In this preview episode for Season 2 of Christians Reading Classics, host Nadya Williams sets the stage for an ambitious exploration of books that American Christians should read in honor of America's 250th birthday in 2026.

Opening with Thomas Jefferson's 1771 letter to Robert Skipwith about building his Monticello library, Williams frames the season around a central question: What role do books play in forming the American Christian imagination? Jefferson argued that fiction and classical works are "useful" because they "fix us in the principles and practice of virtue"—exercising our moral dispositions like muscles until they become habits.

This season examines how classic books—both American and those that shaped American thought—enrich our imagination while alleviating modern anxiety. As Williams puts it, "reading classic books really is the intellectual equivalent of touching grass."

Upcoming episodes include:

Frederick Douglass's Narrative with Dr. Shiloh Brooks
Henry Adams's The Education of Henry Adams with Leah Libresco Sargent
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World with Caitlin Walls Shelton
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin with Obie Tyler Todd
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics with ultra-marathoner and virtue philosopher Sabrina B. Little (including discussion on teaching virtues to children)

Key Themes

How classic books form a "library of the mind" that shapes souls and affections
The timeless, good, true, and beautiful qualities that define a classic
How books grow with us, revealing new insights with each reading
The relationship between reading and virtue formation

About the Host

Nadya Williams is Books Editor at Mere Orthodoxy and author of Christians Reading Classics (Zondervan Academic).

America 250: Books American Christians Should Read | Season 2 Preview