Offering a unique glimpse into the heart of America’s history – the good, the bad, and the ugly – celebrated author G. Neri invites readers on a journey through the U.S. in his funny and heartfelt book, My Bicentennial Summer.

The year is 1976, and America is throwing its biggest birthday party ever: its bicentennial. What better way to celebrate than with an eight-thousand-mile road trip? In this vibrant follow-up to his travelogue, My Antarctica, author G. Neri recalls his family’s real-life journey in a station wagon, crossing 26 states in 7 weeks from California to Washington, DC, with only paper maps and transistor radios rather than smartphones and GPS.

Young Greg is entranced by the variety of accents, strange foods, natural wonders, and historical attractions, from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty. He meets Civil War reenactors at Gettysburg, protesters in Philadelphia, pioneer wagon riders in Valley Forge, and his own rambunctious Texan cousins. And he glimpses the darker side of traveling as a family of color, pondering whether “We the People” includes people like him.

Register today to learn more about the book and G. Neri’s vision of a future “with freedoms and fairness for all” at https://libraryc.org/oilregionlibraries.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Oil City Library & the Friends of the Franklin Public Library.