or tenor, certain works just say “America.” Here are three such titles, suggested by David Bruce Smith, founder of the Grateful American™ Foundation, in partnership with the Washington Independent Review of Books.

• Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterley. Shining a light on the brilliant but unsung “human computers” who worked to put a man on the moon.
• Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. A young girl sets out for Chicago in search of the American Dream, only to discover there’s more to life than “having it all.”
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. After being expelled from prep school, 16-year-old Holden Caulfield journeys to New York City, where he ponders childhood, growing up, and the prevalence of phonies.

Patriotic Picks is a monthly feature in partnership with the Washington Independent Review of Books.