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
Free
The Power of Learning Your Family History – A Panel Discussion Featuring Authors Lee Hawkins and Martha S. Jones
Family history can be a double-edged sword. In this unique program, our two author-panelists, Lee Hawkins and Martha Jones, will reveal how gaining knowledge of their family’s past and Black history in America became, first, a necessity and, finally, a powerful and productive force in their lives. Don’t miss hearing about their family history research, its impact on their lives, and how they and their families move forward.
Moderated by Thavolia Glymph
April 1, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
Online
Paid
"This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South" with author Alan Pell Crawford
The famous battles thought to be the backbone of American independence—at Lexington and Concord, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga, and Monmouth—while crucial, did not lead to the surrender at Yorktown. It was in the three-plus years between Monmouth and Yorktown that the war was won. Hear from historians Alan Pell Crawford and Joseph J. Ellis about this overlooked story.
Moderated by Joseph J. Ellis
April 17, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
Online
Paid
Michael Luo and Jill Lepore discuss "Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America"
Beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, tens of thousands of Chinese migrated to a distant land they called Gum Shan-–Gold Mountain. Americans initially welcomed these arrivals. Strangers in the Land tells the story of what happened next and into modern times, revealing anew the complications of our multiracial democracy.
Join us in-person or online!
May 7, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
Author Event
Online
Free
"Explorers: A New History" with author Matthew Lockwood
People of every background imagine new worlds. The impulse to seek new places is universal to humanity. In Explorers, historian Matthew Lockwood unfurls a tapestry of surprising and historically overlooked figures spanning forty centuries and six continents; he illuminates their lives filled with imagination and wonder, curiosity, connection, and exchange.
Moderated by Margaret Talcott
May 28, 2025
American Inspiration Author Series
