Around this time last year, the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, a national celebration, had just kicked off in New York City, so I wrote about some books on Lafayette for the September issue. This year, we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth. It is impossible to talk about that without also talking about Lafayette and his role in our founding.
So, here are six additional books worthy of your attention. Any one of them will help you understand why we are so lucky that Fayetteville was named after this hero of the American Revolution — a man who went on to become a worldwide symbol of liberty, justice and equality. My husband Hank Parfitt, past president of the Lafayette Society, was my in-house consultant for this review.
1. Marquis de Lafayette and the French by Christine Dugan, (Grades 4–8)
Let’s start with our young readers and the leaders of tomorrow!
This book includes primary source images, letters, photographs, newspaper articles and maps to introduce students to the extraordinary life of the Marquis and his relationship with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. There are interactive challenges that will help readers learn more about the Marquis and France’s influence on the American Revolutionary War.
2. Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman, (Grades 5–6)
Students can learn about the life of the French Marquis before he became a hero in the American Revolution. Born into wealth and nobility, he was a strong-willed teenager who defied the King of France to make his way to America to help us win the fight for freedom and liberty. He was granted a commission as major general by the Continental Congress, but quickly won the respect of his fellow officers. He played a pivotal role in the war and even convinced the French government to support the American patriots by sending troops, ships and money.
3. For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions by James R. Gaines
Author James R. Gaines provides a detailed portrait of the close relationship between George Washington and Lafayette. Washington bestowed an uncommon degree of trust and independence upon this young Frenchman, who fought as an American Major General in the Continental Army, and whose humility and willingness to learn belied his wealth and noble birth.
This is an excellent book for readers to brush up on the history of the American Revolution and also understand a relationship that was vital to America gaining total support from France in order to win her independence. To some historians, the relationship between these two men almost seemed like a father-son relationship. That bond continued afterwards in their letters, as Washington cheered on Lafayette for attempting reform in France’s monarchy and, at the same time, worried about his safety as the French Revolution became more and more violent.
4. The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio
Laura Auricchio’s book, published in 2014 and featured in The New York Times and other publications, is one of the very best books about Lafayette after the American Revolution.
Its North Carolina debut was here in Fayetteville during the Lafayette Birthday Celebration that year.
In The Marquis, Auricchio re-examines Lafayette’s role on the world stage, especially during the tumult of the French Revolution, and why he is not as popular in his home country of France. Although he returned to France from America in 1781 as a national hero, by 1791, he had to escape to Austria to avoid almost certain guillotining. His attempts to find a middle ground between the radical Jacobins and the nobility earned him the enmity of both.
Auricchio has given us a book that is both readable, informative and relatable. As she noted in an interview with the publisher in 2014, “Lafayette deserves to be commemorated in marble, but my book aims to depict him as a man of flesh and blood.”
5. Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825 by Auguste Levasseur
This is a detailed journal kept by Lafayette’s private secretary on his Farewell Tour of the United States in 1824-25. President James Monroe had invited the “Hero of Two Worlds” — a nickname given to Lafayette — to return to the country he helped found so that he could see its progress for himself. Editor Alan R. Hoffman, president of the American Friends of Lafayette, has provided us with the first translation of the entire journal into English. Levasseur gives the reader a remarkably clear vision of life in America in the early 1800s — the climate, commerce and other characteristics of the states and cities they visited.
This book provides eye-witness accounts of Lafayette’s visit to all 24 states, and readers will enjoy looking up their hometown or places they have visited. A perfect companion to the book is a beautifully illustrated 18-month calendar that conveniently lists Lafayette’s whereabouts on every day of the year, available only at City Center Gallery & Books or online at friendsoflafayette.org. Although its “expiration date” is Dec. 31, the calendar remains a handy, quick-reference source and provides 18 beautiful images from some of America’s most famous artists.
6. Lafayette and the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
In true Sarah Vowell style, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States gives us an accurate but irreverent telling of our nation’s fight for independence, and the idealistic young French nobleman determined to be a major player in that fight. Despite her somewhat outlandish portrayal of events — or possibly because of it — this book is a delightful way to learn about our history and the origins of its national identity. Her chapters on Lafayette’s Farewell Tour and the over-the-top enthusiasm with which he was welcomed are particularly relevant in view of Fayetteville’s recent celebration on the bicentennial of the tour, which drew visitors from all across North Carolina and from 8 different states.
As we begin the fall season in the month of September, let us celebrate Lafayette’s birthday while also learning more about him and his contributions to our freedom. There is no better time to do that than now, as we prepare to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Read CityView Magazine’s “Fall in Fayetteville” September 2025 e-edition here.
