Most Read This Week In American

[close] Discussion group for Mrs. Young's American LIt and AP classes.

[close] Created by Mr. Booth, this group is all about reading and commenting on books that reflect members' interests and concerns for community and society-at-large. We are readers, writers, teachers, and students. We are dedicated to supporting each other at every level of literacy as we discuss great books in this online forum.

[close] Started somewhat as a reaction to the British cozy mystery of the Agatha Christie style (think Murder She Wrote), there came a demand for something more real, action where the stakes were higher, the participants (good and bad) sleazier, the police on the take, the ladies fatal for any would-be patsy. Thus was born, largely in the 1920s, and often in the pulps (foremost among them Black Mask), the American answer to Sherlock Holmes, the genre that in turn became the basis for the film noir revolution of the 1940s. Our original big three writers in this genre are Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and James M. Cain. This modest beginning spawned an international phenomenon with writers in other countries picking up the tropes, some adhering to original themes, others blending in other genres such as science fiction dystopia or urban fantasy, to craft a new literature known simply as noir. These writers and settings come from communities as diverse and complex as can be found throughout the modern world. Half our focus is on original hardboiled crime fiction, its formation in the middle third of twentieth century United States. The other half is on modern noir throughout the world as it has developed since. Join in on the fun as the outsider champion of justice tries to bring its criminal elements to account, won't you?

[close] American Historical Novels is hosted weekly by your favorite authors. This is NOT a reading group, but a place to discover great, new fiction. There will be photos and backstories about noteworthy Americans, and WEEKLY GIVEAWAYS.