American Inspiration Hero
American Inspiration Hero
American Inspiration
A best-selling author series by American Ancestors
Stories of American history, heritage, and culture
As part of our mission to educate, inspire and connect people to their family history, the American Inspiration Author Series explores themes of personal identity, families, immigration, and social and cultural history. Discover inspiring and thought-provoking stories of American families and the complex history which has shaped this country.
Brought to you by
The Brue Family Learning Center
Our Partners
American Inspiration Author Series partners with a variety of influential Boston institutions for many of our events, including Boston Public Library, GBH Forum Network, Museum of African American History, Porter Square Books, and the State Library of Massachusetts.
Upcoming Events
Author Event
Online
Paid
Writing History with Alan Taylor, author of "American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873"
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor will present his latest book, on the American Civil War and its reverberations throughout North America, and share insights with moderator Ryan J. Woods about his research and the creation of these acclaimed histories. Don’t miss Woods’s conversation with this “formidable historian and masterly writer" (New York Times), also honored with American Ancestors’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Moderated by Ryan J. Woods
January 27, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
In Person
Paid
"Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank," author Justene Hill Edwards and Kenyatta D. Berry
In the years immediately after the Civil War, tens of thousands of former slaves deposited millions of dollars into the Freedman’s Bank, a new institution envisioned as a launching pad for economic growth and self-determination. Informed by new archival findings, historian Justene Hill Edwards charts the bank’s rise and tragic failure.
HYBRID EVENT
February 4, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
Online
Free
"The Stained Glass Window: A Family History as the American Story, 1790-1958," author David Levering Lewis and Kendra Field
National Humanities Medal recipient and two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize David Levering Lewis’s shares his own family history, which shifts our understanding of the larger American story. Don’t miss his conversation with historian Kendra T. Field.
Moderated by Kendra T. Field
February 27, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
In Person
Paid
"Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy," author Jeffrey Boutwell with Robert D. Putnam
HYBRID EVENT | Venture back to the 19th Century to meet statesman George Boutwell, who fought for racial and economic equality alongside Presidents Lincoln and Grant. Hear from his biographer, also a distant relation, author Jeffrey Boutwell, and Harvard professor Robert Putnam about this remarkable man, his family, and this turbulent, formative period in American history.
Moderated by Author Robert D. Putnam, Harvard Universtiry
March 5, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
