It's one thing to articulate an audacious new vision for an embryonic democracy, it's quite another for Jefferson and his colleagues to actually make it happen -- given the fiercely independent mindset of the original colonies.

If you're a hardcore Democrat, this audiobook could turn you around about the man.

If your summer reading includes Ron Chernow's MASSIVE George Washington: A Life, you're going to need some relief, aren't you? Here are a few biographies that are sometimes edifying and a bit more, uhhh, recreational.

The reason Unbroken sits atop various best seller lists is, like all well-told stories, it pits a compelling and tenacious hero against an unrelenting and sadistic villain.