CityView Magazine

44 | July 2020 W e all have our favorite holidays. Who doesn't love the food and fellowship at anksgiving and the gis at Christmas or Hanukkah? I especially like the Fourth of July, with the flags and parades, the concerts on the Washington Mall, and the Boston Pops celebration. For me, it's all that plus the fireworks. For the last six years, I have had the pleasure of standing on our rooop terrace downtown watching all the fireworks at Festival Park and Segra Stadium, at Hope Mills, at Fort Bragg and other sites around our wonderful, patriotic city. ese events remind me of the many reasons I'm glad I'm an American. I love my country for our history and traditions and our wonderful diversity. I gathered some books to remind us of our country's history, how we got where we are today and how we can move forward to a more perfect union. We all need these reminders, and although it is not easy, it is well worth doing and we can do it together. "PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN" by Lee Greenwood with illustrations by Amanda Sekulow Greenwood wrote and performed the patriotic hit, "God Bless the U.S.A" which has inspired American pride and united the nation for over three generations. In this book, he uses the song's important message to develop an understanding of what it means to be free. is fully illustrated book follows a man and his Celebrate America with these Star-Spangled Selections By Dianne Parfitt grandson on their journey across the country to visit various national landmarks from Arlington Cemetery to the Golden Gate Bridge. Children will love this book and it will improve their reading skills, teach them some geography and instill a sense of pride in our country. " WE ARE THE CHANGE: Words of Inspirations from Civil Rights Leaders" With introduction by Harr y Belafonte is beautiful book contains a stunning array of illustrations by 16 diverse artists, each highlighting quotes from leaders who fought for the rights of others – for people of color, women, farm workers, people with disabilities, journalists and others. Well-known civil rights leaders past and present, like Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller and Barack Obama are quoted. e book also quotes less famous but equally important figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Hawaiian Queen Lill'ukalani, Khalil Gibran and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said, "If the system is broken, my inclination is to fix it rather than to fight it." Not only are there quotes with each illustration, but there are also thoughtful explanations by the artists on what a particular quote means to them. "L AFAYET TE in the SOMEWHAT UNITED STATES" by Sarah Vowell Since the Fourth of July celebrates the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States, we also need to look at the war that secured our freedom as an independent country. Vowell looks at the ideals of the American Revolution and the reality of the war itself. Lafayette, a young French aristocrat, sailed across the ocean to join in the fight and was befriended by George Washington. He expected to find an undivided people, but instead found a disjointed group of patriots, barely held together by Washington. Told with a wicked wit, Vowell's book helps us understand that Americans have always bickered with each other. Yet, they always seem to be able to join together to defeat a common foe. ey also joined together to show enthusiastic appreciation for Lafayette wherever he appeared on his Grand Tour of 1824-25. Aer all, Major General Lafayette not only led Continental Army forces against the English, he also used his friendship with the French Court of Louis XVI to persuade the French government to join us in the fight for independence. Vowell's book is well- researched but written with a light hand, so much so that it makes a fun summer read! "PROUD: LIVING MY AMERICAN DREAM" by Ibtihaj Muhammad Ibtihaj became the first Muslim-American woman to win a medal in the Olympics – in fencing! Although born and raised in the U.S., Ibtihaj followed her faith and wore a hijab from an early age. Frequently the only African- American Muslim student in her classes, she was oen made to feel different from the other students. en she discovered fencing and fell in love with the sport in high school. Although her rivals and teammates oen focused on her differences and told her she would never succeed, she forged ahead with hard work and tenacity. She went on to win a bronze medal in the women's saber team event in the 2016 GOOD READS

• Cover