Alright, guys, so I put together a list of “great” American classic books that either suck ass or are seriously great and worth reading. Just so you know, these are my opinions, and I’d love to hear from you guys if you agree or disagree. Anyway, here’s the list:
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck (1937)
I definitely suggest this book to read. It’s shorter and there’s some important themes to the book and the time it was written.
Overview: George and Lennie are migrant workers during the Great Depression, trying to find work and end up finding it on a ranch. Along with new work, they find trouble.
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
5/5 would recommend reading. I read it in high school and a lot of the symbolism is still with me. It’s very powerful in the aspects of gender, language, sexuality, and race. I feel like this is required reading.
Overview: Janie finds her way back into her hometown and sits with one of her old friends to explain the story of what happened after she left. You follow her narration as she explains her childhood, where she got to where she was, and what happens and all the people and lovers she met along the way.
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger (1951)
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it when I was an angsty teen reading it at the time. A lot of the scenarios and overlying themes have not aged well. Also, the narrator is insanely privileged. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a super important book to read, but I don’t have too much against it.
Overview: Holden Caulfield is our unpredictable, teenage narrator who finds himself trying to travel New York City on his way home, since he has been expelled from school.
“The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway (1926)
I’m just gonna say it. I don’t like Hemingway’s writing. It’s really boring and I don’t find it interesting or important. Sorry, if you like him. I do not.
Overview: The story follows American and British expatriates who are traveling from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and bull fights.
“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker (1982)
I LOVE this book. I read it at a turning point in my life and I think it’s a very important story to tell. It’s easy to read and I adore it. My one warning is it deals with domestic violence.
Overview: Celie is the one narrating this story as she writes letters and prays to God, while living in rural Georgia in a time when African American people are in an exceedingly low position in American social culture. The book deals with several social issues that come up and has been in hot debates in America for censorship.
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac (1957)
This book was very difficult for me to read with its challenging subject matter and the fact that Kerouac was heavily on drugs while he was writing, so a lot of it seems incoherent.
Overview: This is technically a biographical account of Jack Kerouac and his band of friends traveling the United States during a time of Beat poets, jazz, and drug use.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (1960)
Over the decades, this book has fought battles of being banned and censorship due to discussions on race. Like Their Eyes Were Watching God, I think this is required reading. Everyone should read it, especially if you didn’t in school. Seriously, read it.
Overview: Scout is our narrator, a young girl who is the daughter to a town lawyer. Her father, Atticus Finch, is defending an African American man, who the jury is biased against. Scout is the witness to the process of the case and the social issues of the time.
“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville (1851)
This book is LONG. I’m still reading it and I’m two thirds through, but this book is meaningless. It’s listed as a great American novel, but it’s not great. The only thing really American about it is that it is horribly racist. Don’t waste your time. Just read the overview on Spark Notes.
Overview: Ishmael and his new friend Quequeg board the whale ship the Pequod and find that the captain, Ahab, is obsessed with the capture of a dreaded white whale that had taken his leg.
