First Light Books launches America in 50 Books, a new conversation series exploring what books tell us about American life, culture, and identity.

For the kickoff event, we're joined by Brian Jones, senior director of Reading & Engagement for The New York Public Library, in conversation with First Light book buyer Sam Ackerman.

Come for the discussion, stay for the books—every attendee takes home one free book from our curated list of 50 (while supplies last).

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About the series

This summer, America turned 250 years old. The celebratory book lists that filled social media got us thinking: what novels, memoirs, poetry, history, essays, art books and cookbooks have shaped how we understand America? What books rise in our minds on this moment?

We've selected 50 books across genre, topic, and era that feel uniquely part of the American story. Some are well-known. Some might surprise you. Throughout the next few months, we're hosting an event series with writers, cultural thinkers, and friends around these books. Each night you'll take home one of the 50 free.

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About this event

What happens when you choose 50 books to represent America? What do the books you select—and don't select—say about curation, responsibility, and the power of recommendation?

Brian Jones has spent his career thinking about these questions. He's a senior director of Reading & Engagement for The New York Public Library, and his work spans teaching in New York City's public schools, curating collections at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and shaping reading initiatives across the library system. He understands how institutions shape reading lives and why the books we choose to put in front of people matter.

For this conversation, he joins Sam Ackerman, First Light's book buyer, to talk about curation, reading cultures, and the stories America tells itself. They'll discuss the role of bookstores and libraries in the life of a city, what makes a reading community, and how to build a reading life that's genuinely yours.

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About Brian Jones

Brian Jones is senior director of Reading & Engagement for The New York Public Library. After teaching in New York City's public schools for almost a decade, he served as associate director of education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and as inaugural director of NYPL's Center for Educators and Schools. He is the author of two books about Black education history and politics.

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About Sam Ackerman

Sam Ackerman is the book buyer at First Light Books. From Houston, Texas, he's book lover who always recommends The Waves by Virginia Woolf. He hosts the World Wide What Book Club, which travels to the forefront of global storytelling with a focus on recently released works alongside enduring classics.

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