14 best books of American writers
American literature is younger, others. Therefore, for a long time she did not recognize it as a different classics, and American writers were considered jesters without a past. But in their short history, they gave the world a lot of worthy works. American writers have taken a well-deserved place among the golden collections of literature. Stood in the ranks of the classics. In our ranking, we want to introduce you to the best works of American writers. We offer novels of various genres, including classics and modern books. In the list you will find horrors, realism, drama, fantasy, anti-utopia. Each of the works took a high place in the world and American literature. Enjoy reading.
Rating the best books of American writers
| Nomination | a place | composition | rating |
| Rating the best books of American writers | 1 | "Martin Eden", Jack London | 5.0 |
| 2 | "Phantoms", Dean Kunz | 4.9 | |
| 3 | "In the finale, John will die", David Wong | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Moby Dick, Herman Melville | 4.7 | |
| 5 | "Kill a Mockingbird" by Nell Harper Lee | 4.6 | |
| 6 | Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell | 4.5 | |
| 7 | "451 degrees Fahrenheit", Ray Bradbury | 4.4 | |
| 8 | "Call me by your name", Andre Asimen | 4.4 | |
| 9 | The Trilogy of Desire, Theodore Dreiser | 4.4 | |
| 10 | "Grapes of Wrath", John Steinbeck | 4.3 | |
| 11 | "The Catcher in the Rye," by Jerome D. Salinger | 4.2 | |
| 12 | “Farewell, weapon!”, Ernest Hemingway | 4.2 | |
| 13 | Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut | 4.1 | |
| 14 | “Dear Step-Brother,” Penelope Ward | 4.0 |
"Martin Eden", Jack London
Book Rating: 5.0
The novel is partially autobiographical. London wrote about his own experience, adding his features to Martin Eden. He, like his hero, experienced the first love, her torment, the torment of hunger and poverty. He can safely be called a tester of various works, because who he didn’t have to be. There are many differences between Eden and London, but their story tells how it is to be a simple person in high society.
Martin works all his life, he does not remember the moment when he did not. His main craft is shipping. He receives money for the flight, returns home, spends it, and again hires the ship. Eden comes out of the lower strata of society, but he is not alien to beauty, creativity, books. They are interested, admired. At the same time, he is far from the so-called high society.
One day, Martin became closer to him when he was saved during a scuffle by the rich heir of Arthur. He, in gratitude and with a little mockery, invited him to have dinner with his family. Arthur explained this by saying that he wanted to thank his savior. At the dinner party, Martin feels odd, for him it is a different light. But it is in him that he finds her, the pure immaculate Rufus, his love. He has a new goal - to join this society, to become worthy of it. Life loves to punish those who try to go beyond their circle. And Martina is waiting for the test of hunger, poverty, recognition, mental suffering in order to come to a logical end.
"Phantoms", Dean Kunz
Book rating: 4.9
Dean Kunz is considered to be one of the pillars of horror, in literary circles he is called the titan of this genre. His books have been translated into 38 languages, with a circulation of more than 200 million.The author himself, living with an alcoholic father, gained experience on how to properly convey fear. And, perhaps, it was his difficult childhood that became the guarantee of future popularity. Kunz loves the details in the works. Before creating a new novel, he must first study the specialized literature on medicine and psychology.
Kunz is a master of his craft, but we recommend impressionable people to read it in the afternoon. "Phantoms" zastagivat one of the most difficult topics in the genre of horror - the disappearance of the whole city. In our time you can find such real cases. Dean Kunz offers his story. With him, we first find ourselves in everyday life.
Older sister Janey takes to live younger Lisa after the death of her mother. They both anticipate this return to the small town of Snowfield. They are a little scared, they are embarrassed, but they are happy that they will soon be at home in peace and quiet. When entering the town, the sisters feel that it is too quiet. But they do not pay attention to it, the light is burning in the windows. In their own home, they find a corpse, then in search of people - a few more. The girls call the police from the county. And with their arrival it becomes clear that some of the residents disappeared, and some died. The question is, what happened?
"In the finale, John will die", David Wong
Book rating: 4.8
David Wong is the pseudonym of Jason Cayce Pargin. The author did not want to mix his work with real life. According to Jason himself, some of the stories from the book came about in life. For a long time, the novel was free and spread on the Internet, but in 2007 it was noticed and officially published.
The book was well received, critics gave it a high rating. And in 2012, the work was screened. A kind of genre - comedic horrors. At first glance, this is not entirely logical. But this is the main feature of the book: it is easier to list what is not in it than what it is. “John Will Die In The Finals” is a book that uses references to famous legends and myths. It mixes everyday life, mysticism, a bit of horror and psychedelics.
According to the book we travel with two main characters, David and John. There is no seriousness in their life, they like to drink, walk, have fun. At one of the parties they expect the drug "soy sauce". He will open a new world for them, which they have never met before. Demons and their servants, the revived corpses. David and John suddenly find themselves between worlds. They do not crave to be heroes and to sleep the world from the appearance of Korrok. Always tortured David accompanies prankster John. It remains only to check by reading the book, but does he really die in the final?
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Book rating: 4.7
Herman Melville in his books sought to build on his own experience. He did the same when he wrote Moby Dick. The basis of the American writer took his own experience of the cabin boy on the ship and the real story about the hunt for whales on the ship "Essex." The only thing that in terms of genre Melville departed from the usual realism. In Moby Dick, he added irrationality. The book was not recognized for a long time. It was written in 1861, and became popular only in the 1920s. The work describes a lot of professional issues: how to hunt whales, what weapons to use and so on.
Moby Dick or the White Whale - the so-called sperm whale, which could not be harpooned by any vessel. You can hunt him day and night, but he still breaks out of the nets. Many captains dreamed of taking revenge on him and putting him on a harpoon. The young American Ishmael did not know about this story. He just needed money, and so he decided to take on a sailor. Fate connected Ishmael with the Pecode ship. Captain Ahab albino whale stripped his legs, and therefore to catch Moby Dick became the goal of his life. Only here all told them: leave this venture. But for three days the heroes fought: first, the sailors attacked, the whale pulled out, and then he began to attack in order to complete their long argument.
"Kill a Mockingbird" by Nell Harper Lee
Book rating: 4.6
Date of publication - 1960. Harper Lee herself did not expect that someone would appreciate her work, especially so high. She just wanted someone to give her a push to write further. As a result, the book became successful.
In 1961, “Kill a Mockingbird” wins the Pulitzer Prize. Its circulation is 30 million copies, it is listed in the many gold collections of literature. In the USA, 80% of the population got acquainted with it. Today, the book is still considered one of the world's bestsellers. The story is based on the childhood memories of Harper Lee. The prototype of one of the main characters is her father.
At the core of the story are the Finch family: father Atticus, son Jim, and daughter Jean. They live a simple life, the head of the family works as a lawyer. They live in a small town in Alabama. It is quiet and peaceful, the only oddity is the house of the Radley family. There lives a man who never goes. Children call him the Scarecrow and try to lure him away. He does not give in, and therefore the children will come up with different stories about him. “The Scarecrow” sometimes leaves them surprises, but he never shows up. At the same time in the city there is a scandal: the negro Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman. Atticus Finch is appointed by his lawyer and believes that his ward is innocent. The city turned against them, but the court will decide everything.
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Book rating: 4.5
Gone with the Wind is rightfully considered one of the best-selling American and world literature. Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her book. Over time, the novel was filmed. In the six months since the first edition, more than a million copies have been sold. The plot is based on the observation of a family from high society during the war of the North and South in the United States. The book is divided into three main points: the events before the war, during and after it.
The main character Scarlett is a young 16-year-old girl. She does not know what poverty is, she wants to arrange her life further. Scarlett falls in love with Mr. Ashley and is ready to admit to him in love, secretly get married. He is also not indifferent to her, but he gave the word to the other and cannot break it. The girl is upset and in spite of her lover marries Charlie Hamilton.
Everything should be fine, but war is coming. Her husband dies at the front. She rushes to Atlanta to visit relatives in the hope of meeting Ashley there. But there comes a war. And Scarlett returns to his home Tara. Her mother died, and the girl becomes the head of the family, and the war continues. Yankees come, dictate their rules. The family is trying to survive. The war ends, Ashley returns, but the world dictates other rules to the losers.
"451 degrees Fahrenheit", Ray Bradbury
Book rating: 4.4
Ray Bradbury - the man who showed the world that a science fiction novel is interesting. "451 degrees Fahrenheit" - a book from the works of the American writer, which is recommended to read to everyone. In it, he concludes his thoughts on the future: what awaits the book, what awaits people. In the work, Bradbury emphasizes her fears about the media - how it fills the world, while killing everything valuable in society and people. The Prometheus Award included the novel in its hall of fame. In 2004 he was given the "Hugo" award. On the basis of the book, a verbal game was created, which serves as its continuation, a play was staged and a radio show was recorded.
Guy Montag is an ordinary firefighter, he goes to work every day and burns books. This is his job. Because today the book is a stronghold of wrong thoughts that can not affect society in such a way. And the only means of struggle is to burn them all. Guy meets a young girl Clarissa. She talks about her hobbies about nature, communication, the ability to openly talk about their feelings. Montag at first it scares. But later he begins to realize that there is something else beyond his world. Once at work, he saves a book and hides it. He thinks about her, tries to figure it out, skips work, turns to his wife for help.
"Call me by your name", Andre Asimen
Book rating: 4.4
American novel published in 2007. “An Exceptionally Beautiful Book,” as it was named in the review of the New York Times. The work has received almost no negative feedback. All those who did a review on it, in one voice noted the subtlety of the description, the gentle transfer of passion and all the magnificence with which the love and tenderness of the characters are conveyed. The screen version of the novel was awarded the Oscar. Not without literary awards: the novel “Call me by your name” received “Lambda”.
The story comes from the face of one of the main characters, Elio Perlman. He recalls his youth, which took place in Italy. Every year in the summer a PhD student came to him, who helped his father with scientific work. Elio did not like the guests, because every time they occupied his room. This time, in the year when Elio turned 17, Oliver came to their house. He is the exact opposite of the boy: sociable, smiling.
And Elio, in turn, is very educated for his age. He tries to make friends with Oliver, feeling some connection between them. Perlman feels a relationship with a guest and wants to get close to him, especially when he finds out that they are both Jews. His feelings grow into something big. Elio is tormented by doubts and fears that Oliver will reject him. Their first kiss awakens new feelings in both. To emphasize closeness, they call each other by their proper names. But life does not stand still, and summer ends.
The Trilogy of Desire, Theodore Dreiser
Book rating: 4.4
American writer Theodore Dreiser is a realist by nature. He loved small details, so his books described all the features of life, behavior, transactions of people. Someone calls his style not artistic, others consider the writer great because he was able to combine authentic facts with a real drama.
In the "Trilogy of Desire" includes three novels: "Financier", "Titan", "Stoic". The prototype of the main character is millionaire Charles Yerkes. He is known for his machinations. In the trilogy, Dreiser reveals in detail all the features of the world of finance in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Each of the books is a separate period in the life of the main character in different cities.
In the center of the plot - Frank Kaupervud. He comes from a family of poor banker from Philadelphia. As a young man, he deserved the fame of a famous financier. Frank happily married, had children. But this is not enough for him, Kaupervud wants more. Therefore, arranges many frauds to increase the amount in a bank account. In parallel, the financier falls in love with Eileen, the daughter of an influential contractor. Next in the story Frank is waiting for Chicago, the center of US finance. Here he joins the transport network, as the best opportunity to earn. And he meets her, young beautiful Berenice. But high society is cruel, and it has to move to London.
"Grapes of Wrath", John Steinbeck
Book rating: 4.3
Steinbeck was planning to quickly finish the novel. But instead he worked on it for several more years. He visited many seasonal camps. And he was horrified that in fact not foreigners work in them, but people from other, less wealthy states. Based on their stories, the author wrote the novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. For him, John Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize. Due to the presence of rude words in the text, the book was repeatedly banned. But the work still belongs to the golden fund of American literature. In 1940, there was an adaptation of the book. It clearly reflects the events in it. Only the final is significantly different.
In California, we travel with the Oak family of Jawd, the so-called Oklahoma natives. In the United States now is the period of the Great Depression, it is unprofitable for banks to donate land to farmers, it is cheaper to use a tractor. Many families are starving, they are looking for a better life in the state with green lawns, as they were promised on leaflets. The trucks on the truck are looking for a camp where they will not only find shelter, but also work.Almost at the end, disappointment overtakes them: they meet workers who return home. They tell them that you only have to dream of a good life. In fact, there are a lot of people in California, the locals do not accept them, there is no food, the payment for work is low. But Tom Jude and his family have nothing left to do but hope to find at least something to survive.
"The Catcher in the Rye," by Jerome D. Salinger
Book rating: 4.2
The recognition of the book "The Catcher in the Rye" received almost immediately after it came out. She fell in love with young people, she was interested in the representatives of the older generation. Due to difficult psychological moments and rude words in the text in some schools it is prohibited.
But the bans did not put Time magazine in 2005 to include it in the list of "The 100 Greatest Books in English." Publisher Modern Library made it to the list of "100 best novels in English in the 20th century." The novel also reflects Salinger himself. Before us, he appears in two points - as part of the protagonist and as a prototype of an older brother, about which the writer told in the book. The events in the life of the author and his preferences partially coincide.
Holden Caulfield - 17-year-old boy. He is smart, he deserves the place of the captain of the fencing team, he looks quite handsome. At first glance, an interesting young man. Everything is not so simple: he is not changing the first school, and he is truly sick of everything that happens in the new educational institution and in society as a whole. Holden would love to go to some wilderness by the river. And he decides, runs away from school, takes all the money that he has, and goes to his native New York. The boy does it to live the way he wants. The only question is whether he can reconcile himself with the world.
“Farewell, weapon!”, Ernest Hemingway
Book rating: 4.2
Ernest Hemingway, like many American writers of the 20th century, loved to focus in his work on real events and personal experience. According to some reports, the main character, “Farewell, a weapon!” He wrote off. The only thing that is known for sure is that the events from the novel partially took place in life. Like the character of his work, Hemingway was wounded during the war, Milan was sent for treatment, and there he had an affair with a local nurse. The book tells about the horrors of the First World War, about how people behaved and how events influenced them. In the cinema, there are already two screen versions of the work. The film of 1932 won two Oscars.
Frederick Henry is a responsible young man from the USA. He volunteered for the Italian-Austrian front and commanded a medical brigade. A debt to his homeland blazed inside him, and he could not stay away from such an event. Henry saw pride, honor, glory. Shortly before the attack, nurse Katherine was transferred to their camp. She is beautiful, her fiance died in the war, so the girl quickly became interested in men. Henry liked her too, but she did not arouse strong feelings in him. After the onset of Frederick wounded, so he was sent to Milan for treatment. There he looked forward to Kathleen's arrival. The man discovered new feelings and realized what the senselessness of war is.
Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Book rating: 4.1
The Cat's Cradle brought Kurt Vonnegut world fame. For this book, he received the "Hugo" award, the highest award among science fiction USA. The novel was so much liked by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago, that in 1971 they gave Vonnegut a master’s degree, although already in 1947 the teachers filled up his dissertation. The author himself, in assessing the work, considers him the most successful, giving him the maximum rating. On the basis of the book put two plays. As in other novels, in The Cradle, Vonnegut highlights the central topic of the responsibility of scientists for their inventions, especially those that touch environmental issues.
The story itself is led by a certain author who is interested in a book about the end of the world. Therefore, he collects information about scientists around the world who created the atomic bomb. Among them, the centerpiece for the seeker is Felix Honikker.He is also called the "father of the atomic bomb." The seeker applies for information to the children of Hicker. And, to his surprise, he discovers that there is an invention in the world more terrible than the atomic bomb. It is called "ice-nine." Among its capabilities is the rapid assimilation of all the water around, around the world. It almost instantly turns into the substance itself and freezes. It can only be melted at a temperature of 45.8 degrees.
“Dear Step-Brother,” Penelope Ward
Book rating: 4.0
Penelope Ward is an American writer who has repeatedly conquered the world of literature. Her works recognized in the editorial New York Times, calling them bestsellers. A lot of what can be found in her books, Ward personally experienced or took an image from her life. Often close people became the prototypes of her characters, for example, a daughter who suffers from autism. The essence of the novels of Penelope Ward is to show all variants of relationships. Not only from the side of one hero, but also from the side of his partner. Thus, it allows you to build a picture of what is happening. And the reader can understand all the feelings of the characters, their interaction with each other.
Girl Greta lived with her mother and stepfather. Everything was good, everyone was happy. One day a boy suddenly appears in the house, arrogant and unbearable. This is Elek - the son of stepfather Greta from his first marriage. Now the communication of children looks as if they want to bring each other or kill each minute. But over time, everything changes, they find in each other close people and understanding. The problem is that because of their age, it is difficult for them to determine their feelings. Elek will soon leave the house of Greta as abruptly as he had once appeared. Years pass, and the family tragedy brings them together again. She gives them a new opportunity to meet, understand themselves, their feelings and be together.
Attention! This rating is subjective, is not advertising and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you should consult with a specialist.
