Constituting America’s Book Club

Join our book club (both children and adults) for discussion in our Live Zoom Webinars and Book Club Facebook Group!

Click Here To Sign Up For Our Book Club Newsletter Join Our Book Club Facebook Group Sign Up for the Next Book Club

Thank You To Our Generous Book Club Sponsors: Robert & Doris Rice

Current Book

All ages welcome

Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787

Click Here for Book Description and Author Information

Book Description:

James Madison, best known as the father of the Constitution, was also the most thorough and thoughtful scribe of what one person called in 1839 the “political bible” of the American people – the report of the proceedings and discussions at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Through careful research, Professor Gordon Lloyd has recreated an edition of that report that most closely resembles the version Madison intended to leave behind for “all who take an interest in the progress of political science and the course of true liberty.” In addition to reaffirming Madison’s profound contributions to constitutionalism, Professor Lloyd’s edition restores Madison to his rightful place as the most trustworthy chronicler of the Constitutional Convention.

About the Editor:

Gordon Lloyd is the Robert and Katheryn Dockson Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics and political science at McGill University. He completed all the coursework toward a doctorate in economics at the University of Chicago before receiving his master of arts and Ph.D. degrees in government at Claremont Graduate School. The co-author of three books on the American founding and sole author of a book on the political economy of the New Deal, he also has numerous articles, reviews, and opinion editorials to his credit. His latest co-authored book, The New Deal & Modern American Conservatism: A Defining Rivalry, was published in 2013, and he most recently released as editor, Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, in September 2014. He is the creator, with the help of the Ashbrook Center, of four highly regarded websites on the origin of the Constitution. He has received many teaching, scholarly, and leadership awards including admission to Phi Beta Kappa and the Howard White Award for Teaching Excellence at Pepperdine University. He currently serves on the National Advisory Council for the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center through the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

★ ★ ★

Previous Book

Older elementary through high school & adults will love this book!

Susanna’s Midnight Ride

Click Here for Book Description and Author Information

Book Description:

As the former Colonies struggle for freedom, the American Revolution is in the hands of a brave and resourceful teenage girl. At sixteen, Susanna Bolling is like America in rebellion; she craves independence. While her brothers are off fighting for the Patriots, she longs to do more than tedious household chores and attend spinning bees in sleepy City Point, Virginia. When British General Cornwallis invades her family’s Bollingbrook Plantation, she overhears his secret plan to defeat the Patriots. Much to her shock, she finds herself at the center of the war. Now America’s fight for liberty hinges on her. But can she overcome her mother’s objections, face her own fears, and outwit the famed General and his entire Army? Based on the TRUE story of revolutionary courage and conviction that’s sure to captivate readers of all ages.

About the Author:

Libby McNamee is an author, speaker, lawyer, and a US Army Veteran. Her second novel, “Dolley Madison and the War of 1812” published on August 24, 2021, the 207th anniversary of the burning of Washington City. The Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards named it Best Book in US Historical Fiction in the fall of 2021.

“Susanna’s Midnight Ride: The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War” is her first published novel in the series. When a descendant told her about Susanna Bolling’s heroism, Libby was determined to share Susanna’s story with the world. The 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards (“IPPY AWARDS) named it #1 in Juvenile Fiction. In addition, the 2020 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards also named it #1 in Juvenile Fiction, and a Finalist in Historical Fiction by the Best Book Awards.

In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly unanimously created “Susanna Bolling Day” on December 5, which is Susanna’s birthday, based upon Libby’s research.

Stay tuned for Book #3!

A native of Boston, Libby graduated from Georgetown University and Catholic University School of Law. She also served as an Army JAG Officer in Korea, Bosnia, Germany, and Washington State. She and her book-obsessed husband and son live in Richmond, Virginia.

★ ★ ★

Explore Our Past Book Club Books

Book Club Hosts

Cathy Gillespie and Constituting America’s Student Ambassadors, Tova Love Kaplan and Dakare Chatman chat with Constitutional experts on hot-topic issues via Zoom!

Cathy Gillespie

Cathy Gillespie is the President of Constituting America and one of 16 private citizens serving on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, helping organize the celebration of our country’s 250th birthday in 2026! She is a former Congressional Chief of Staff and former Commissioner of the White House Fellows Commission.

Tova Love Kaplan

Tova Love Kaplan is eighteen years old and lives in Chicago, Illinois. She currently serves as the National Youth Director for Constituting America and runs the National Youth Advisory Council. She is a three-time winner of the “We the Future” contest in the Entrepreneurial (where she created a marketing plan), PSA (entitled “Know Your Rights. Read The Constitution”) and STEM (where she created an app). She is passionate about educating and empowering young people to use their constitutional rights!

Dakare Chatman

Constituting America Student Ambassador Dakare Chatman is twenty years old, and is a full-time college student in South Carolina. He has won Constituting America’s We The Future Contest twice, once for best PSA where he reminded viewers the Constitution is “An American Thing, So Know It” and twice for his short film “Man On The Street.” He is also actively involved in our National Youth Advisory Board. He’s a working actor seen most recently in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones and Netflix’s: Outer Banks. Dakare wishes to be an actor, but also a politician. But says you must be an actor to be a politician.