Marc Ferris' new book, Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem (Johns Hopkins University Press), is the first comprehensive history of the anthem, released this month in conjunction with the song's 200th anniversary.
This book is the perfect accompaniment to Veterans Day, since it details the role played by military and veterans organizations like the VFW and the American Legion in the song's ascension as the national anthem. It is a little known fact that a scandal regarding veterans spurred Congress to pass the anthem law signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931.
Called "fascinating" by Baltimore magazine and featured in the LA Times, AP, Parade and the American Legion magazine, the non-partisan patriotic book covers an array of interesting topics regarding the one tune just about every American knows. Check it out at: https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/content/star-spangled-banner
