Books All Americans Should Read (27 books)

Discover new books on Goodreads

Meet your next favorite book

Listopia > Books All Americans Should Read

These books should all share the characteristics of being good reflections of American society, explaining American ideals, revealing American history, or be good examples of distinctly American authorship.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.44 avg rating — 944,900 ratings score: 679, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 3.92 avg rating — 247,784 ratings score: 592, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 6,168,839 ratings score: 482, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 4.10 avg rating — 43,718 ratings score: 392, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 3,010,368 ratings score: 375, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 7,630 ratings score: 300, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 3.60 avg rating — 267,732 ratings score: 288, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Common Sense by Thomas Paine 4.01 avg rating — 41,398 ratings score: 285, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.98 avg rating — 2,163,894 ratings score: 285, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 3.82 avg rating — 1,384,334 ratings score: 283, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	On Fascism by Matthew C. Macwilliams 3.97 avg rating — 775 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	A History of the American People: The Classic Narrative History of the United States told through Letters, Diaries, and Conversations by Paul Johnson 4.12 avg rating — 3,134 ratings score: 197, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Poetry of Robert Frost by Robert Frost 4.24 avg rating — 49,785 ratings score: 186, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 3.47 avg rating — 142,698 ratings score: 183, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.32 avg rating — 1,273,653 ratings score: 182, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson 4.29 avg rating — 108,138 ratings score: 181, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman 4.11 avg rating — 120,079 ratings score: 178, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn & Maggie-Now by Betty Smith 4.41 avg rating — 1,390 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Barack Obama: A Detailed Response to Benghazi by Illumination Publishing 3.13 avg rating — 23 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Franklin on Faith by Bill Fortenberry (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	American Environmental History: Part One by Dan Allosso (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Legendary Life of Bee Ho Gray by Clark Gray (Goodreads Author) 4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	The Little Bastards by Jim Lindsay 3.95 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Offbeat Love Stories and More by Jennifer K. Lafferty (Goodreads Author) 3.67 avg rating — 97 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Swerve: Little Bastards 2 by Jim Lindsay 3.97 avg rating — 30 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author) 3.43 avg rating — 16,180 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.04 avg rating — 1,032,802 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars