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Series

American Century

The American Century follows the Stuart family from the ambitions of Progressive-Era America through two world wars, depression, Korea and the upheavals of the 1960s. Successive generations leave the Arkansas hills for cities, battlefields, Hollywood and public life, carrying family loyalties into a rapidly changing nation.

The series combines a multigenerational family saga with explicitly Christian questions about vocation, temptation, sacrifice and renewal. Historical figures and public events enter the fictional story, but the Stuarts’ private relationships remain the principal means through which the century’s opportunities and crises are explored.

Reading order

Books in this series (7 books)

A Bright Tomorrow cover

1. A Bright Tomorrow

Gilbert Morris

First published 1994

4.1(927)

Meet the Stuart family: eight children raised in the hills of Arkansas by their godly and determined mother, Marian, who does her best to lead her children to Christ. But as her three oldest, Lylah, Amos, and Owen, each decide to go their own ways, none…

Hope Takes Flight cover

2. Hope Takes Flight

Gilbert Morris

First published 1994

4.2(177)

Just years before America witnessed the turn of the century, the three eldest Stuart children left their home in the hills of Arkansas to pursue their dreams in the land of opportunity. Now they are back for a family reunion at the humble home they left…

One Shining Moment cover

3. One Shining Moment

Gilbert Morris

First published 1995

4.3(157)

The war in Europe is over and a new feeling of freedom is sweeping across America. The skirts are getting shorter, the women are getting faster, and the Stuart family is caught up in a sea of changes. From daring cross-country flights to seedy speakeasies to…

A Season of Dreams cover

4. A Season of Dreams

Gilbert Morris

First published 1996

4.3(133)

After the tumultuous 1920s, the Stuart family and the rest of America must grapple with a terrible turn of events: the Great Depression. While grateful for what they have, the Stuarts have to watch carefully lest times get even harder. When Jerry Stuart goes to Hollywood…

Winds of Change cover

5. Winds of Change

Gilbert Morris

First published 1997

4.5(117)

The close-knit Stuart clan becomes personally involved in WWII when several members of its younger generation go off to fight. Will and Clint are strongly rooted in their Christian heritage, but Adam's life has been aimless and bitter. While he fights his toughest battle within himself,…

Pages of Promise cover

6. Pages of Promise

Gilbert Morris

First published 1998

4.5(114)

As the Korean War begins, the children of Will and Marian Stuart appear to be building successful lives far from the Arkansas farm that shaped their parents. Hollywood, professional ambition and new relationships offer opportunities that earlier generations could scarcely have imagined, but war and personal…

Dawn of a New Day cover

7. Dawn of a New Day

Gilbert Morris

First published 2008

4.6(138)

It is the tumultuous 1960s: Kennedy, Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, and youth culture are on everyone's minds and lips. Prosperity and progress are undergirded with a sense of uneasiness for the Stuart family, along with the rest of the country. With a movie deal on…