Thanksgiving Books

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.“

– Charles Dickens

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, it’s actually in contention for THE favorite holiday. I love that it’s not commercial, there is no stress of presents, just good food, drinks, family, and fun. The holiday is only as religious as you want to make it, or none at all if you wish. The spirit of the holiday, however is the same regardless, take one day a year to appreciate all you have.

Below are a few books (in no specific order) to celebrate this wonderful holiday.

1. An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott (1882)– The cast of Little Women returns in a misadventure worthy to be a cinema comedy classic, trying to put on a Thaksgiving feast while the parents are out of town.
2. Oldtown Folks by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1869) – in which the author writes about the weeklong preparation for the holiday when she was a child.
3. American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1997) – A Pulitzer Prize winning novel in which Mr. Roth views the Thanksgiving turkey as the great American equalizer.
4. Lies My Teacher Told me by James Loewen – This book is one of my favorites, and it is updated regularly. You’d want to skip to chapter three to read about what books omitted during from your school’s story class curriculum.
5. The Ice Storm by Rick Moody (1994) – A story of dysfunctional families in the 70s suburbs. This is more of a contemporary cautionary tale if you had had enough of feel good books.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.