Here's a list put out by the Library of Congress of books that shaped America (hat tip Jim Chalmers). Not quite the same as the topic of a few weeks ago, books that define the American experience.
I would certainly add LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Every girl reads this series as a history of the pioneering age of the U.S. And a story of family.
And perhaps THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT, which documents the often soulless nature of pursuing the American dream.
And Julia Childs' MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, which made eating well a goal at a time when cooking was a pretty dull affair.
Oh, and THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD that sums up our national need to succeed.
What would you add?
20 comments:
Not sure I would have put Hem's BELL TOLLS on there. Maybe "The Old Man and the Sea."
Strange choice, ism' it. Why his book about the Spanish Civil War? I'd pick the Nick Adams stories, I think.
Or THE SUN ALSO RISES.
He's out of fashion now, but if you're talking about Books That Shaped America shouldn't there be something by James Fenimore Cooper?
Or Dreiser? Or Sinclair Lewis? Or THE GOOD EARTH?
William James but not Henry? What about "Daisy Miller"?
Lastly, for now at least, James M. Cain.
Jeff M.
What an interesting list. Thanks Patti. --Joe
I'm with Jeff on THE GOOD EARTH. This was the first book published by Pocket Books and it's popularity paved the way for the paperback explosion in America, making books of all types far more accessible to the average American.
Lists like these are often as interesting for their omissions as what they include.
It may seem weird, but I'd include two books, published approximately the same time in the 1970s, which led to a whole revolution in the way women read, write, and even think about sex: Erica Jong's Fear of Flying (now considered such a time capsule, I don't think anyone has read it for a long time, but it was startlingly new when first published) and Rosemary Rogers's Sweet, Savage Love (the first truly sexually-explicit "bodice-ripper" with sex scenes written from a woman's point of view for a predominantly female readership).
I'm also surprised at the omission of young adult books, particularly Judy Blume's Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. Perhaps LofC didn't think what children and young adults read has shaped our nation, but young readers become adult readers eventually.
SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL had an enormous impact.
I remember reading FEAR so well. A good addition. And so too SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL.
HA! Psst, someday let me tell you the story of the massive joke played on Julia Child that is still, even in the latest edition, in her book.
WHAT!
I'm with you on Little House, Patti, no doubt about it.
I think Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe was a big deal, considering our country's fascination with food and diet, and that book in particular inspired a generation's worth of back-to-the-landers.
For me, this list isn't complete without Thoreau's Walden either.
Definitely Cooper. I think should be be on there.
It's always strange to think that Americans, so diverse in their ethnic heritage, share a common literature among so much else.
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN
That's on the list.
I'd replace Red Harvest with The Maltese Falcon. I'd add something by Chandler, either Farewell, My Lovely or The Long Goodbye. Definitely I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane. There aren't enough Westerns. How about Shane or True Grit or Riders of the Purple Sage?
Pretty good list. I would agree on adding SHANE.
There is not enough diversity in the list in terms of westerns, crime, SF and even romance.
“This list is a starting point,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “It is not a register of the ‘best’ American books – although many of them fit that description. Rather, the list is intended to spark a national conversation on books written by Americans that have influenced our lives, whether they appear on this initial list or not.”
We hope you will view the list, nominate other titles, and most importantly, choose to read and discuss some of the books on this list, reflecting America’s unique and extraordinary literary heritage, which the Library of Congress makes available to the world.
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, TWICE-TOLD TALES.
James T. Farrell, STUDS LONIGAN
Howard Zinn, THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
RED CHANNELS; WITNESS by Whittaker Chambers
Edith Wharton, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH
Personally, of course, I'd add LIVING MY LIFE by Emma Goldman and perhaps THE CHOMSKY READER by Noam Chomsky.
And certainly GROWING UP ABSURD by Paul Goodman
Collected works, Edgar Allan Poe
Collected works, Ambrose Bierce
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, Walter Van Tilburg Clark
JURGEN, James Branch Cabell
THE FRONT PAGE, Hecht and MacArthur
GO ASK ALICE, that inept fraud.
SMILING THROUGH THE APOCALYPSE: ESQUIRE'S HISTORY OF THE 1960s
THE EVERGREEN REVIEW READER
DANGEROUS VISIONS, edited by Harlan Ellison
GREAT STORIES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL edited by Wise and Herbert
CREEPS BY NIGHT edited by Dashiell Hammett
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS by Jackie Susann (happy birthday)
ARIEL by Sylvia Plath
Post a Comment