Bob Crawford Book Launch Event with Goldberry Books!

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 7:30 pm
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a book signing
• Location: The theater of Cabarrus Arts Council, Concord, NC

Important info:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.
• Conversation will be moderated by David Kern, owner of Goldberry Books and host of the Close Reads podcast.
• You can also pre-order the book through Goldberry Books here or in store (12 Union Street South, Concord, NC, 28025).

ABOUT THE BOOK

For many years, Bob Crawford — best known as the Grammy-nominated bassist of the beloved folk band The Avett Brothers — spent long stretches on his tour bus doing something unusual for a musician: devouring books on American history. His quiet obsession has since turned him into an unlikely but widely popular public historian, thanks to his hit podcasts and gift for making the past feel urgent. Among all the figures Crawford has studied, one grabbed him most: John Quincy Adams, the often-overlooked former president whose fierce independence, nimble activism for democracy, and early crusade against slavery still echo powerfully today.

Now, in his first book, AMERICA’S FOUNDING SON: John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick (on-sale March 10, 2026; $28.00 Hardcover; Zando), Crawford makes the lessons of John Quincy Adams’ legacy “urgently relevant” (Chris DeRose).

During the tumultuous period between the era of the Founding Fathers and the disunion of the Civil War, John Quincy Adams was the man standing in the breach. After an unsuccessful presidential reelection campaign, he was left reckoning with his political legacy. But Adams would be dragged back into the fray in ways he never expected, pitting him against the slavocracy and Southern congressmen and solidifying him as a key ally to the antislavery cause.

AMERICA’S FOUNDING SON tells the tale of Adams’s turbulent government career and his evolving views on slavery. Adams, along with lesser-known abolitionists Benjamin Lundy and Theodore Weld, found himself at the center of the coalition that leveled the first blow against slave power in the United States. The battles they fought would be foundational in the push for emancipation to follow. An entertaining deep dive into an under-explored period in American history, AMERICA’S FOUNDING SON shows how John Quincy Adams and the grassroots activism of the 1830s and ’40s shifted American politics forever.

About Goldberry Books

Goldberry Books is a family-run, indie bookshop located in downtown Concord, NC. We sell new and used books in a wide variety of categories, with a special emphasis on classics, literary fiction, history, and children's books.

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