Ten books to help you understand America

NPR staff and critics tagged ten books to help you understand America as its 250th birthday. One title on the list:

We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution, by Jill Lepore

As the U.S. approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, it feels like an appropriate time to reflect on where we're at as a country and how we got here. We the People, by Jill Lepore, a history and law professor at Harvard University, helps satisfy that impulse. It tells the story of the U.S. Constitution, which is among the world's oldest constitutions. Lepore focuses on battles over amendments, which were fought not just by politicians but by ordinary Americans. The founders designed the Constitution to be amended, but it has become much more difficult to do so over the years. As the Constitution becomes harder to amend, Lepore writes, the risk of political violence becomes greater.
— Milton Guevara, producer, Morning Edition and Up First

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue