Whether it’s via their tone, topic, or tenor, certain works just say “America.” Here is one such title, suggested by Grateful American Book Prize judge Dr. Douglas Bradburn, president and CEO of George Washington’s Mount Vernon:

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff. “Although Adams was perhaps more critical to the origins of revolutionary resistance in Boston than many others — and therefore critical to the coming of the American Revolution — he is not one of those considered amongst the first ranks of the Founding Fathers,” says Bradburn. “Schiff helps us place him in his proper place. With lively and brilliant prose, she unlocks the motivations and character of this elusive man and brings him again to the front rank of patriot leaders of the United States.”

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