100 Best American Authors (754 books)

American authors that write about the American experience.

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1	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,909,188 ratings score: 17,924, and 184 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	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,938,845 ratings score: 11,571, and 120 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 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Adventures of Tom and Huck, #2) by Mark Twain 3.83 avg rating — 1,338,939 ratings score: 11,376, and 118 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 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,904,836 ratings score: 9,842, and 106 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	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.03 avg rating — 997,182 ratings score: 8,537, and 91 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	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 2,852,316 ratings score: 7,568, and 80 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	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.90 avg rating — 2,846,855 ratings score: 7,286, and 79 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	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 731,965 ratings score: 6,014, and 65 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
9	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.44 avg rating — 922,059 ratings score: 5,964, and 65 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	East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.44 avg rating — 643,866 ratings score: 5,651, and 61 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	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,258,204 ratings score: 5,504, and 61 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	The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings by Edgar Allan Poe 4.19 avg rating — 244,763 ratings score: 5,308, and 57 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 Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 3.81 avg rating — 1,318,591 ratings score: 5,137, and 56 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	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 4.17 avg rating — 2,469,477 ratings score: 5,022, and 54 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	Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 3.57 avg rating — 617,510 ratings score: 4,876, and 52 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 Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 754,197 ratings score: 4,853, and 55 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	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,487,247 ratings score: 4,830, and 53 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	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.99 avg rating — 888,386 ratings score: 4,365, and 48 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
19	Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 3.59 avg rating — 259,692 ratings score: 4,154, and 46 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
20	The Poetry of Robert Frost by Robert Frost 4.24 avg rating — 49,287 ratings score: 4,043, and 45 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
21	The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson 4.29 avg rating — 106,761 ratings score: 3,961, and 44 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
22	The Stand by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 837,796 ratings score: 3,724, and 40 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
23	Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman 4.11 avg rating — 116,873 ratings score: 3,632, and 42 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
24	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1) by L. Frank Baum really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 513,531 ratings score: 3,618, and 40 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
25	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 781,565 ratings score: 3,229, and 36 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
26	The Crucible by Arthur Miller 3.61 avg rating — 465,453 ratings score: 3,197, and 38 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
27	Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White 4.21 avg rating — 2,052,119 ratings score: 3,148, and 36 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
28	The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 1,611,722 ratings score: 3,147, and 35 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
29	A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 3.82 avg rating — 354,845 ratings score: 2,990, and 35 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
30	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 492,365 ratings score: 2,928, and 36 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
31	The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 3.79 avg rating — 495,394 ratings score: 2,819, and 34 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
32	I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou 4.30 avg rating — 583,095 ratings score: 2,664, and 31 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
33	Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner 3.99 avg rating — 48,100 ratings score: 2,609, and 30 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
34	The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 3.92 avg rating — 1,021,487 ratings score: 2,594, and 30 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
35	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,230,193 ratings score: 2,591, and 31 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
36	On the Road by Jack Kerouac 3.61 avg rating — 449,380 ratings score: 2,510, and 29 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
37	A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 3.89 avg rating — 299,105 ratings score: 2,450, and 26 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
38	Tennessee Williams: Plays 1937–1955 by Tennessee Williams 4.48 avg rating — 826 ratings score: 2,426, and 28 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
39	A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 337,836 ratings score: 2,391, and 27 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
40	Light in August by William Faulkner 3.94 avg rating — 66,835 ratings score: 2,354, and 26 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
41	The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Other Stories by Jack London 4.05 avg rating — 22,780 ratings score: 2,349, and 28 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
42	O Pioneers! by Willa Cather 3.90 avg rating — 58,774 ratings score: 2,328, and 26 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
43	Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1) by Larry McMurtry 4.58 avg rating — 243,906 ratings score: 2,325, and 27 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
44	The Road by Cormac McCarthy really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,041,496 ratings score: 2,251, and 28 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
45	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 407,501 ratings score: 2,249, and 26 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
46	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton 3.46 avg rating — 138,592 ratings score: 2,181, and 25 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
47	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 3,028,980 ratings score: 2,173, and 24 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
48	The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler 3.94 avg rating — 168,979 ratings score: 1,976, and 26 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
49	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 102,777 ratings score: 1,948, and 21 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
50	The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien 4.15 avg rating — 346,017 ratings score: 1,930, and 21 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
51	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.35 avg rating — 9,948,832 ratings score: 1,890, and 21 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
52	As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 3.72 avg rating — 187,638 ratings score: 1,868, and 23 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
53	The Last of the Mohicans (The Leatherstocking Tales, #2) by James Fenimore Cooper 3.70 avg rating — 102,398 ratings score: 1,808, and 22 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
54	Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger 3.96 avg rating — 240,581 ratings score: 1,783, and 21 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
55	Rabbit, Run (Rabbit Angstrom, #1) by John Updike 3.59 avg rating — 63,628 ratings score: 1,772, and 21 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
55	My Ántonia by Willa Cather 3.84 avg rating — 148,002 ratings score: 1,772, and 21 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
57	The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot 4.11 avg rating — 59,364 ratings score: 1,767, and 22 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
58	The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest Hemingway 4.29 avg rating — 38,062 ratings score: 1,755, and 21 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
59	The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3.86 avg rating — 196,485 ratings score: 1,749, and 21 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
60	The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck 4.01 avg rating — 261,102 ratings score: 1,731, and 22 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
61	Walden & Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau 3.93 avg rating — 39,108 ratings score: 1,702, and 21 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
62	The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James 3.80 avg rating — 85,282 ratings score: 1,661, and 20 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
63	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 119,759 ratings score: 1,621, and 20 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
64	Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 3.92 avg rating — 202,396 ratings score: 1,613, and 21 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
65	The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams 3.74 avg rating — 143,497 ratings score: 1,606, and 21 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
66	All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren 4.09 avg rating — 66,728 ratings score: 1,576, and 18 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
67	Flannery O'Connor: Collected Works by Flannery O'Connor 4.49 avg rating — 3,483 ratings score: 1,556, and 18 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
68	Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville 3.93 avg rating — 75,785 ratings score: 1,548, and 18 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
69	Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill 4.06 avg rating — 43,077 ratings score: 1,545, and 19 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
70	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 3.92 avg rating — 295,986 ratings score: 1,539, and 19 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
71	Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson 3.84 avg rating — 37,053 ratings score: 1,524, and 17 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
72	The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 3.97 avg rating — 196,537 ratings score: 1,516, and 20 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
73	The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 2,529,787 ratings score: 1,494, and 18 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
74	Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Three Stories by Truman Capote 3.85 avg rating — 252,164 ratings score: 1,493, and 19 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
75	Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser 3.78 avg rating — 41,812 ratings score: 1,437, and 17 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
76	Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 3.89 avg rating — 250,269 ratings score: 1,427, and 17 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
77	God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 3.97 avg rating — 72,854 ratings score: 1,331, and 16 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
78	Main Street / Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis 4.10 avg rating — 483 ratings score: 1,299, and 18 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
79	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 5,740,582 ratings score: 1,288, and 15 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
80	Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck 4.08 avg rating — 107,597 ratings score: 1,256, and 16 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
81	Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 3.99 avg rating — 387,715 ratings score: 1,248, and 16 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
82	Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1) by John Steinbeck 4.06 avg rating — 155,014 ratings score: 1,235, and 15 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
83	The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 3.86 avg rating — 2,465,000 ratings score: 1,205, and 14 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
84	The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett 3.86 avg rating — 115,824 ratings score: 1,199, and 17 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
85	Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon 4.02 avg rating — 48,412 ratings score: 1,186, and 14 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
86	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 948,862 ratings score: 1,147, and 13 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
87	American Pastoral by Philip Roth 3.95 avg rating — 88,574 ratings score: 1,129, and 14 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
88	Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy 4.15 avg rating — 222,474 ratings score: 1,127, and 14 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
89	Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 4.25 avg rating — 101,817 ratings score: 1,118, and 13 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
90	Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin 4.34 avg rating — 256,030 ratings score: 1,109, and 15 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
91	Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley 4.45 avg rating — 164,962 ratings score: 1,101, and 15 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
92	American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 3.80 avg rating — 364,096 ratings score: 1,079, and 13 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
93	The World According to Garp by John Irving (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 239,154 ratings score: 1,062, and 14 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
94	Herzog by Saul Bellow 3.76 avg rating — 22,960 ratings score: 1,061, and 14 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
95	The Awakening by Kate Chopin 3.69 avg rating — 227,970 ratings score: 1,054, and 14 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
96	Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 1,156,468 ratings score: 1,045, and 12 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
97	The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon 3.69 avg rating — 97,852 ratings score: 1,038, and 12 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
98	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson 4.06 avg rating — 379,425 ratings score: 1,034, and 13 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
99	The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) by Michael Shaara 4.33 avg rating — 92,104 ratings score: 1,030, and 13 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
100	Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 4.09 avg rating — 78,720 ratings score: 1,019, and 13 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

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754 books · 616 voters · list created July 4th, 2009 by Bluedaizy (votes) .

Tags: america, american, authors, usa

117 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (616)

Bluedaizy 2411 books
87 friends

The Book Whisperer (aka Boof) 2089 books
631 friends

Ricki 5228 books
1476 friends

Diane 16746 books
201 friends

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3386 books
851 friends

Rebecca 346 books
510 friends

Holly 4156 books
11 friends

Clara 396 books
30 friends

More voters…

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Comments Showing 1-39 of 39 (39 new)

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message 1: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jul 01, 2010 10:10AM) (new)

Jul 01, 2010 10:09AM

The Scarlet Letter is not absent from the list; I voted for it. It is, in fact, #8.

You could, of course, vote on it yourself; the form to add books to the list is at the right-hand side of the page.

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message 2: by Matt (new)

Jul 23, 2010 10:18AM

How are Koontz and Bradbury on this list twice yet Pynchon nowhere to be found?

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message 3: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jul 23, 2010 02:11PM

I guess no one voting felt like voting for him.

You could add him.

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message 4: by Dave (new)

Feb 27, 2011 06:13PM

Hey, I'm really touched to be on this list. Thanks to the people who voted for me.

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message 5: by Jamie (new)

Mar 03, 2011 04:26PM

anything by john krakauer should be on this list

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message 6: by Ben (new)

Mar 17, 2011 08:53AM

Communist Manifesto? Very important book, but last I checked, Karl Marx ain't American!

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message 7: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 17, 2011 10:02AM

Removed, for not being by an American:

The Communist Manifesto

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message 8: by Hieveryoneilovebookstoo (new)

Dec 03, 2011 02:07PM

This list should really just be called 100 best American books as authors appear more than once and that seems to be the way the ranking works.

Also Ian Banks (author of the wasp factory #82) is not American he is Scottish so he shouldn't be on here, however good/relevant to this list his book may be.

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message 9: by Hieveryoneilovebookstoo (new)

Dec 03, 2011 02:10PM

Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "This list should really just be called 100 best American books as authors appear more than once and that seems to be the way the ranking works.

Also Ian Banks (author of the wasp factory #82) is n..."

Also James Joyce #134 is Irish.

I swear I'm not just looking for mistakes

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message 10: by Hieveryoneilovebookstoo (new)

Dec 03, 2011 02:14PM

Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "This list should really just be called 100 best American books as authors appear more than once and that seems to be the way the ranking works.

Also Ian Banks (auth..."

Leo Tolstoy #197.....?

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message 11: by Hieveryoneilovebookstoo (new)

Dec 03, 2011 02:15PM

Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "Hieveryoneilovebookstoo wrote: "This list should really just be called 100 best American books as authors appear more than once and that seems to be the way the rank..."
Paolo Coelho #210.

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message 12: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Dec 03, 2011 02:55PM

Removed, for not being by an American:

The Wasp Factory, by Iain M. Banks
Ulysses, by James Joyce
The Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexandre Dumas
The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
Tess of the D'Urbevilles, by Thomas Hardy
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Company, by Max Barry
The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho

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message 13: by Miller (new)

Dec 15, 2011 07:35PM

How is "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane not on the list?

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message 14: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Dec 15, 2011 10:37PM

You could add it; it's easy to add books to a list. At the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

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message 15: by Boris (new)

Dec 18, 2011 04:08PM

Did I miss something? Joyce Carol Oates NOT on the list?

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message 16: by Marcelo (new)

Jan 21, 2012 08:38PM

I'm really surprised that Stephen King's books are considered over Henry Miller's, who does not even appear in this list. I mean, I got nothing against King's books, but Miller has been much more influential to literature (not only American) than King, I would say. I would even favor Charles Bukowski and William Burroughs over King. I could mention several books by all of them, but it's so obvious that I don't even bother.
What about, Norman Mailer, Tom and Thomas Wolfe, etc.

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message 17: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 22, 2012 11:28AM

You could add Miller's books. It's easy to add books to lists. At the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

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message 18: by Mark (new)

Feb 06, 2012 09:17AM

Matt wrote: "How are Koontz and Bradbury on this list twice yet Pynchon nowhere to be found?"

Pynchon at 87 and 128. Gravity's Rainbow and The Crying of Lot 49.

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message 19: by Ahry (new)

Apr 18, 2012 11:13AM

I was really sad not to see any Hunter Thompson on this list. Fear and Loathing is definitally one of the 100 most influential american novels.

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message 20: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jun 06, 2013 09:37PM

Whereabouts are his books on the list?

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message 21: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 09, 2013 05:39AM

Spam alert at #32.

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message 22: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jul 09, 2013 10:18AM

I'd love to remove it, but the author is an American.

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message 23: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 09, 2013 10:28AM

Susanna wrote: "I'd love to remove it, but the author is an American."

Yes, that's why I only flagged it on this list as well ... for the time being.

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message 24: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Jul 09, 2013 10:30AM

~☆ Alice☆~ wrote: "Ken Follett is still there twice but it renumbered as people voted."

Removed.

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message 25: by [deleted user] (new)

Jul 09, 2013 10:31AM

Themis-Athena wrote: " ~☆ Alice☆~ wrote: "Ken Follett is still there twice but it renumbered as people voted."

Removed."

Thanks, it kept bothering me as I nearly clicked on them more than once.

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message 26: by Chela (new)

Sep 28, 2013 01:42PM

Matt wrote: "How are Koontz and Bradbury on this list twice yet Pynchon nowhere to be found?"

Pynchon is on the list, Gravity's Rainbow, #91.

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message 27: by Chris (new)

Oct 24, 2013 11:38PM

At least two books are missing from this that were both wildly important pieces of American literature. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle caused enough of an uproar when it was published, that Theadore Roosevelt sent inspectors to Chicago's meat packing plants to investigate. Their findings eventually led to the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 which established the FDA. Also, Uncle Tom's Cabin isn't on here for some reason. The only book that sold more copies than Uncle Tom's Cabin during the 19th century was the freaking Bible. Uncle Tom's Cabin is credited as being a major reason for the growth of the Abolitionist movement in the years leading up to the Civil War. That's the one that ended slavery and led to the death of 600,000-1,000,000 Americans. But I guess twilight and the notebook were better choices. Sad

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message 28: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Oct 25, 2013 10:28AM) (new)

Oct 25, 2013 10:26AM

They may indeed be on the list, just not on the first page; and you could add them. It's easy to add votes to lists; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

ETA: This is a crowd-sourced list. I suspect more folks at GR have read Twilight than The Jungle and Uncle Tom's Cabin combined. Popularity tends to rule on lists.

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message 29: by Denny (new)

Jul 23, 2014 09:37PM

I have to comment on this. Lost Horizon was a great book. James Hilton a great author. BEFORE YOU SAY IT, he was not a native born American. He was, however, a naturalized American citizen. He died in California and was buried in Virginia. And Lost Horizon .... a great book. He should be on the list.

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message 30: by Kimberlee (new)

Feb 12, 2016 03:40PM

I am currently reading Tropic if Cancer by Henry Miller, and I would agree that this book belongs on this list. I expected to find a bunch of "smut" as they used to call it, but, I have been amazed at the writing style and use of the language, which exceeds the writings of King, who while entertaining, is hardly the author of great literature,

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message 31: by Robert (last edited Jun 08, 2016 11:42AM) (new)

Jun 08, 2016 11:41AM

Very hard to compile a list like this when you are so frequently comparing apples and oranges with regard to subject matter, style, frame of reference, culture, etc. Most of this comes down to personal taste and simply what certain people like or dislike. For example, how do you compare The Call of the Wild and Breakfast at Tiffany's? Or The Color Purple and The Stand? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Little Women? I'm fine with this list---but it should be understood that this is really just a list of good/great books by American authors that a few, some, or a lot of people like to varying degrees. That's it.

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message 32: by Steve (new)

Jan 08, 2017 12:27PM

Must include Frank Norris's "The Octopus" and "McTeague", two classics of literary realism. Popular in their day his novels are now on undergraduate reading lists and subjects of MA Thesis and Doctoral Dissertations.

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message 33: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 09, 2017 09:20AM

If you want to add them, you can do so at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

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message 34: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Sep 03, 2017 06:23AM) (new)

Sep 03, 2017 06:12AM

I've removed The Magus, as John Fowles is not American (nor is The Magus about 'the American experience', if I remember correctly).

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message 35: by Sally (new)

Aug 02, 2018 08:37PM

No less than 40% of these can't qualify, as they're not literature, at least not in the sense of having achieved notable impact on how large numbers of us think.

When names like Michener, and others pointed out by commenters, don't even show up on this list, the urge to contribute near-spontaneously transmogrifies into a core realization that: a) List is worth saving to re-read many of these great influences on our rearing, and b) A mathematical majority of contributors to this list provide adequate reason for me to move on, looking for reasonably literate people to interact with. (Five smart people, and too many typical, ah..... hoi polloi? :-)

Thanks to GoodReads.com for a still-very-valuable list. Cheers.
.

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message 36: by Aidan (new)

Nov 08, 2018 11:42AM

Where's Thomas Woolf and Tom Wolfe?! Typical canon of the poorly read. What is The Da Vinci code doing on the list???
Thomas Pynchon IS listed > YOU WHO SAID HE WASN'T.

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message 37: by Aidan (new)

Nov 08, 2018 11:42AM

A quarter of those listed don't belong here.

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message 38: by Aidan (new)

Nov 08, 2018 11:45AM

Sally - junk writing, incl. journalism, influences how many think , that does not qualify it as literature

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message 39: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Dec 01, 2021 05:01AM) (new)

Dec 01, 2021 05:00AM

There are now 714 books on a list of '100 Best American Authors'...