Bound for Gold, by William Martin, is this summer’s greatest hit. Martin writes historical fiction novels covering the most important and fascinating periods of time, from Washington, D.C., during Lincoln to Boston after the Revolutionary War to, in this case, the Gold Rush.

The manner in which he situates a fictional and compelling mystery into real historical conflicts and events makes not only for a great read but an educated reader. Yet Bound for Gold, like so many of his other books, has left me a bit frustrated — I am astonished by these midlife history lessons I gain from Martin’s books, details about periods of time that I, that we all, should already know in great detail. As we know, dating back to the 1983 bombshell report “A Nation at Risk” to ongoing surveys and assessments today, the disappointing reality is that kids and adults don’t know much about U.S. history.