The Greatest American Works

If you’re plotting your next read, then consider tackling some of the greatest literary works in American history. Celebrated as thoughtful and important pieces, these books cover everything from the human condition to the state of society, and everyone should read them at least once.

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1. The Great Gatsby

Published in 1925 and written by Scott Fitzgerald, this book follows a tale of wealth, love, and illusion. It centers on the romantic obsession between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, and draws parallels to the idea of the American dream and materialism.

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2. The Catcher in the Rye

This book was written in 1951 by J.D. Salinger and follows a rebellious teenager named Holden Caulfield. The boy comes across as cynical and disenchanted, and decides to venture through New York after being expelled. The story is important as it explores ideas of adolescent alienation in American youth.

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3. Lolita

Written in 1955 by Vladimir Nabokov, this work can be a bit difficult for many to read due to the intense subject matter. Despite its controversy, it tackles the challenges posed by manipulation, obsession, and most importantly, unreliable narrators.

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4. To Kill a Mockingbird

Written in 1960 by Harper Lee, this novel was considered a landmark work for its portrayal of the Civil Rights era. It showcases a fight for justice after a Black man is wrongly accused, and tells the entire story from the lens of a child named Scout Finch.

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5. The Sound and the Fury

Written by William Faulkner in 1929, this Southern Gothic is told through multiple perspectives. It focuses on the decline of a family in Mississippi, and through the narration, it offers a lens into deep psychology through its stream-of-consciousness narration.

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6. The Grapes of Wrath

Published in 1939 by John Steinbeck, this story follows the Joad family. Set in the Great Depression, the family migrates to California in search of a better life, and through their journey, the book explores economic inequalities and the struggle of the working class.

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7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Many American children grow up reading this important book, but it’s worth looking into even for adults. It was written in 1885 by Mark Twain and follows a boy named Huck Finn as he escapes from his father and travels down the Mississippi River, all the while dealing with ideas of race and freedom.

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8. Catch-22

Written by Joseph Heller in 1961, this is a darkly satirical story that focuses on World War II. It follows a U.S. bomber squadron to explore the absurdness of war and challenge ideas of heroism and authority.

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9. Invisible Man

Written in 1952 by Ralph Ellison, this story follows an unnamed Black narrator as he ventures through 20th-century America. It offers a lens into identity and race, and plays with the concept of social invisibility.

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10. The Sun Also Rises

Written in 1926 by Ernest Hemingway, this story follows a group of disillusioned expatriates on their way from Paris to Spain, set against the backdrop of World War I. This work solidified Hemingway’s unique prose style and also defined the idea of a lost generation.

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11. On the Road

This book, written by Jack Kerouac in 1957, is semi-autobiographical in nature. It tells the story of a road trip across postwar America, and through this backdrop, tells the story of freedom and rebellion, two ideas that are core to the American landscape.

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12. Absalom, Absalom!

Written in 1936 by William Faulkner as well, this novel tells the multi-layered story of Thomas Sutpen. Sutpen is a Southern plantation owner, and through his history, the author explores the haunted history of the South.

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13. Beloved

Written by Toni Morrison in 1987, this story is set during the Civil War and follows a formerly enslaved woman. Despite achieving freedom, she remains haunted by her past, as the story offers a view into the psychological scars left by an era of abuse.

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14. The Old Man and the Sea

Also written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952, this work follows an aging Cuban fisherman. The goal is simple: to reel in a giant marlin. But as the story goes on, we are faced with larger ideas of endurance and dignity.

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15. Little Women

Written by Louisa May Alcott in the late 1800s, this story is well known to most. It follows four sisters as they grow up during and after the war, and serves as a coming-of-age story prioritizing female agency and ideas of sisterhood.

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16. Their Eyes Were Watching God

Written by Zora Neale Hurston in 1937, this book follows Janie Crawford. Janie recounts ideas of love and independence to the setting of 20th-century Florida, and the work stands out as a pivotal piece of feminist and African American literature.

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17. Gone with the Wind

Written in 1936 by Margaret Mitchell, the story was a book before it was a movie. Either way, this cultural phenomenon began by following Scarlett O’Hara’s life during and after the Civil War. However, some can argue that the book offers a romanticized version of the antebellum South.

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18. Slaughterhouse-Five

Written in 1969 by Kurt Vonnegut, this book is one of the few sci-fi pieces to make it onto the list. At its core, the book is anti-war, and follows a soldier as he is unstuck in time. Despite the use of sci-fi elements and humor, it offers a critique of war and human suffering.

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19. Dune

Written by Frank Herbert in 1965, this story is seeing a cinematic resurgence—and rightfully so. The original work is a science fiction epic that parallels themes of politics, religion, and ecology. It follows a wealthy family as they set up control of a desert planet, but more importantly, the work goes on to influence the sci-fi genre as a whole.

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20. Leaves of Grass

Written by Walt Whitman in 1855, this book is a collection of poetry that painstakingly paints the human spirit. The poems celebrate nature, democracy, and self-identity, and the work is considered a foundational piece of American poetry.

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