O Say, Can You Sing

by Michael D. Young

In O Say, Can You Sing?, Michael D. Young uncovers the powerful, true stories behind America’s most beloved patriotic songs—and the faithful believers who lived out Christian values through sacrifice, courage, and conviction. These aren’t textbook figures. They’re everyday heroes whose devotion to God and love of freedom helped shape the soul of a nation.

Meet Harriet Tubman, a woman of unshakable faith who, despite chronic illness and a bounty on her head, led dozens to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She called herself “Moses,” and the lyrics of The Battle Hymn of the Republic—“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”—became a rallying cry for her mission. Through music and action, she bore witness to a God of deliverance.

In this book, you’ll

How Christian men and women shaped liberty through unseen acts of courage The spiritual roots and surprising histories of songs like God Bless America and America the Beautiful How music preserved faith and freedom through every American conflict QR codes that let you hear the music and explore the lives of each hero through immersive extrasPart hymnbook, part devotional, part history—this is a powerful reminder that the story of America has always been sung by believers. And their song still matters.

174 pages, Paperback

Published July 8, 2025

About the author

Though Michael grew up traveling the world with his military family, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and their three children. He writes family-friendly fantasy, humorous adventures, devotionals, and music history, creates online curriculum for Brigham Young University, and has sung with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square since 2010. He is a graduate of BYU and Western Governors University with degrees in German Teaching, Music, Educational Leadership, and Instructional Design. He enjoys acting in community theater, podcasting, playing and writing music, and spending time with his family. Before the Choir, he played for years with the Bells on Temple Square.

Start with A Wonderful Day for a Quest; Death/Wish (Book 1 of the Refried Trilogy) is out now. He is also the author of A Wonderful Week for a Quest, the Penultimate Dawn Cycle (The Hunger), The Last Archangel Series, the Chess Quest Series, and The Canticle Kingdom Series, plus non-fiction including An Advent Carols Countdown, Sacred Days, Sacred Songs, O Say, Can You Sing?, The Song of the Righteous, As Saints We Sing, and The Song of the Saints. He publishes picture books as David Michaels. He is represented by Heidi Gordon at Tsunami Literary Ink.

His shorter work has appeared in Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mindflights, Meridian, Nugent Magazine, The New Era, Keeping Tab, Allegory, Liahona, and Ensign.

Reviews

[George Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an awesome read! It’s a brief but powerful historical lesson on American heroes and the patriotic songs we all recognize—but might not know much about. Some of the stories were familiar to me, but I was surprised by how much new and fascinating information I learned.

Did you know the music for The Star-Spangled Banner originally came from a British tavern song? That’s just one of the fun facts packed into this little book. Each chapter highlights a well-known anthem alongside a key American figure, blending history with storytelling in a really engaging way.

What really makes this book stand out are the interactive elements. At the end of each chapter, the author includes two QR codes—one takes you to a musical rendition of the song, and the other links to a creative AI-generated “interview” with the historical figure discussed in the chapter. It’s a clever, modern way to make history come alive!

This is a quick read, but it’s full of rich content that isn’t widely known. Whether you're a history buff or just looking for a patriotic refresher, this book delivers.

I received an advance reader copy of this book, but all opinions and ratings are completely my own.

[Terrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that the music accompanying the Star Spangled Banner was an old British tavern song? That's just one of the things I learned from this fun book. Each chapter covers one of our great anthems and an American hero. To make it even more fun, the author included 2 QR codes at the end of each chapter. One links to a musical version of the song, while the other QR Code will take you to a page that uses AI prompts to create mock interviews with these historical figures. What a fun way to go more in depth with our learning.

I received an ARC of this book, but the rating and thoughts are my own.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

July is a great month to read this patriotic book! Each chapter highlights an everyday person who acted in brave & often heroic ways for country & freedom, often without recognition in their lifetime. Each chapter also then highlights a patriotic American song, most of them well-known, but I heard & learned about a few that were previously unfamiliar to me.

[Matthew Stocking · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome read for a brief historical lesson on American heroes and patriotic songs. Some of the stories I knew, but there was a lot of information I didn’t know and found quite fascinating!
I received an advance copy, but all opinions are my own.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Perfect for anyone wanting to be inspired by the rich history tied to our great country. I'm going to use this in my homeschool!

[Karen Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has a great historical background of the songs, writers and times for those who enjoy the story behind the song.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this addition to my nightly reading as I focus most of my personal reading this year on American history.