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July 17, 2012
88 Books That Shaped America
The Library of Congress has prepared a list of 88 "books that shaped America."
"This list of 'Books That Shaped America' is a starting point. 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," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "We hope people will view the list and then nominate other titles. Finally, we hope people will choose to read and discuss some of the books on this list, reflecting our nation's unique and extraordinary literary heritage, which the Library of Congress makes available to the world."
The link above includes a short description of each book. There are titles that you know have to be on there (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) and others that may surprise you.
Some of the titles: Alcoholics Anonymous (by anonymous); And the Band Played On; Atlas Shrugged; The Cat in the Hat; Catch-22; Fahrenheit 451; Gone With the Wind; The History of Standard Oil; Howl; In Cold Blood; Leaves of Grass; On the Road; Our Bodies, Ourselves; Riders of the Purple Sage; Sexual Behavior in the Human Male; Stranger in a Strange Land; Unsafe at Any Speed.
In comments on this L.A. Times article, readers are suggesting the addition of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Slaughterhouse-Five; The Color Purple; All The President's Men; Roots, and many others.
Filed under Books | permalink | July 17, 2012 at 06:49 PM
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