Bob Crawford with John Roderick — 'America's Founding Son'

Third Place Books welcomes Bob Crawford, host of the podcast Founding Son: John Quincy's America and bassist for the Grammy-nominated band The Avett Brothers, for a conversation about his new book . Bob will be joined in conversation by Seattle-based musician, podcaster, and writer John Roderick. Tickets are required in advance.

What you need to know:

• Tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite. Pre-ordering the featured book will not grant you access to the event.
• If you purchase a book-bundled ticket but are unable to attend the event, your book will be placed on hold at our Lake Forest Park store. You may request to have your book transferred to our Ravenna or Seward Park neighborhood stores.

Copies of America's Founding Son will be available for purchase at the store. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book in advance!

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An accessible and entertaining biography of our nation’s greatest public servant and original political maverick John Quincy Adams, from the bassist of the Grammy-nominated band the Avett Brothers.
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.

Bob Crawford is the bassist for the Grammy-nominated band the Avett Brothers, and creator of the iHeart Curiosity podcast series, Founding Son: John Quincy’s America and The SiriusXM Volume Channel Docuseries Concerts of Change: The Soundtrack of Human Rights. He’s also co-host of the Road to Now history podcast. However, Bob does not just play a historian—in 2020 he earned a master’s degree in history from Arizona State University. More important than his passion for music and history is his dedication to raising awareness about pediatric cancer. Bob and his wife, Melanie, are co-managing partners for The Press On Fund, an organization that seeks to find less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Bob is periodically a speaker on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. It’s a personal cause, as Bob’s daughter Hallie is a three-time cancer survivor. (Photo credit: Crackerfarm)

John Roderick is a Seattle-based musician, writer, politician and podcaster celebrated for his sharp wit and distinctive voice. Beyond co-creating Omnibus he also co-hosts long-running philosophy podcast Roderick on the Line, was a longtime columnist for the Seattle Weekly and was a candidate for Seattle City Council in 2015. His essays have appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire, Talkhouse, The Stranger and the LA Weekly, alongside his published book of short prose, Electric Aphorisms. He’s performed on recordings by Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Harvey Danger and Nada Surf among many others and has co-written songs with Aimee Mann and Kathleen Edwards. Best known as the frontman of The Long Winters, Roderick will return with a highly anticipated new album in 2026.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

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Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way Northeast, Lake Forest Park, United States

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