Along with being a 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize finalist in Science & Technology for his "biography" of light, “Light: A Radiant History from Creation to the Quantum Age,” Watson is the author of four acclaimed books on American history, including "Freedom Summer," "Sacco and Vanzetti" and "Bread and Roses." His writing has appeared in Smithsonian, American Heritage, and other publications. He is currently writing an online magazine of American culture, The Attic -- An American Sampler.