> The Things You Can Read: July 2012

The Things You Can Read welcomes you and thanks you for your readership. We, here at The Things You Can Read, ask your help, if you visit our site regularly, please follow us either via email or Google Friend Connect.  Launched on June 7, 2012, our site has already attracted a great deal of attention.  One of the goals of the site is to feature reviews of Children's Picture Books, Young Adult novels and Adult Literary Fiction/Nonfiction.  A second goal for the blog is to be a resource for teachers of English and writing--with examples of student created writing, writing tips, resource links, and the opportunity to pick the brain of a seasoned English teacher.  To spice things up...every now and then, we'll also include random quotes and thoughts on education and life in general, but our ultimate goal is to reach out into the blogosphere and be a "Book Whisperer" and "Writing Whisperer" to children and adults of all ages.   Thank you for your readership.  Here is to a lifetime filled with reading and writing.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Happy 100th Follow for The Things You Can Read

Thank you so much for your readership!  Today, July 31, 2012, a few days shy of our two month anniversary as an operational blog on the blogosphere scene, The Things You Can Read has reached a milestone, 100 followers!  Thank you, we here at The Things You Can Read appreciate YOU, our readers, and welcome comments.

Monday, July 30, 2012

We Give Books-Book of the Week-The Little Engine that Could


Book of the Week




Review of OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy

OyMG

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to win an autographed copy of OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy back in April 2012 on the YA Reads for Teachers (And Any Other Adults!) Goodreads group. I was so excited to receive the book and join in the discussion on Goodreads, but alas, the last third of the book waited for my summer break to finally see me complete this charming YA novel. Well, having just completed OyMG, I wanted to share my thoughts.

OyMG is the story of a young teenager, Ellie Taylor. Ellie is a born arguer, and she has par-laid this talent into becoming a successful debater. However, Ellie has just finished middle school, and wants to attend the private and ultra-exclusive, Benedict High School, which is known for having the best debate team around. Not having the money to attend, there is only one way Ellie can make her dream reality, and that is to win the scholarship that is offered at the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts Summer Camp that is held at the school. The one fly in the ointment is that Ellie has been raised in the Jewish faith, although her father is Christian, her family embraces her mother's Jewish heritage. How will she handle the problems that arise at camp?

I'll jump right in, the concept of uniqueness is one that has always intrigued me. OyMG addresses this theme in a big way. In movies, we see memorable characters that are unique and different, and we love them. However, movies are not reality, and even though these unique characters are placed on a pedestal and admired for their unconventional, unexpected, and unorthodox qualities-think the French film, Amelie-this is not the way of the real world. I guess the question I keep asking myself is, does the majority of society really value this type of person? We tell children that everyone is unique and that this is something to be valued, but yet "sameness" and "conformity" is often what is expected, and ultimately more valued, especially at school. I don't want to explore why this is true, but rather state that it is and relate it to the novel.

The main character, Ellie Taylor, is faced with having lived her life as someone who is unique-different, but when her dream of attending an exclusive private school forces her to deny who she is, she is quick to conform. All the while, telling herself she still is the person she always has been, and this conformity is just a means-to-an-end. In other words, Ellie lies to herself. Ellie is lucky enough to have her parents and her grandfather in her life, each try to help her see that by denying who she is, she is selling out, and this choice has consequences. One of the consequences is that Ellie will never be the person she once was if she denies her heritage/race and her beliefs.

I truly enjoyed following Ellie's progress through the novel. It is an easy read, geared more to tweens, in my opinion. The main characters are believable. One of the most flushed out characters in the novel is Ellie's Jewish grandfather, Zeydeh, who truly helps Ellie value and accept herself-just as she is. The wealthy anti-semitic antagonist is painted in a manner that helps teenagers see how someone can appear ever so nice on the surface, but harbor deep seated prejudices. Throughout the arc of the story, young people learn that discriminators don't look different; it is their actions that make them appear ugly, and this is what sets them apart.

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 

 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

How to Answer the Question: What Should I Read Next?


How many times have you heard, "I loved __________________(you fill in the blank), what should I read next?  Well, if you know what books your child or student likes that is a big start. Use it to your advantage. Blessing or curse, the age of computers has changed things, but one of the good things a parent or teacher can use the Internet for is to help answer this question: What should I read next? Here are a couple of sites, which are available free on the Internet that can help find a book that meets the readers interest.  Take a peek...see what you think!  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read if either of these worked for you or if you have a favorite recommendation Internet source!



Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read

Friday, July 27, 2012

Summer Reading-Are You Having Fun Yet?


According to Kidzworld.com here are the Top 10 Summer Beach Reads.  Check out their list, what do you think?  How many have you read?  Try this out...If you had to make a Top 10 Summer Beach Read list, what would it look like?  The Things You Can Read would love to know what your Top 10 Summer Beach Reads list looks like.  Take a minute and post your list below or on Kidzworld.com

Happy Summer Readiing, from your friends here at The Things You Can Read

List from Kidzworld.com

No. 10: Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

With her entire memory of her summer gone, teenage spy Cammie Morgan and the girls at Gallagher Academy must piece together the trail of clues that Cammie left behind. Check out the Gallagher Girls book 5, Out of Sight, Out of Time.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Out of Sight, Out of Time
Courtesy of Hyperion Book CH
 

No. 9: Stunning by Sara Shepard

In Pretty Little Liars book 11, A continues to spin an evil web around best friends Emily, Aria, Hannah and Spencer as they try to forget the death of their friend Alison.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Stunning
Courtesy of HarperTeen
 

No. 8: The Selection by Kiera Class

Historical fiction meets ABC’s The Bachelor in this story of love, destiny and fierce competition. Check out The Selection by Kiera Class.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
The Selection
Courtesy of HarperTeen
 

No.7: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

In this dystopian retelling of Cinderella, Cinder - a cyborg mechanic - becomes entangled in the world of the handsome (not to mention human) Prince Kai.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Cinder
Courtesy of Feiwel
 

No. 6: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

In Pandemonium, sequel to the bestselling novel Delirium, Lena is torn between two lives: one where the late Alex is the center of her world, and another where a new boy steals her heart.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Pandemonium
Courtesy of HarperCollins
 

No. 5: The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Conclude your summer reading with the third installment in the teen sci-fi series The Lorien Legacies, as the members of the Garde team up to fight the evil Mogadorians.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
The Rise of Nine
Courtesy of HarperCollins
 

No. 4: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult teams up with teenager Samantha van Leer to try her hand at the world of teen fiction. Between the Lines follows Delilah, a teenage loner, and Oliver, a prince trapped within the pages of a fairy tale.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Between the Lines
Courtesy of Emily Bestler Books
 

No. 3: The Kill Order by James Dashner

Haven’t had enough of The Maze Runner trilogy? Well, the most anticipated prequel of the year arrives just in time to end your summer right. Discover how the sun flares hit the earth and how mankind fell to disease.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
The Kill Order
Courtesy of Delacorte Press
 

No. 2: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Check out Insurgent, the anticipated sequel to the bestselling dystopian novel Divergent, as Tris Prior finds herself in the heat of the Faction war.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
Insurgent
Courtesy of HarperCollins
 

No. 1: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Closing out our number one spot is book 5 in the beloved Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, City of Lost Souls. But if you haven’t read the rest of the series, we recommend you start with book 1: City of Bones.
Top 10 Summer Beach Reads
City of Lost Souls


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Milestone for The Hunger Games Trilogy


Excerpt from Shelf Awareness:

The Hunger Games Trilogy Hits 50 Million Mark in U.S.

As of yesterday [Thursday, July 19, 2012], Scholastic now has more than 50 million copies of Suzanne Collins's bestselling the Hunger Games trilogy of books in print and digital formats in the U.S.: The Hunger Games (23 million-plus copies), Catching Fire (14 million-plus) and Mockingjay (13 million-plus).

"Readers across the nation are captivated by the rich world and strong characters Suzanne Collins has created," said Scholastic president Ellie Berger.

Get Involved with World Book Night 2013


If you have never heard of World Book Night here is your chance to get involved.  World Book Night is spreading the love of reading, person to person.  Voting for this years book selections is going on now.  Take a peek at what the folks at World Book Night are up to, and GET INVOLVED...it's easy!

Excerpt from World Book NIght:

World Book Night: Planning Underway for 2013

Plans are in motion for next year's World Book Night U.S., which will take place on April 23. Voting for the WBN 2013 picks by a panel of librarians, independent booksellers and Barnes & Noble buyers is underway.

The long list of book candidates was derived from IndieBound Picks, B&N Discover Picks, bookseller and librarian suggestions, ReadingGroupGuides.com's most requested book group guides, GoodReads' Top 100s and Above the Treeline's top 300 paperback bestsellers for the past year,

In addition, this year's volunteer book givers were asked to send in book recommendations. "We want the givers, booklovers all, to be heard, and to keep them part of this process year-round," said Carl Lennertz, executive director of WBN U.S. "Our enthusiastic army of book givers submitted 20,000 lines of suggestions, and the top 50 titles were folded into the long list to be voted on by the panel. The book picks and the giver application process will be announced in the fall.”

A new WBN steering committee has been meeting and WBN is establishing subcommittees, including media strategy, author events, fundraising & sponsorship, friends of WBN, and book production & logistics. Members will be announced in August.
 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hunger Games Review?

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...Wait, I know what you are already thinking...Do I really need to read another review of The Hunger Games? Well, lets talk about what a review really does. A review allows the reader to digest...so to speak...their reading experience. It allows said reader to mull over the key virtues or defects the reader found in the book he or she has just finished.   A review is a personal comment on the reader's personal reading experience. So in essence, by penning a review the reader is allowed to connect with the reading community at large, which doesn't often happen; since reading is usually a solitary activity. So, yes I do want to offer my personal take on the colossally popular YA novel.

The Hunger Games has been sitting in my To Be Read (TBR) pile by my bed, since it first came out. What I'm saying is, I didn't just jump on the bandwagon, because it became this giant hit in 2011/2012. I haven't even seen the movie. Honestly, the dystopian genre has always been a favorite of mine. Science fiction is what I called it back in the day, but now this offshoot of science fiction has emerged with its own characteristics (see chart below). It is really amazing to watch a whole new genre come to life from the ashes-so to speak-of science fiction. I guess it is important to identify what classifies a book as dystopian. Robinson Wells defines dystopia on his blog
(http://www.robisonwells.com/2011/05/d...) as, "Utopia with a fatal flaw. Think of all the classic dystopias—1984, Brave New World, The Giver, etc.. These novels all show worlds that attempted to create a perfect society, but that 'perfection' was attained at a horrible cost." (I'll add Shirley Jackson's The Lottery to this list of past dystopian classics) I like this definition, so lets go with it; since there are dystopianites all over the world debating the "real definition" of this genre as I press the keys to click out this review.


Is it Dystopia? A flowchart for de-coding the genre  by  Erin Bowman  is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License . Based on a work at www.embowman.com . Feel free to share it for non-commercial uses.

Now for the review...I read the The Hunger Games back in May/June 2012, it jumped to the top of my TBR pile when I was asked to write the English Department's request to add this novel to our seventh grade approved list of "teaching novels."  You can't very well write such a document unless you have read the book, but I seem to continue to digress.  

I read the book and wrote up the request, but I did not write my review.  Before I felt comfortable penning my commentary, I needed some mulling over time.  I now have had several weeks to carefully consider this novel, and here are my thoughts...The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the best dystopian novels, I have read to date.  It has so much to offer.  With that said, I will add that I am going to present my review in a most non-traditional manner.  First, I am going to assume that anyone who is reading this review already knows the basic premise of the book, in other words, I'm skipping the summary part of the review.  Instead, I am going to focus on the themes the novel has to offer in the hopes that YOU, the reader of this review, will make some connections and develop new original thoughts based on the various and sundry themes floating amongst the 374 pages of this dystopian YA novel-and there are many.  Here is what I came up with...

Friendship

Friendship is seen in many forms throughout the novel:
Katniss and Gale
Katniss and Peeta
Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch
Katniss and Cinna

Throughout all of these relationships, friendship is revealed to be a crucial factor in the triumph of Katniss.

Family and Sacrifice

Loyalty and protection of family – Katniss makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her sister by volunteering as a tribute in the games. This is an important theme for young people, as the life of social media, and fragile connections between friends and family is now the norm. Through the lens of the novel, teens will be forced to imagine if they would be brave or valiant enough to stand up and protect family members, and thereby, decide how much personal relationships mean to them. Would they give up their Gameboys, their Internet or Facebook? What about their cell phones? Young people today are so connected with their technology, they often don’t think about what is at stake.

Survival

Survival/Importance of Nature – There are many interesting techniques dealing with surviving in nature on one’s own found throughout the novel. Katniss shows the importance of knowing how to stay alive with no technology, or help of any kind. This is important for young adults today because of society's heavy reliance on technology. Through the protagonist, Katniss, teens are forced to imagine life with no technology. Questions such as-How might a modern day teenager communicate, eat, or provide for their families if they lived in the world of The Hunger Games?- can be addressed by the reader of this dystopian novel.

Freedom and Oppression

Freedom of Speech – The Avox character in The Hunger Games is a distinct representation in our "real world" of the dangers of losing our Constitutional rights as citizens. These servant characters have had their tongues removed for slanderous remarks, or simply questions pointed to the capital of Panem. The novel allows teens to examine the importance of the Freedom of Speech, and think about what we, as a society, should be doing to protect this right.

Materialism

Loss of Identity through Fashion – The character of Effie Trinket is a colorful, and fashion driven lady who is “always up on the latest fashion”. She does a wonderful job of showing the reader how far fashion trends can go. She is the bridge to discussion of social classes and the gap between rich and poor. The wider this gap becomes, the more apparent it is to outsiders to be able to identify the rich from the poor. The fashions become a symbol of social status in the world, and something that the rich are unaware they are marketing. A great eye opener for fashion driven teenagers.

Class Structure

Defining the “haves” and the “have-nots” – Through the novel, teens are forced to compare and contrast the population of the capitol with the population of the districts. Young adults are forced to use critical thinking skills to decide what is important: the relationships of family and friends as shown in the districts, or material goods as in the capitol. Also, the novel allows teenagers to examine the unfair nature of government, as it is portrayed in the novel, as all products are filtered through the walls of the capital, and thereby the reader is allowed to examine what is wrong with the capital's system of government.

Media

Dangers of the Media – In The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins makes a clear issue of the dangers of reality television, something that our whole society is exposed to on a daily basis. The concept that the reader should be taking away from the novel, is that with little provocation, our society is very quick to forget about the people (tributes) involved in many “media challenges”. As viewers, we disregard the human aspect of television, and focus on entertainment alone. Panem’s capitol is representing the future of our culture if reality television keeps going in the direction it is aimed. The novel forces teenagers to make connections by relating the media circus of The Hunger Games to shows like Jersey Shore and Hoarders. Very savvy teenagers will readily see the dangers of using people’s problems as entertainment. Mature teenagers will also ask questions, such as, do we see these people as people or characters? In asking these types of questions teenagers will become aware that media has a way of making us forget just who is on the other side of the camera.

Identity

Loss of Identity through Media – Peeta’s struggle to be more “than a pawn in the games”, is a large theme in the novel. His fight to keep his loyalties with Katniss though the games is honorable and is a good example of overcoming peer pressure. The teens will observe the methods that Katniss and Peeta use to overcame the game’s influence to become killers, and instead hold fast to their morals, and only do what is necessary to survive. In contrast to other characters, Katniss and Peeta did not abide by the capitol’s wish to “put on a good show” for the viewers of the games. They often use the influence of the media in their favor, as well, in helpful and peaceful ways, as opposed to the violence used by the other characters in the novel.

Symbolism

The mockingjay pin - The mockingjay pin worn by Katniss in the novel, symbolizes the revolution of the districts. Using the “historical context” of the pin, which is a jab against the capital (mockingjays were created to spy on the people of the districts, but the districts discovered the birds and used them as a way to feed the capitol false information), becomes something that represents not only the revolution, but hope, freedom, and the ability to change.

Historical Context

The Hunger Games Arena – The Arena that the tributes fight in is very much influenced by the Roman Era Arena. The whole idea of people having to fight to the death as entertainment for the “upper class” is parallel to Roman times gladiatorial competitions held in coliseums all over the Roman Empire. This might potentially opens up a teens interest in a historical time period. It can also allow teens to identify elements of the novel that are inspired by history.

Whooh!  I have come to the end of my list of themes. I know this is not what you might have been expecting since this is labeled as a review, but do note the question mark in the post heading.  I may expand this to another post and discuss character development in The Hunger Games, but I am running out of writing steam as it is already the wee hours of the morning (when I do my best writing).   I would love to hear what other themes I may have missed--and I am sure I missed a few. Please, feel free to add to my list.  Leave a comment and lets cooperatively expand the list.

*Note: I would like to thank A. Eiben for her contribution to the "generation of themes" for The Hunger Games

Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
 


 

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Save the Date:

The Things You Can Read is hosting a Virtual Book Tour...

Date:  August 31, 2012 




The Outsiders Author Has a Birthday!

Happy Birthday S. E. Hinton




See my review of the The Outsiders

From Goodreads:

S.E. Hinton

Author profile


born
July 22, 1948 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The United States

gender
female

website

genre


About this author

S.E. Hinton, was and still is, one of the most popular and best known writers of young adult fiction. Her books have been taught in some schools, and banned from others. Her novels changed the way people look at young adult literature.

Susan Eloise Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has always enjoyed reading but wasn't satisfied with the literature that was being written for young adults, which influenced her to write novels like The Outsiders. That book, her first novel, was published in 1967 by Viking.

“I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me.” ― S.E. HintonThe Outsiders

Saturday, July 21, 2012

"Wer lesen kann is klar im Vorteil!"

"Wer lesen kann is klar im Vorteil!" is a German phrase meaning literally, "Anyone who reads is at a clear advantage", something I'd agree wholeheartedly.  Thanks to A Postcard a Day for sharing! 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Give a Book for Special Occasions--Having Fun with Birthday Books

My twins will be having a birthday in two weeks and being the crazy book mom that I am, of course, they are receiving books for their birthday.  My mother always made sure that I received my very own copies of books on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmas, Easter...I am sure that is why, as an adult, I value having my own copy of a treasured book.  

Well, back to the twins...The picture above shows what was in the Amazon box that arrived for them Wednesday.  I was so excited to see the big heavy box the mailman was scanning when I opened our front door.  After the pass off of the box from mailman to mom, I hustled to the kitchen, grabbed the scissors, and sliced through the clear tape that was holding the edges of the box together.  By now the twins were excited too, following right behind me.  Placing the opened box on the floor and removing the packaging the three of us slowly examined each item.  Squeals of delight could be heard throughout the house as the spines of new books were cracked opened, and the that "new book" smell filled our noises like perfume.  After our perusal of each of the books, I quickly gathered their gifts up and promised to read one of them before their nap.

Well, it is now two days later, and we have already finished two of the birthday books:  Me, Frida (see my review) and The Dog Who Sang at the Opera (review coming soon), both of which were wonderful.  As you can probably already tell, I am not good at holding back gifts, I get as excited as my children.  My daughter and I are also working our way through Invitation to Ballet (a longer book).  Her twin brother is not too interested in ballet, so he took a pass on this one.  Needless to say, I can't wait to share the rest of their birthday books with the them.

Equally as important as sharing the actual book with the twins, I am also excited to share my reviews with the readership of The Things You Can Read.  Make sure to check back with The Things You Can Read for reviews of the rest of the birthday stash!

One more thing, if you have a personal favorite from your childhood that you think I should add to the twin's library I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment with your suggestion.  Happy Reading and a Happy (early) Birthday shout out to the twins. 

The Magical Garden of Claude  Monet

Cezanne and the Apple Boy (Anholt's Artists)

Matisse the King of Color (Anholt's Artists Books for Children Series)

Renoir and the Boy with the Long Hair



















10 Greatest YA Series of ALL TIME...What do you think?

Here is Flavorwire's recent post on the 10 Greatest YA Series of ALL TIME.  What do you think?  How many have you read?  



The Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle and Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol are the top two, see the article for the rest!  10 Greatest YA Series of All Time

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Follow the Doctor's Orders!


Paint with Frida Kahlo

Me, Frida

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Me, Frida by Amy Novesky
Illustrated by David Diaz
Abrahms, 2010. 32 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 4-8

Me, Frida is a gorgeous lushous visual treat with a story that matches the quality of the illustrations. I would liken the experience of reading this book to falling into one of Frida Kahlo's paintings. However, the illustrator, David Diaz, does not simply copy Frida's style of artistic expression, but adds his own personal touches to that of the famous artist, thereby, creating something quite unique. The colors are vivid, warm, and inviting. My daughter's hands touched every page as we read this award winning book.  It is no wonder that Me, Frida won the Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book Award in 2011.

Me, Frida focuses on Frida's life as the new bride of Diego Rivera, the famous muralist and painter. Specifically, the setting is the newlyweds time in San Francisco in 1931 when Diego Rivera received his commission to paint his renowned murals on the government buildings of the city. During this time Frida, also an artist, begins to find her artistic voice, while her more established husband is busy creating his own art. When the couple is together Frida is often neglected and overlooked. Parties are given in her husband's honor, but no one notices the eclectic Frida.

Left to her own devices, Frida travels the streets of San Francisco gaining confidence in herself. With this new found confidence, she unlocks her own personal artistic style. Instead of copying the style of her husband, Diego Rivera, Frida paints in an intimate and folkloric style, which hearkens back to her native Mexican culture. The first painting to explore this style is Frida and Diego (Wedding Portrait) painted in 1931 during her stay in San Francisco. The painting now resides in the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, California. It's the painting she entered in her first show. Frida goes on to paint many more self-portraits when asked about this the painter stated, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best."  Me, Frida shares all this biographical information about this wonderful female painter without sounding stiff and stilted. 

Me, Frida by Amy Novesky and accompanying illustrations by David Diaz is an excellent introduction to this influential painter.

Other Recommendations for books about Frida Kahlo:

Frida Kahlo (GB): The Artist who Painted HerselfFrida Kahlo (GB): The Artist who Painted Herself by Margaret Frith
Tomie dePaola (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published August 11th 2003 by Grosset & Dunlap




FridaFrida by Jonah Winter
Ana Juan (Illustrator)
Hardcover32 pages
Published February 1st 2002 by Scholastic Inc. (first published 2002)




DiegoDiego by Jonah Winter 
Jeanette Winter (Illustrator)

Hardcover40 pages
Published January 9th 2007 by Knopf Books for Young Readers



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Goodreads Comments

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

What are the Most Influential Books that Shaped America?


The Library of Congress, the world’s largest repository of knowledge and information, began a multiyear “Celebration of the Book” with an exhibition on “Books That Shaped America.” The initial books in the exhibition are displayed below.
“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.
TitleAuthorDate
Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain1884
Alcoholics Anonymousanonymous1939
American CookeryAmelia Simmons1796
The American Woman's HomeCatharine E. Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe1869
And the Band Played OnRandy Shilts1987
Atlas ShruggedAyn Rand1957
The Autobiography of Malcolm XMalcolm X and Alex Haley1965
BelovedToni Morrison1987
Bury My Heart at Wounded KneeDee Brown1970
The Call of the WildJack London1903
The Cat in the HatDr. Seuss1957
Catch-22Joseph Heller1961
The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger1951
Charlotte's WebE.B. White1952
Common SenseThomas Paine1776
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child CareBenjamin Spock1946
CosmosCarl Sagan1980
A Curious Hieroglyphick Bibleanonymous1788
The Double HelixJames D. Watson1968
The Education of Henry AdamsHenry Adams1907
Experiments and Observations on ElectricityBenjamin Franklin1751
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury1953
Family LimitationMargaret Sanger1914
The Federalistanonymous1787
The Feminine MystiqueBetty Friedan1963
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin1963
For Whom the Bell TollsErnest Hemingway1940
Gone With the WindMargaret Mitchell1936
Goodnight MoonMargaret Wise Brown1947
A Grammatical Institute of the English LanguageNoah Webster1783
The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck1939
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald1925
Harriet, the Moses of Her PeopleSarah H. Bradford1901
The History of Standard OilIda Tarbell1904
History of the Expedition Under the Command of the Captains Lewis and ClarkMeriwether Lewis1814
How the Other Half LivesJacob Riis1890
How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleDale Carnegie1936
HowlAllen Ginsberg1956
The Iceman ComethEugene O'Neill1946
Idaho: A Guide in Word and PicturesFederal Writers' Project1937
In Cold BloodTruman Capote1966
Invisible ManRalph Ellison1952
Joy of CookingIrma Rombauer1931
The JungleUpton Sinclair1906
Leaves of GrassWalt Whitman1855
The Legend of Sleepy HollowWashington Irving1820
Little Women, or Meg, Jo, Beth and AmyLouisa May Alcott1868
Mark, the Match BoyHoratio Alger Jr.1869
McGuffey's Newly Revised Eclectic PrimerWilliam Holmes McGuffey1836
Moby-Dick; or The WhaleHerman Melville1851
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass1845
Native SonRichard Wright1940
New England Primeranonymous1803
New HampshireRobert Frost1923
On the RoadJack Kerouac1957
Our Bodies, OurselvesBoston Women's Health Book Collective1971
Our Town: A PlayThornton Wilder1938
Peter Parley's Universal HistorySamuel Goodrich1837
PoemsEmily Dickinson1890
Poor Richard Improved and The Way to WealthBenjamin Franklin1758
PragmatismWilliam James1907
The Private Life of the Late Benjamin Franklin, LL.D.Benjamin Franklin1793
The Red Badge of CourageStephen Crane1895
Red HarvestDashiell Hammett1929
Riders of the Purple SageZane Grey1912
The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne1850
Sexual Behavior in the Human MaleAlfred C. Kinsey1948
Silent SpringRachel Carson1962
The Snowy DayEzra Jack Keats1962
The Souls of Black FolkW.E.B. Du Bois1903
The Sound and the FuryWilliam Faulkner1929
Spring and AllWilliam Carlos Williams1923
Stranger in a Strange LandRobert A. Heinlein1961
A Street in BronzevilleGwendolyn Brooks1945
A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams1947
A Survey of the Roads of the United States of AmericaChristopher Colles1789
Tarzan of the ApesEdgar Rice Burroughs1914
Their Eyes Were Watching GodZora Neale Hurston1937
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee1960
A Treasury of American FolkloreBenjamin A. Botkin1944
A Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith1943
Uncle Tom's CabinHarriet Beecher Stowe1852
Unsafe at Any SpeedRalph Nader1965
Walden; or Life in the WoodsHenry David Thoreau1854
The Weary BluesLangston Hughes1925
Where the Wild Things AreMaurice Sendak1963
The Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum1900
The Words of Cesar ChavezCesar Chavez2002


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