Order of Book Series
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American Lives Books in Order

American Lives contains 47 books, published between 1997 and 2020. The first book is American Lives, Volume I To 1876 (1997) and the newest is How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
47
Published
1997–2020
Pages on record
4,439 in 19 of 47 books
See all 47 books in order Printable American Lives checklist

American Lives is a memoir and biography series running to 47 books published between 1997 and 2020. Local Wonders (2002), In the Shadow of Memory (2003), Songs from the Black Chair: A Memoir of Mental Interiors (2005) and How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences (2020) sit alongside the two opening volumes, American Lives, Volume I To 1876 and Volume II Since 1877, both from 1997. Childhood and youth, American authors and poets, teachers, patients and social history make up the subject list. At a median of 236 pages, the series is listed as likely complete.

How many American Lives books are there?

American Lives has 47 books, released between 1997 and 2020.

American Lives Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 47 American Lives books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of American Lives, Volume I To 1876 by Willard Sterne Randall, book 1 of the American Lives series (1997)
  2. Cover of American Lives, Volume II Since 1877, book 2 of the American Lives series (1997)
  3. Cover of Local Wonders by Ted Kooser, book 3 of the American Lives series (2002)
  4. Cover of Secret Frequencies by JohnSkoyles, book 4 of the American Lives series (2003)
  5. Cover of In the Shadow of Memory by Floyd Skloot, book 5 of the American Lives series (2003)
  6. Cover of Gang of One by Fan Shen, book 7 of the American Lives series (2004)
  7. Cover of Songs from the Black Chair: A Memoir of Mental Interiors by Charles Barber, book 8 of the American Lives series
  8. Cover of Out of Joint by Mary Lowenthal Felstiner, book 9 of the American Lives series (2005)
  9. Cover of The Fortune Teller's Kiss by Brenda Serotte, book 10 of the American Lives series (2006)
  10. Cover of Bigger than Life by Dinah Lenney, book 11 of the American Lives series (2007)
  11. Cover of What Becomes You, book 12 of the American Lives series (2007)
  12. Cover of Just Breathe Normally by Peggy Shumaker, book 13 of the American Lives series (2007)
  13. Cover of Between Panic and Desire by Dinty W. Moore, book 14 of the American Lives series (2008)
  14. Cover of Yellowstone Autumn by W.D. Wetherell, book 15 of the American Lives series (2009)
  15. Cover of In Rooms of Memory by Hilary Masters, book 17 of the American Lives series (2009)
  16. Cover of Driving with Dvorak by Fleda Brown, book 18 of the American Lives series (2010)
  17. Cover of This Is Not the Ivy League by Mary Clearman Blew, book 22 of the American Lives series (2011)
  18. Cover of Such a Life by Lee Martin, book 26 of the American Lives series (2012)
  19. Cover of Island of Bones by Joy Castro, book 27 of the American Lives series (2012)
  1. 1
    American Lives, Volume I To 18761997 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    American Lives, Volume II Since 18771997 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Local Wonders2002 · 153 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2002153
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Secret Frequencies2003 · 238 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2003238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    In the Shadow of Memory2003 · 243 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2003243
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Thoughts from a Queen-Sized Bed2003 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2003160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Gang of One2004 · 279 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2004279
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Songs from the Black Chair: A Memoir of Mental Interiors2005 · 202 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2005202
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Out of Joint2005 · 222 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2005222
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Fortune Teller's Kiss2006 · 218 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2006218
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Bigger than Life2007 · 236 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007236
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    What Becomes You2007 · 304 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Just Breathe Normally2007 · 278 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007278
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Between Panic and Desire2008 · 161 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2008161
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Yellowstone Autumn2009 · 166 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2009166
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Searching for Tamsen Donner2009 · confirmed 1/4
    2009–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    In Rooms of Memory2009 · 243 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2009243
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Driving with Dvorak2010 · 268 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2010268
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    American Lives2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Eleanor Roosevelt2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    My Ruby Slippers2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    This Is Not the Ivy League2011 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2011214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Harry Truman Gives 'Em Hell2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Descanso for My Father2012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Martin Luther King Jr. Brother Martin Has A Dream American2012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Such a Life2012 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2012214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Island of Bones2012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Days Are Gods2013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Body Geographic2013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Weeds2013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Where to start with American Lives

Start with American Lives, Volume I To 1876 (1997), the earliest published title.

What is the newest American Lives book?

How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences (2020) is the newest American Lives book released so far.

Is there a new American Lives book coming?

No next American Lives book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

American Lives at a glance

No recent titles
The newest American Lives title on record dates from 2020, 6 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
American Lives books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
4,439 pages across the 19 of 47 books with a recorded length, a median of 236 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most American Lives books, 28 of 47, were published in the 2010s.
Attribution
Of the 47 titles, 7 are credited to Willard Sterne Randall, 2 to Sue William Silverman, 2 to Sonja Livingston and 1 to Nancy Nahra. A further 37 writers are credited.

What the American Lives books are about

18 of the 47 American Lives books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: biography is tagged on 15 of 18. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.