Readers ages 16 and older are invited to join Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage for a monthly virtual book club! Grab a snack and your favorite beverage for an hour-long virtual meet-up with fellow readers. Discuss that month’s selection, ask questions and get to know that book on a deeper level. Meetings will happen the first Tuesday of the month.
Books will be chosen quarterly and will include historical and modern works in both fiction and nonfiction. This is a fun way to engage with fellow readers worldwide. We look forward to diving in with you!
Check out what books have previously been read for the Jackson’s Library Card Virtual Book Club here.
Reading List
December 5, 2023: The Cotton Kingdom: A Traveller’s Observations on Cotton and Slavery in the American States, 1853-1861 by Fredrick Law Olmstead.
Legendary landscape architect Olmstead recorded his observations on the cotton economy of the American South on his many travels. Although The Hermitage was a cotton plantation, Andrew Jackson knew the crop could not be the permanent mainstay of the farm. The problems that plague Jackson’s plantation under his son’s management can largely be traced to the uneasiness of the cotton market as the Civil War drew near.
This book is available through most booksellers and public libraries. An audiobook is available as well through librivox.org. Consider supporting The Hermitage by purchasing the book through the Museum Store.
January 2, 2024: Reforming America, 1815-1860 by Joshua Rothman
The first half of the 19th century saw tremendous changes in American society as reformers sought to develop our more perfect union. Joshua Rothman guides us through these reform movements through a rich collection of documents, which we’ll use to reflect on how Andrew Jackson intersected with the changes of this age.
This book is available through all major booksellers and at some libraries. Consider supporting The Hermitage by purchasing the book through the Museum Store!
February 6, 2024: How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
The Hermitage, and Andrew Jackson’s legacy, have been indelibly changed by the lives of the some 320 people enslaved by Jackson over the course of his life. Join us for Clint Smith’s exploration of how sites like The Hermitage have been shaped by slavery, how we have interpreted these stories and how our collective memory impacts our understanding of our nation’s history.
This book is available through all major booksellers and at most libraries. An audiobook version is also available through Audible. Consider supporting The Hermitage by purchasing the book through the Museum Store!
March 5, 2024: Tohopeka: Rethinking the Creek War and the War of 1812 by Kathryn H. Braund
With a variety of perspectives, methods and documentary and archaeological records, Braund asks readers to reexamine their understandings of the Creek War and the Battle of Tohopeka – where Andrew Jackson and the American army would bring the war to a definitive end. We’ll examine popular understandings about the Creek War and discuss how Jackson is set up for national fame.
This book is available through all major booksellers and at some libraries. Consider supporting The Hermitage by purchasing the book through the Museum Store!
April 2, 2024: The American Gardener by William Corbett
William Cobbett’s The American Gardener became one of the seminal works on gardening and horticulture of the 19th century. Blending his knowledge of traditional English horticulture with observations and experiments on New World crops, Cobbett provided practical knowledge for the American gardener that is still useful to this day.
The book is available through all major booksellers and most public libraries. A free ebook is available through The Internet Archive. Consider supporting The Hermitage by purchasing the book through the Museum Store!