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50 Books From The Past 50 Years Everyone Should Read At Least Once

Fifty contemporary classics everyone should read at least once —only 50? There are hundreds we could include, and if we did, this list would go on and on. That's why we're sticking with the heavy hitters, the dazzlers that have won over discerning readers across the globe since they first hit the shelves. Give yourself an education in contemporary literature (or the last 50 years of it, at least) with this handy list of great books published since the 1970s. These stories will enchant you, challenge you, and surprise you (for starters). Everyone should give this list of books a go, because these exciting, beautifully crafted novels and short story collections are currently cementing their places in the contemporary canon. On this list, we have Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, Man Booker Prize winners, and plenty of other great books that have distinguished themselves as must-reads in the years since they were first published. There are too many highlights to name, so you'll have to start browsing; a few are sure to earn a permanent place on your favorites list.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear. In it, an Iowa farmer seeks to divide his farm between his three daughters, the youngest of whom opposes his plans.

Also by Jane Smiley: Some Luck, Golden Age, Early Warning, Ordinary Love and Good Will, The Greenlanders, The Age of Grief

Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders

In her New York Times review, Michiko Kakutani described this short story collection as "A visceral and moving act of storytelling […] No one writes more powerfully than George Saunders about the lost, the unlucky, the disenfranchised." Devour Saunders' short stories (and his 2017 novel, Lincoln in the Bardo ), and return to them again and again.

Also by George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo, Pastoralia, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, In Persuasion Nation, Congratulations, by the way, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Anthony Doerr's lauded 2014 novel immerses readers in World War II-era France during the occupation. The paths of a blind French girl and a young German boy intersect amid the dangers of war.

Also by Anthony Doerr: About Grace, The Shell Collector, Four Seasons in Rome, Memory Wall

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

In Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi tells the story of two sisters born into different villages in Ghana whose lives diverge as they grow up. The novel was published in 2016 and won the American Book Award.

Also by Yaa Gyasi: Transcendent Kingdom

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

This quietly stunning epistolary novel grapples with family relationships—especially those between fathers and sons—as Reverend John Ames records his memories on paper for his young son.

Also by Marilynne Robinson: Housekeeping , The Givenness of Things, Home, Lila, The Death of Adam, When I Was a Child I Read Books, Absence of Mind

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award for her unforgettable novel Beloved, which illuminates the life of Sethe, a formerly enslaved person whose life is haunted by the horrors she endured years earlier . Morrison was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Also by Toni Morrison: The Origin of Others, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, Sula, Home, Jazz, A Mercy, Paradise

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel's brilliant, Booker Prize-winning novel reimagines the lives of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, two men who upended tradition to remake England in the 1520s.

Also by Hilary Mantel: Bring Up the Bodies, The Mirror and the Light, A Place of Greater Safety, Giving Up the Ghost, Beyond Black, A Change of Climate, Eight Months of Ghazzah Street, An Experiment in Love, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead combines fantasy and brutal reality in this astonishing National Book Award-winning novel about Cora, an enslaved person who escapes bondage via the Underground Railroad, which, in Whitehead's imagination, comes to life as an actual network below ground. In this odyssey, Cora navigates dangers that span centuries with only her indomitable will to guide her.

Also by Colson Whitehead: Zone One, The Intuitionist, The Colossus of New York, Sag Harbor, Apex Hides the Hurt, John Henry Days, Harlem Shuffle, The Nickel Boys, Crook Manifesto

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

This stunning Pulitzer honoree excavates the inner lives of characters whose paths weave in and out, colliding with each other against the background of the music industry.

Also by Jennifer Egan: Manhattan Beach, The Keep, Look at Me, Emerald City, The Invisible Circus

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

This novel explores four generations of the Whitshank family, the threads their lives follow over the decades, and the family home that plays host to it all.

Also by Anne Tyler: Vinegar Girl, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist, French Braid, Ladder of Years, Redhead by the Side of the Road, Clock Dance

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

In this recent Pulitzer finalist by Ann Patchett, siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy grapple with their past when they return to the eponymous Dutch House of their childhood.

Also by Ann Patchett: Bel Canto, Commonwealth, State of Wonder, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician's Assistant, These Precious Days, Truth & Beauty

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

The Shipping News spins a tale of a crumbling family in Newfoundland, relatives thrown together in a bleak home on a stark landscape who struggle to come to terms with the lives they've begun to live.

Also by Annie Proulx: Barkskins, Brokeback Mountain, Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2, Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3, Accordion Crimes, Heart Songs and Other Stories, Bird Cloud, Postcards, That Old Ace in the Hole

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Uncontrollable natural forces mirror the tumult and sacrifice of family life in this astonishing novel by Jesmyn Ward. Set in the days before the arrival and accompanying destruction of Hurricane Katrina, the story introduces Esch and her three brothers, Skeetah, Randall, and Junior, who navigate life in their small town and make preparations for the imminent storm.

Also by Jesmyn Ward: Sing, Unburied, Sing; The Fire This Time; Men We Reaped; Where the Line Bleeds

Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro

Nobel Prize-winning writer Alice Munro has written countless short story collections, each one more moving and attentive than the last.

Also by Alice Munro: Family Furnishings , Runaway , Too Much Happiness , Lives of Girls and Women , The Love of a Good Woman , The Moons of Jupiter , Open Secrets , Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You , The Beggar Maid , Friend of My Youth , Dance of the Happy Shades , The View from Castle Rock , The Progress of Love , Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

Ernest J. Gaines' essential 1993 novel is set in fictional Bayonne, Louisiana, where Grant Wiggins, a teacher, is compelled to visit a wrongfully imprisoned man named Jefferson who has been sentenced to death; the two men build a relationship in the shadow of Jefferson's impending execution.

Also by Ernest J. Gaines: A Gathering of Old Men , The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman , The Tragedy of Brady Sims, In My Father's House , Of Love and Dust

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

This Booker Prize-winning novel introduces readers to two friends, Clive Linely and Vernon Halliday, whose lives are connected by a woman named Molly Lane—whom both men once loved.

Also by Ian McEwan: Atonement, On Chesil Beach, Saturday, Sweet Tooth, Enduring Love, The Children Act, The Cement Garden, The Comfort of Strangers

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore

These twelve stories crackle with truth, spanning the globe and excavating the quibbles, wits, and humors of memorable characters and situations, as is writer Lorrie Moore's specialty.

Also by Lorrie Moore: Self-Help , Bark, Like Life, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?, Anagrams, A Gate at the Stairs

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

This love story set during the American Civil War became an instant classic when it was published in 1997. It tells the intertwined stories of Ada and Inman, two people separated by war and trying to make their ways back to each other.

Also by Charles Frazier: The Trackers, Thirteen Moons, Nightwoods, Varina

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

This astonishing Man Booker Prize-winning novel is set in New Zealand in 1866—in the middle of the country's gold rush—where author Eleanor Catton builds a story at once suspenseful, luminous, and utterly unexpected.

Also by Eleanor Catton: The Rehearsal, Birnam Wood

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid's Exit West is a love story set amid questions of movement, change, and global turmoil. It follows Nadia and Saeed, a young couple whose home is rocked by violence. When mysterious doors begin appearing throughout the city, Nadia and Saeed make a choice to step through a threshold and seek out a new world.

Also by Mohsin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moth Smoke, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

The characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning collection grapple with change, reimagine their inheritances and their ailments, and struggle to navigate new worlds both physical and cultural.

Also by Jhumpa Lahiri: In Other Words, The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth, The Lowland, The Clothing of Books

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Grief and rebirth fuel this heart-rending Pulitzer- and National Book Award-winning novel by Alice Walker , which tells the story of Celie, her life in rural Georgia, her tragedies, and her triumphs through her letters and diary entries.

Also by Alice Walker: In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, Possessing the Secret of Joy, In Love & Trouble, The Temple of My Familiar, Meridian, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Oprah Winfrey says it best in the forward to this moving memoir: "Maya Angelou lived what she wrote. She understood that sharing her truth connected her to the greater human truths—of longing, abandonment, security, hope, winder, prejudice, mystery, and, finally, self-discovery: the realization of who you really are and the liberation that love brings. And each of those timeless truths unfolds in this first autobiographical account of her life."

Also by Maya Angelou: Letter to My Daughter, The Heart of A Woman, And Still I Rise, The Complete Poetry, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, Mom & Me & Mom, Gather Together in My Name, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Two youths in love, Florentino Arizia and Fermina Daza, find each other again after 50 years in this dazzling novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Also by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Of Love and Other Demons, No One Writes to the Colonel

March by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks reimagines the world of Little Women by giving voice to the absent patriarch of the March family and unearthing the upheavals that war can inflict on families and the fathers that love them.

Also by Geraldine Brooks: People of the Book, The Secret Chord, Year of Wonders, Caleb's Crossing

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy's prose spins webs of magic, stunning readers and stealing breath through gorgeously crafted sentences. Roy's debut novel tells the story of a family in India whose lives are haunted and forever altered by one tragic event and its accompanying mysteries big and small.

Also by Arundhati Roy: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Capitalism: A Ghost Story, The End of Imagination, The Doctor and the Saint, Power Politics, Walking with the Comrades, The Cost of Living

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Amid the changes roaring through post World War II-England, a butler named Stevens grapples with broken expectations and the country's altered social landscape, and, for the first time, he begins to question his role within it all.

Also by Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go, The Buried Giant, An Artist of the Floating World, A Pale View of Hills, When We Were Orphans, The Unconsoled, Nocturnes

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

1970s New York plays host to this compelling novel by Colum McCann, the landscape of the city laid vividly bare alongside the interwoven lives of his characters.

Also by Colum McCann: Letters to a Young Writer, TransAtlantic, Thirteen Ways of Looking, This Side of Brightness, Everything in This Country Must, Zoli, Dancer

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Jeffrey Eugenides' 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is the coming-of-age story of Cal Stephanides, an intersex man coming to understand his gender identity. The novel traces the effect of a mutated gene throughout generations of Cal's Greek family, examining social constructs of gender as well as the immigrant experience in America.

Also by Jeffrey Eugenides: Fresh Complaint, The Virgin Suicides, The Marriage Plot

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Marlon James' 2015 Man Booker Prize- and American Book Award-winning novel is a dazzling, vivid dive into 1970s Kingston, Jamaica. It's an epic of the highest order, the plot of which hinges on the 1976 assassination attempt on the life of Bob Marley.

Also by Marlon James: The Book of Night Women; John Crow's Devil; Black Leopard, Red Wolf; Moon Witch, Spider King

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Saleem Sinai, The central character in Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, is born at midnight on August 15, 1947, the moment at which India becomes independent. This coincidence has consequences, however, as his fate is bound up with that of his country—and the other midnight's children with whom he is connected.

Also by Salman Rushdie: Victory City, The Golden Hour, The Satanic Verses, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Shame, East, West: Stories, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, Shalimar the Clown

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Donna Tartt's novel of grief, art, and adventure won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. It tells the story of Theo, a 13-year-old boy whose life takes an unexpected turn when tragedy strikes his family in New York.

Also by Donna Tartt: The Secret History, The Little Friend

Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen

Set in the Florida Everglades at the turn of the century, Peter Matthiessen's 2008 National Book Award-winning novel submerges readers in a wild and mysterious story about the outlaw sugar planter E. J. Watson.

Also by Peter Matthiessen: The Snow Leopard, Lost Man's River, Bone by Bone, In Paradise, The Birds of Heaven, Killing Mister Watson, In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Far Tortuga

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

This novel by author James McBride follows famed abolitionist John Brown and Henry, the young formerly enslaved person who narrates the novel and joins Brown on their peripatetic journey across the country (and who is disguised as a young girl along the way). McBride's novel won the National Book Award in 2013.

Also by James McBride: The Color of Water, Five-Carat Soul, Song Yet Sung, Miracle at St. Anna, Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

In The Hours, Michael Cunningham interweaves three stories—two fictional, one based in fact. Virginia Woolf, a poet named Samuel, and his friend Clarissa come into focus, each suspended with their own challenges within their own decades, the reach of which span nearly a century.

Also by Michael Cunningham: A Home at the End of the World, Flesh and Blood, Land's End, The Snow Queen, A Wild Swan: And Other Tales, By Nightfall

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros' beloved book tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young girl coming of age in Chicago and deciding who she wants to be in the house on Mango Street and in the ever-changing world beyond.

Also by Sandra Cisneros: Woman Hollering Creek, Caramelo, A House of My Own

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

In her beautifully crafted novel The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan tells the stories of four mothers and four daughters whose lives are entangled with one another's, beginning with the shared supper tradition the mothers call the Joy Luck Club. Their lives, secrets, and relationships unspool over decades.

Also by Amy Tan: The Kitchen God's Wife, The Valley of Amazement, Where the Past Begins, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Hundred Secret Senses, Saving Fish from Drowning

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

This National Book Award winner is set in North Dakota on the Ojibwe reservation, where a boy comes of age amid tectonic shifts in his family—shifts that are spurred by a mystery, a crime that shakes the place to its core.

Also by Louise Erdrich: LaRose, Future Home of the Living God, Love Medicine, The Painted Drum, The Plague of Doves, Four Souls, The Master Butchers Singing Club, The Red Convertible, The Birchbark House, Shadow Tag, Tracks, The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, The Beet Queen

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic vision of America follows a father and son as they journey through a scorched country, scavenging amid the destruction and defending themselves against the dangers they find there.

Also by Cormac McCarthy: All the Pretty Horses, Blood Meridian, Suttree, No Country for Old Men, Child of God, Outer Dark, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, The Sunset Limited

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Two couples become friends and spend time together in Vermont during the summers in this beautifully observed and quietly complex novel by Wallace Stegner.

Also by Wallace Stegner: Angle of Repose, The Spectator Bird, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, Recapitulation, The Sound of Mountain Water

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Paul Beatty's Man Booker Prize-winning novel is a sharp satire about race, equality, urban life, and family that is set outside Los Angeles and filled with Beatty's expertly comic voice.

Also by Paul Beatty: The White Boy Shuffle; Tuff; Slumberland; Heron Fleet; Joker, Joker, Deuce

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

In this beautifully crafted novel, Elizabeth Gilbert weaves a glimmering biography of one Alma Whittaker, a woman born with the century who comes of age in 1800s America, becomes a gifted botanist, and searches for fulfillment, enlightenment, and atonement in the natural world and across the globe.

Also by Elizabeth Gilbert: Pilgrims; The Last American Man; Stern Men; Committed; Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear; Eat, Pray, Love; City of Girls

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

This fictional autobiography tells the life story of Daisy Goodwill Flett, a woman whose ordinary days belie the dynamic interior world she cultivates and shares on paper in this Pulitzer Prize-winning book.

Also by Carol Shields: Happenstance, Swann, Dressing Up for the Carnival, Larry's Party, Jane Austen: A Life

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel about a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist double agent promises pulse-pounding thrills, espionage-driven twists, and a dose of compelling, clear-eyed humor.

Also by Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Refugees, Nothing Ever Dies, The Committed

White Noise by Don DeLillo

The white noise of modern life gets a physical representation in this National Book Award-winning novel when an "airborne toxic event" is unleashed and begins to loom over the lives of college professor Jack Gladney and his family.

Also by Don DeLillo: Zero K, Underworld, Libra, Cosmopolis, The Body Artist, The Names, End Zone, Great Jones Street

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith's 2000 debut remains a must-read. It explores the lives of Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, World War II veterans whose lives burgeon and entangle across the decades and amid the rapidly changing landscape of 20th-century London.

Also by Zadie Smith: NW, On Beauty, Swing Time, Changing My Mind, The Autograph Man, Feel Free

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

In her immersive 2022 novel, Barbara Kingsolver retells the story of Charles Dickens' wandering character David Copperfield amongst the landscape and fascinating characters of Appalachia.

Also by Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, The Bean Trees, Flight Behavior, Unsheltered, The Lacuna

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

This book is made of three parts, Book of the Thieving Magpie, Book of the Prophesying Bird, and Book of the Bird-Catcher Man. It explores family relationships and loss amid the landscapes and memorable characters of a Tokyo suburb.

Also by Haruki Murakami: Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84, Killing Commendatore, Men Without Women, First Person Singular, After Dark

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

As the first of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, My Brilliant Friend introduces readers to Elena (Lenù) Greco and Raffaella (Lila) Cerullo, whose lifelong friendship is unspooled in subsequent novels set in and around Naples, Italy.

Also by Elena Ferrante: The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, The Story of the Lost Child, The Beach at Night, The Days of Abandonment, The Lost Daughter

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

This beautiful novel about companionship and grief tells the story of a woman who is mourning the death of her friend and agrees to take care of the Great Dane he left behind. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2018.

Also by Sigrid Nunez: What Are You Going Through, Salvation City, The Last of Her Kind, Sempre Susan, A Feather on the Breath of God, Naked Sleeper For Rouenna, Mitz

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50 Notable Works of Fiction from the Past 50 Years

To mark the occasion of Bookshop Santa Cruz’s golden anniversary, we thought it would be fun to look back at the incredible books published during our 50 years and come up with a list of 50 significant fiction titles. As you might imagine, selecting the 50 most notable works of fiction published since 1966 was a nearly impossible task. At first a delight to delve into the rich history of literature over the past several decades, it quickly became torturous, as we kept bumping up against the firm limit of 50 spaces. What a pleasure to think back on such commanding works as we considered them for inclusion—the power of Toni Morrison’s Beloved , the weight of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried ! And what pain to pass over so many others.

In the end, it is only a list, albeit our list, one that attempts to reflect the breadth of our reading here at Bookshop over time, our interests, and our perspective. We hope you enjoy it with the knowledge that it could be recreated with a hundred different titles with little hesitation. Isn’t it indeed a burden of plenty to have so many from which to choose? Because literature at its best is about being inclusive, not exclusive, please look around Bookshop Santa Cruz throughout the year for in-store displays of more “50 Notable” lists as we celebrate cooking , science fiction/fantasy , and more. Plus, we get to relish in our suffering all over again for our “ 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction ” that will be featured in the winter newsletter. Enjoy!

Tell us which of these 50 notable works of fiction you've read

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The 50 best books of the past 100 years

This is one of the 306 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Set in the summer of 1922, the novel follows the life of a young and mysterious millionaire, his extravagant lifestyle in Long Island, and his obsessive love for a beautiful former debutante. As the story unfolds, the millionaire's dark secrets and the corrupt reality of the American dream during the Jazz Age are revealed. The narrative is a critique of the hedonistic excess and moral decay of the era, ultimately leading to tragic consequences.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This novel is a postcolonial prequel to "Jane Eyre," exploring the life of Mr. Rochester's mad wife, Bertha. Set in Jamaica during the 1830s, it follows the story of Antoinette Cosway, a white Creole heiress, from her youth in the Caribbean to her unhappy marriage and move to England. Caught in a society that both rejects and exoticizes her, Antoinette is ultimately driven into madness by her oppressive husband and the haunting legacy of colonialism.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

The novel tells the story of Saleem Sinai, who was born at the exact moment when India gained its independence. As a result, he shares a mystical connection with other children born at the same time, all of whom possess unique, magical abilities. As Saleem grows up, his life mirrors the political and cultural changes happening in his country, from the partition of India and Pakistan, to the Bangladesh War of Independence. The story is a blend of historical fiction and magical realism, exploring themes of identity, fate, and the power of storytelling.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

The novel is set in 1930s Edinburgh and follows the story of six girls under the tutelage of an unconventional teacher, Miss Jean Brodie. Miss Brodie, in her prime, takes it upon herself to educate the girls about life, love, politics, and art, often disregarding the traditional curriculum. The narrative explores the influence of Miss Brodie on the girls, the consequences of her nonconformist teachings, and the ultimate betrayal that leads to her downfall.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

This novel tells the story of a former African-American slave woman who, after escaping to Ohio, is haunted by the ghost of her deceased daughter. The protagonist is forced to confront her repressed memories and the horrific realities of her past, including the desperate act she committed to protect her children from a life of slavery. The narrative is a poignant exploration of the physical, emotional, and psychological scars inflicted by the institution of slavery, and the struggle for identity and self-acceptance in its aftermath.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The novel tells the story of Humbert Humbert, a man with a disturbing obsession for young girls, or "nymphets" as he calls them. His obsession leads him to engage in a manipulative and destructive relationship with his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Lolita. The narrative is a controversial exploration of manipulation, obsession, and unreliable narration, as Humbert attempts to justify his actions and feelings throughout the story.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

This novel is a pioneering work of modernist literature that explores the Ramsay family's experiences at their summer home on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The narrative is divided into three sections, focusing on a day in the family's life, a description of the house during their absence, and their return after ten years. The book is known for its stream of consciousness narrative technique and its exploration of topics such as the passage of time, the nature of art, and the female experience.

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

Set in a dystopian future, the novel presents a society under the total control of a totalitarian regime, led by the omnipresent Big Brother. The protagonist, a low-ranking member of 'the Party', begins to question the regime and falls in love with a woman, an act of rebellion in a world where independent thought, dissent, and love are prohibited. The novel explores themes of surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of truth.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novel explores the life of Okonkwo, a respected warrior in the Umuofia clan of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria during the late 1800s. Okonkwo's world is disrupted by the arrival of European missionaries and the subsequent clash of cultures. The story examines the effects of colonialism on African societies, the clash between tradition and change, and the struggle between individual and society. Despite his efforts to resist the changes, Okonkwo's life, like his society, falls apart.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The novel chronicles a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a high-society woman in post-World War I England, as she prepares for a party she is hosting that evening. Throughout the day, she encounters various characters from her past, including a former suitor and a shell-shocked war veteran. The narrative jumps back and forth in time and in and out of different characters' minds, exploring themes of mental illness, existentialism, and the nature of time.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

The novel explores themes of identity, sexuality, and societal norms in mid-20th century Paris. The protagonist, an American man, grapples with his homosexual identity while engaged to a woman. His life takes a turn when he becomes involved with an Italian bartender, leading to a tumultuous relationship filled with passion, guilt, and self-loathing. The story is a poignant examination of the human struggle for acceptance and the destructive consequences of denying one's true self.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Set in a dystopian future, this novel presents a society where women are stripped of their rights and are classified into various roles based on their fertility and societal status. The protagonist is a handmaid, a class of women used solely for their reproductive capabilities by the ruling class. The story is a chilling exploration of the extreme end of misogyny, where women are reduced to their biological functions, and a critique of religious fundamentalism.

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

The novel takes place in British-ruled India, where the cultural divide between the British and the Indians is explored. The story focuses on the experiences of an Indian Muslim, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with an English woman, Miss Quested, and her elderly friend, Mrs. Moore. After an expedition to the Marabar Caves, Miss Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of assault, leading to a trial that deepens the racial tensions and prejudices between the colonizers and the colonized. The novel is a critique of British imperialism and a study of the cultural and racial misunderstandings and ill-will between the British and the Indian people.

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

The novel explores the life of two sisters, Ruth and Lucille, who are raised by a series of relatives in a small, secluded town in Idaho after their mother's suicide. The girls' lives are profoundly affected by the eccentric and transient lifestyle of their aunt Sylvie, who becomes their guardian. The narrative delves deeply into themes of family, identity, womanhood, and the impermanence of life, ultimately leading to a divide between the sisters as they choose different paths in life.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The novel is a haunting tale of three friends, who grow up together at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they mature, they discover a dark secret about their school and the purpose of their existence, which is to become organ donors for the rest of society. The story is a profound exploration of what it means to be human, the morality of scientific innovation, and the heartbreaking reality of love and loss.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The novel is a poignant tale of an English butler, Stevens, who reflects on his life and career during a road trip through the English countryside. As he delves into his past, he reveals his unquestioning loyalty to his former employer, Lord Darlington, and his unexpressed love for the housekeeper, Miss Kenton. The narrative explores themes of dignity, duty, and regret, as Stevens comes to terms with his unquestioning devotion to his employer and the missed opportunities in his personal life.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

Set in 1950s India, this epic novel follows the story of four families over a period of 18 months, focusing primarily on the young woman Lata and her mother's quest to find her a suitable husband. The narrative explores the political, social, and personal upheavals in a newly independent India, struggling with its own identity amidst the backdrop of a society grappling with religious tensions, land reforms, and the shaping of a modern democratic state. Lata's journey is an exploration of love, ambition, and the weight of familial duty.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

This novel is a poignant tale of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, who navigate through their childhood in Kerala, India, amidst a backdrop of political unrest and societal norms. The story, set in 1969, explores the complexities of their family's history and the tragic events that shape their lives. Their mother's transgression of caste and societal norms by having an affair with an untouchable leads to disastrous consequences, revealing the oppressive nature of the caste system and the destructive power of forbidden love. The novel also delves into themes of postcolonial identity, gender roles, and the lingering effects of trauma.

Disgrace by J M Coetzee

"Disgrace" is a novel that explores the life of a middle-aged professor in South Africa who is dismissed from his position after having an affair with a student. After losing his job, he moves to the countryside to live with his daughter, where they experience a violent attack that significantly alters their lives. The story delves into themes of post-apartheid South Africa, racial tension, sexual exploitation, and the struggle for personal redemption.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The novel is a series of reflections written by an elderly dying pastor in 1956 in Gilead, Iowa, as a letter to his young son. The protagonist, John Ames, shares his family history, personal thoughts, and the struggles of his life, including the tension with his namesake and godson who returns to their small town. The book explores themes of faith, regret, and the beauty of existence, providing a profound meditation on life and death.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A group of British boys are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane crashes during wartime. Initially, they attempt to establish order, creating rules and electing a leader. However, as time passes, their civility erodes, and they descend into savagery and chaos. The struggle for power intensifies, leading to violence and death. The novel explores themes of innocence, the inherent evil in mankind, and the thin veneer of civilization.

The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald

"The Blue Flower" is a historical novel centered around the life of Friedrich von Hardenberg, an 18th-century German poet and philosopher, known as Novalis. The story focuses on his philosophical development and his romantic relationship with a 12-year-old girl, Sophie von Kühn. It explores themes of love, philosophy, and the pursuit of knowledge, all set against the backdrop of the late Enlightenment period in Germany.

A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul

The novel narrates the life of Mr. Biswas, a man of Indian descent living in Trinidad, who struggles against poverty and adversity to achieve personal independence and to build a home for himself and his family. Born into a poor family and married into an oppressive one, he constantly strives for autonomy and identity against the backdrop of post-colonial Trinidad. His dream of owning his own house becomes a symbol of his desire for self-determination and respect in a society that often denies him both.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Atonement is a powerful novel that explores the consequences of a young girl's false accusation. The narrative follows the lives of three characters, the accuser, her older sister, and the sister's lover, who is wrongly accused. This false accusation irrevocably alters their lives, leading to the accused's imprisonment and eventual enlistment in World War II, while the sisters grapple with guilt, estrangement, and their own personal growth. The novel is a profound exploration of guilt, forgiveness, and the destructive power of misinterpretation.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Set in the early 20th century, the novel is an epistolary tale of a young African-American woman named Celie, living in the South. She faces constant abuse and hardship, first from her father and then from her husband. The story unfolds through her letters written to God and her sister Nettie, revealing her emotional journey from oppression to self-discovery and independence, aided by her relationships with strong women around her. The narrative explores themes of racism, sexism, domestic violence, and the power of sisterhood and love.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The novel follows the story of a young woman who wins a guest editorship at a magazine in New York City and, after a series of personal and professional disappointments, suffers a mental breakdown and returns to her family, where she continues to struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts. The protagonist's experiences in psychiatric institutions and her attempts to reclaim her life are depicted with brutal honesty, making it a poignant exploration of mental illness and the societal pressures faced by women in the mid-20th century.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The novel is a historical fiction set in the 1500s, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The story is told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, a man of humble beginnings who rises to become the King's chief minister. The narrative explores the political and religious upheavals of the time, including King Henry's break with the Catholic Church and his controversial marriage to Anne Boleyn. The protagonist's cunning, ambition, and survival instincts are central to the plot as he navigates the treacherous waters of the Tudor court.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a psychological thriller that follows the story of Tom Ripley, a young man struggling to make ends meet in New York City. When a wealthy shipbuilder mistakes Tom for a close friend of his son, Dickie Greenleaf, he offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to persuade his wayward son to return home. Instead, Tom becomes obsessed with the luxurious lifestyle of Dickie and his girlfriend, Marge, and goes to extreme lengths to make it his own, including identity theft and murder.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

The novel is set during the Mexican Revolution, focusing on a whisky priest who is on the run from the authorities who have outlawed Catholicism. The priest, who is flawed and sinful, travels across the country to evade capture, minister to the faithful, and find a way to repent for his sins. Despite his moral failings, the priest's compassion and commitment to his faith make him a symbol of hope and resilience in the face of oppression. The book explores themes of faith, redemption, and the human struggle with sin.

Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

This novel follows the life of a successful Wall Street bond trader who, after a wrong turn in the Bronx, finds his life spiraling out of control. After a hit-and-run accident in a predominantly black neighborhood, he becomes the target of a political witch hunt, exacerbating racial tensions in the city. As the protagonist's world unravels, the story provides a satirical commentary on 1980s New York City, exploring themes of racism, classism, politics, and greed.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

The book is a collection of 13 interconnected short stories revolving around Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher living in a small town in Maine. Olive is a complex character with a prickly exterior but a deep well of emotion and empathy beneath the surface. Through her interactions and relationships with various town residents, the book explores themes of love, loss, aging, and change, painting a rich portrait of a community and its inhabitants.

The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen

"The Death of the Heart" is a novel set in the interwar period, focusing on a sixteen-year-old orphan girl who moves in with her wealthy half-brother and his wife in London. As she navigates the complexities of her new social environment, she develops a crush on a friend of the family, leading to a series of misunderstandings and betrayals. The novel explores themes of innocence, love, betrayal, and the harsh realities of adulthood.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The novel is set in Nigeria during the Biafran War, exploring the impact of the conflict on the lives of its characters. The story is told from the perspective of three characters: a young houseboy, a radical university professor, and the professor's wealthy lover. The narrative delves into themes of love, race, and war, offering a vivid depiction of the horrors of conflict and the resilience of the human spirit.

Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn

"Never Mind" is a darkly humorous and deeply disturbing narrative about an aristocratic English family. The story primarily focuses on a five-year-old boy who is the victim of his sadistic and sexually abusive father, while his mother, an alcoholic, ignores the situation. The narrative also provides a scathing critique of the British upper class through its exploration of the family's decadent lifestyle and morally corrupt behavior.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

The novel follows the story of a teenager named Holden Caulfield, who has just been expelled from his prep school. The narrative unfolds over the course of three days, during which Holden experiences various forms of alienation and his mental state continues to unravel. He criticizes the adult world as "phony" and struggles with his own transition into adulthood. The book is a profound exploration of teenage rebellion, alienation, and the loss of innocence.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Set in the mid-19th century, this novel follows a violent teenager known as "the Kid" as he joins a group of Indian-hunters led by the enigmatic and brutal Judge Holden. The narrative is a gruesome depiction of the lawless American West, filled with philosophical musings, vivid descriptions of the harsh landscape, and brutal, relentless violence. The story explores themes of human nature, morality, and the inherent chaos and brutality of life.

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

"Lady Chatterley's Lover" is a controversial novel that explores themes of class, sexuality, and the human condition. The story revolves around a young, upper-class woman married to a paralyzed war veteran who, feeling emotionally and physically neglected, embarks on a passionate affair with the estate's gamekeeper. The narrative delves into the protagonist's sexual awakening and her struggle against societal norms, ultimately advocating for emotional honesty and physical intimacy as essential components of a fulfilling life.

Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter

"Nights at the Circus" is a fantastical tale set in the late 19th century, centering around a trapeze artist who claims to be a swan princess with wings. A journalist is intrigued by her story and joins the circus to uncover the truth. As the troupe travels from London to Siberia, the journalist becomes increasingly enchanted by the strange world of circus performers and his relationship with the trapeze artist deepens. The book explores themes of love, freedom, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion.

The Golden Notebook by Doris May Lessing

The novel centers around a woman named Anna Wulf, a writer who keeps four notebooks, each representing a different aspect of her life: her experiences in Africa, her current life in London, a novel she is writing, and her personal experiences. As Anna's mental state deteriorates, she attempts to unify her fragmented self in a fifth notebook, the golden notebook. The novel explores themes of mental breakdown, communism, the changing role of women, and the fear of nuclear war.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The novel is a poignant tale set in the 1920s post-World War I era, focusing on a group of American and British expatriates living in Paris who travel to Pamplona, Spain for the annual Running of the Bulls. The story explores themes of disillusionment, identity, and the Lost Generation, with the protagonist, a war veteran, grappling with impotence caused by a war injury. The narrative is steeped in the disillusionment and existential crisis experienced by many in the aftermath of the war, and the reckless hedonism of the era is portrayed through the characters' aimless wanderings and excessive drinking.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Set in a dystopian future, the novel explores a society where human beings are genetically bred and pharmaceutically conditioned to serve in a ruling order. The society is divided into five castes, each with its specific roles. The narrative follows a savage who rejects the norms of this new world order and struggles to navigate the clash between the values of his upbringing and the reality of this technologically advanced, emotionless society. His resistance prompts a deep examination of the nature of freedom, individuality, and happiness.

Regeneration by Pat Barker

"Regeneration" is a historical and anti-war novel set in a mental hospital during World War I. The narrative focuses on the experiences and interactions of a psychiatrist and his patients, most of whom are soldiers suffering from severe shell shock. The novel explores themes of masculinity, identity, and the psychological effects of war, while also critiquing the societal pressures and expectations that led many men to enlist and subsequently suffer from mental trauma.

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

The novel follows the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball star, who is dissatisfied with his current life. He impulsively leaves his wife and son and embarks on a journey in the hopes of finding a more meaningful existence. His decisions, however, lead to a series of tragic events that impact the lives of those around him. This mid-20th-century novel explores themes of freedom, responsibility, and the tragic consequences of impulsive decisions.

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"The Adventures of Augie March" is a novel set in Chicago during the Great Depression. The story follows the life of Augie March, a poor but spirited boy growing up in a broken home, as he navigates his way through life. The narrative explores his various jobs, relationships, and adventures, as he constantly seeks his identity and place in the world. His journey is marked by a series of encounters with different people and experiences, each shaping him in unique ways.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

"A Fine Balance" is a poignant narrative set in India during the 1970s, a time of political turmoil and upheaval. The plot revolves around four diverse characters - a widow, a young student, and two tailors - who are brought together by fate. Through their interconnected lives, the book explores themes of caste, poverty, political corruption, and the human spirit's resilience. It offers a profound exploration of the delicate balance that sustains life amidst adversity.

The Corner That Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner

This novel offers a vivid portrayal of life in a medieval English convent over several decades, beginning in the 14th century. Without focusing on a central plot, it weaves together the lives, ambitions, and struggles of the nuns and their surrounding community against a backdrop of historical events like the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt. Through detailed character studies and the depiction of daily monastic life, the narrative explores themes of faith, power, and the search for meaning in a world marked by transience and adversity. The book stands out for its rich historical detail, complex characters, and its reflection on the human condition through the lens of a secluded, yet dynamically changing, religious community.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

The novel is a nostalgic story about the narrator's involvement with the Flyte family, British aristocrats living in a grand mansion called Brideshead. The story explores themes of faith, love, and the decline of the British aristocracy, primarily through the narrator's relationships with the family's Catholic faith and his complicated friendship with the family's son and his love for the daughter. The novel is set in the backdrop of the time period between the two World Wars.

White Noise by Don DeLillo

The novel is a postmodern exploration of death and consumerism in the United States. It follows a year in the life of Jack Gladney, a professor who has made his name by pioneering the field of Hitler Studies at a small liberal arts college in Middle America. Jack and his fourth wife, Babette, are afraid of death and are obsessed with finding a cure for their fear. Their lives are disrupted by an airborne toxic event, which forces them to confront their mortality and the toxic effects of modern life.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

This novel follows the life of Janie Crawford, a young African-American woman, in the early 20th century. She embarks on a journey through three marriages and self-discovery while challenging the societal norms of her time. The narrative explores her struggle for personal freedom, fulfillment, and identity against the backdrop of racism and gender expectations, ultimately emphasizing the importance of independence and personal growth.

A Fringe Of Leaves by Patrick White

Set in the early 19th century, the novel follows the journey of an Englishwoman who survives a shipwreck off the coast of Australia. Stranded on the unfamiliar continent, she is captured by Aboriginal people and experiences a dramatic cultural clash. As she adapts to the indigenous way of life, she undergoes a profound personal transformation, shedding the constraints of her genteel upbringing. Her struggle for survival and the eventual attempt to return to European society challenge her identity and perceptions of civilization, nature, and self, leading to a deep introspection about her place in the world.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Set in the racially charged South during the Depression, the novel follows a young girl and her older brother as they navigate their small town's societal norms and prejudices. Their father, a lawyer, is appointed to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, forcing the children to confront the harsh realities of racism and injustice. The story explores themes of morality, innocence, and the loss of innocence through the eyes of the young protagonists.

The Times , 51 Books

On the 100th anniversary of Ulysses, our jury of authors and critics picked the finest novels published since Joyce’s classic — and readers picked the 51st. Here's who voted:

● Kamila Shamsie is the author of Home Fire, which won the Women’s Prize. ● David Nicholls is the author of One Day and Starter for Ten. ● Aminatta Forna has written four novels, including Happiness. ● John Carey is chief literary critic of The Sunday Times. He has been reviewing in these pages for 50 years. ● Sarah Waters has written six novels, including Fingersmith. ● Sebastian Faulks is the author of 17 novels, including Birdsong. ● Anne Enright has written seven novels, including her Booker-winning The Gathering. ● Megan Nolan wrote Acts of Desperation. ● Peter Kemp is chief fiction reviewer for The Sunday Times. ● Colm Tóibín has written ten novels, including Brooklyn. ● Claire Lowdon is a novelist and literary critic. ● Yiyun Li writes short stories and novels, including A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. ● David Mitchell is the author of Cloud Atlas. ● Johanna Thomas-Corr is a journalist and literary critic. ● Diana Evans is the award-winning author of Ordinary People. ● Carys Davies is the author of West and The Mission House.

This list was originally published in 2022 and was added to this site 3 months ago.

This list has a weight of 96% . To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page .

• List: only covers 100 years

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Super Scholar

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50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years

In compiling the books on this list, the editors at SuperScholar have tried to provide a window into the culture of the last 50 years. Ideally, if you read every book on this list, you will know how we got to where we are today. Not all the books on this list are “great.” The criterion for inclusion was not greatness but INFLUENCE. All the books on this list have been enormously influential .

The books we chose required some hard choices. Because influence tends to be measured in years rather than months, it’s much easier to put older books (published in the 60s and 70s) on such a list than more recent books (published in the last decade). Older books have had more time to prove themselves. Selecting the more recent books required more guesswork, betting on which would prove influential in the long run.

We also tried to keep a balance between books that everyone buys and hardly anyone reads versus books that, though not widely bought and read, are deeply transformative. The Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa never sold as many records as some of the “one-hit wonders,” but their music has transformed the industry. Influence and popularity sometimes don’t go together. We’ve tried to reflect this in our list.

1. Chinua Achebe’s  Things Fall Apart (1958), as the most widely read book in contemporary African literature, focuses on the clash of colonialism, Christianity, and native African culture. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

2. Douglas Adams’  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) reinvented the science fiction genre, making it at once sociologically incisive as well as funny. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

3. Robert Atkins’  Dr Atkins’s New Diet Revolution (1992, last edition 2002) launched the low-carbohydrate diet revolution, variants of which continue to be seen in numerous other diet programs. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

4. Richard Dawkins’s  The God Delusion (2006), drawing on his background as an evolutionary theorist to elevate science at the expense of religion, propelled the neo-atheist movement. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

5. Allan Bloom’s  The Closing of the American Mind (1987) set the tone for the questioning of political correctness and the reassertion of a “canon” of Western civilization. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

6. Dan Brown’s  The Da Vinci Code (2003), an entertaining thriller, has been enormously influential in getting people to think that Jesus is not who Christians say he is and that Christianity is all a conspiracy. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

7. Dee Brown’s  Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) transformed the way we view native Americans as they lost their land, lives, and dignity to expanding white social and military pressures. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

8. Rachel Carson’s  Silent Spring (1962) more than any other book helped launch the environmental movement. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

9. Noam Chomsky’s Syntactic Structures (1957), laying out his ideas of transformational grammar, revolutionized the field of linguistics and at the same time dethroned behaviorism in psychology. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

10. Stephen Covey’s  Seven Habits of Highly Successful People (1989) set the standard for books on leadership and effectiveness in business. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

11. Michael Behe’s  Darwin’s Black Box (1996), though roundly rejected by the scientific community, epitomizes the challenge of so-called intelligent design to evolutionary theory and has spawned an enormous literature, both pro and con. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

12. Jared Diamond’s  Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), in employing evolutionary determinism as a lens for understanding human history, reignited grand history making in the spirit Spengler and Toynbee. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

13. Umberto Eco’s  The Name of the Rose (1980) examines, in the context of a mystery at a medieval monastery, the key themes of premodernity, modernity and postmodernity. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

14. Victor Frankl’s  Man’s Search for Meaning (1962) provides a particularly effective answer to totalitarian attempts to crush the human spirit, showing how humanity can overcome horror and futility through finding meaning and purpose. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

15. Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963), in giving expression to the discontent women felt in being confined to the role of homemaker, helped galvanize the women’s movement. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

16. Milton Friedman’s  Capitalism and Freedom (1962) argued that capitalism constitutes a necessary condition for political liberties and thus paved the way for the conservative economics of the Reagan years. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

17. Daniel Goleman’s  Emotional Intelligence (1995) showed clearly how skills in dealing with and reading emotions can be even more important than the cognitive skills that are usually cited as the official reason for career advancement. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

18. Jane Goodall’s  In the Shadow of Man (1971), in relating her experiences with chimpanzees in the wild, underscored the deep connection between humans and the rest of the animal world. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

19. John Gray’s  Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (1992), in highlighting and elevating the differences between men and women in their relationships, challenged the contention that gender differences are socially constructed. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

20. Alex Haley’s  Roots (1976), by personalizing the tragic history of American slavery through the story of Kunta Kinte, provided a poignant challenge to racism in America. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

21. Stephen Hawking’s  A Brief History of Time (1988, updated and expanded 1998), by one of the age’s great physicists, attempts to answer the big questions of existence, not least how the universe got here. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

22. Joseph Heller’s  Catch-22 (1961) etched into public consciousness a deep skepticism of bureaucracies, which in the book are portrayed as self-serving and soul-destroying. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

23. Thomas Kuhn’s  The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962, last edition 1978) changed our view of science from a fully rational enterprise to one fraught with bias and irrational elements. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

24. Harold Kushner’s  When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1981) transformed people’s view of God, exonerating God of evil by making him less than all-powerful. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

25. Harper Lee’s  To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) served as prelude to the civil rights advances of the 1960s by portraying race relations from a fresh vantage—the vantage of an innocent child untainted by surrounding racism and bigotry. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

26. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), as an example magical realism, epitomizes the renaissance in Latin American literature. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

27. Alasdair McIntyre’s  After Virtue (1981, last edition 2007) is one of the 20 th century’s most important works of moral philosophy, critiquing the rationalism and irrationalism that pervade modern moral discourse. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

28. Toni Morrison’s novel  Beloved (1987) provides a profound and moving reflection on the impact of American slavery. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

29. Abdul Rahman Munif’s  Cities of Salt (1984-89) is a quintet of novels in Arabic focusing on the psychological, sociological, and economic impact on the Middle East of oil. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

30. Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed > (1965), attacking car industry’s lax safety standards, not only improved the safety of cars but also mainstreamed consumer protection (we take such protections for granted now). [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

31. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks’  The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), though not the final statement on the 9/11 disaster, encapsulated the broader threat of terrorism in the new millennium. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

32. Roger Penrose’s  The Emperor’s New Mind (1988) provides a sweeping view of 20 th century’s scientific advances while at the same time challenging the reductionism prevalent among many scientists. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

33 . Ayn Rand’s  Atlas Shrugged (1957) has become a key inspiration for conservative economics in challenging entitlements and promoting unimpeded markets. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

34. John Rawls’  A Theory of Justice (1971, last edition 1999) is the most significant effort to date to resolve the problem of distributive justice and has formed the backdrop for public policy debates. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

35. J. K. Rowling’s  Harry Potter Series (seven volumes, 1997-2007), loved by children, panned by many literary critics, has nonetheless set the standard for contemporary children’s literature. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

36. Salman Rushdie’s  The Satanic Verses (1988), which led Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a death edict ( fatwa ) against Rushdie, underscored the clash between Islamic fundamentalism and Western civilization. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

37. Carl Sagan’s  Cosmos (1980), based on his wildly popular PBS series by the same name, inspired widespread interest in science while promoting the idea that nothing beyond the cosmos exists. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

38. Eric Schlosser’s  Fast Food Nation (2001) details the massive impact that the U.S. fast food industry has had on people’s diets not just in the U.S. but also across the globe. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

39. Amartya Sen’s  Resources, Values and Development (1984, last edition 1997) develops an approach to economics that, instead of focusing on utility maximization, attempts to alleviate human suffering by redressing the poverty that results from economic mismanagement. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

40. B. F. Skinner’s Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) attacked free will and moral autonomy in an effort to justify the use of scientific (behavioral) methods in improving society. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

41. Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s  The Gulag Archipelago (in three volumes, 1974-78) relentlessly exposed the totalitarian oppression of the former Soviet Union and, more than any other book, was responsible for its government’s subsequent dissolution. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

42. Hernando de Soto’s  The Mystery of Capitalism (2000) argues that the absence of legal infrastructure, especially as it relates to property, is the key reason that capitalism fails when it does fail. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

43. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946, last edition 2004) sold 50 million copies and revolutionized how Americans raise their children. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

44. Nassim Taleb’s  The Black Swan (2007, last edition 2010) provides the most trenchant critique to date of the financial and monetary backdrop to the current economic crisis. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

45. Mao Tse-tung’s The Little Red Book , aka Quotations From Chairman Mao (1966) was required reading throughout China and epitomized his political and social philosophy. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

46. Rick Warren’s  The Purpose Driven Life (2002), though addressed to the American evangelical culture, has crossed boundaries and even led to Warren giving the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

47. James D. Watson’s  The Double Helix (1969), in presenting a personal account of his discovery, with Francis Crick, of the structure of DNA, not only recounted one of the 20 th century’s greatest scientific discoveries but also showed how science, as a human enterprise, really works. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

48. E. O. Wilson’s  Sociobiology (1975) challenged the idea that cultural evolution can be decoupled from biological evolution, thus engendering the fields of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary ethics. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

49. Malcolm X’s  The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), written posthumously by Alex Haley from interviews, portrays a complex activist for human rights at a complex time in American history. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

50. Muhammad Yunus’  Banker to the Poor (1999, last edition 2007) lays out how “micro-lending” made it possible to provide credit to the poor, thereby offering a viable way to significantly diminish world poverty. [ Amazon Link ] – [ Wikipedia Link ]

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25 Famous Books From The 1950s

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Travel back in time with the best books from the 1950s, including bestselling and iconic titles.

With the post-WW2 boom, emergence of the “baby boomer” generation, “Space Race,” Civil Rights Movement, “The Golden Age of Television,” and many new inventions, the 1950s brought political, scientific, economic, and technological changes.

The 1950s were also responsible for the creation of CERN, black box, oral contraceptive pill, NASA, poliovirus vaccine, passenger jet, and super glue.

Books from the ’50s were some of the most controversial of their time, yet are widely read classics for both adults and children today. Many of these 1950s books are utterly iconic.

Not to mention that some of the best books about the 1950s teach us more about the era, whether through their narrative, censorship upon publication, or public reception.

Like the ’60s, books in the 1950s are products of their time – and some are problematic. Read them with awareness and caution.

So, what are the best books from the 1950s to read right now? Below, find ’50s books in all genres, including a few plays. Let’s get started!

*Please note that while all of these books were published in the 1950s, many of the book covers and links are for newer editions.

Read across the decades with these book lists .

Grab your favorite 1950s books :

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What We Recommend

25 Best Books From The 1950s

1. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)

One of the most iconic books from the 1950s is undoubtedly J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye .

This coming-of-age novel about teenage angst and alienation continues to sell a million copies every year –literally!

Holden Caulfield, the narrator, has become a transgenerational symbol of disillusionment.

In the story, he narrates his lost weekend in New York, proffering his opinion on everything from his peers, to dating, to films, to ducks.

You know it’s good because it’s been subjected to bans and censorship since its release, on the grounds of its “vulgar language,” “undermining of family values,” and “encouragement of rebellion” (among other things).

Discover even more famous books on our 50 States book list . Read The Catcher In The Rye : Amazon | Goodreads

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

“It was a pleasure to burn,” begins Fahrenheit 451 , one of the most enduring 1950s books that has scary resonance today.

In Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novella, firemen no longer put out fires; rather, they set fire to buildings where books have been discovered.

The world has lost faith in the written word, preferring ubiquitous screens and ear plugs (“sea shells”) – sound familiar at all?

At the heart of the story is Guy Montag, a fireman whose curiosity overcomes him. He does the unthinkable: he saves a book.

And so begins a journey that will unravel Montag’s life, and the world around him.

Uncover even more great books about books and reading . Read Fahrenheit 451 : Amazon | Goodreads

3. The Fellowship of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954)

J.R.R. Tolkien changed the game with The Fellowship Of The Ring , the first in his epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

This was long before doorstop fantasy books were a dime a dozen. In the context of books from the ‘50s, this was an ambitious undertaking (to say the least!).

The story begins on Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday when Gandalf has to coerce him into bequeathing the mysterious and powerful ring he treasures to his cousin, Frodo.

If you think you “know” the rest of the story because you’ve seen the Peter Jackson films, think again! Tolkien has some surprises in store for you.

Uncover more books adapted into terrific movies . Read The Fellowship of The Ring : Amazon | Goodreads

4. Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin (1953)

Go Tell It On The Mountain isn’t just one of the best 1950s books; it’s widely considered one of the best books of the 20th century.

This semi-autobiographical novel explores the role of the Pentecostal Church in the Black community during the mid-century decades with many anecdotes drawn directly from Baldwin’s own upbringing.

He began work on the manuscript as early as 1938, but it wasn’t until 1953 – when Baldwin was living in Paris, far from the Harlem home he describes in its pages – that it was finally published, to popular and critical acclaim.

Go Tell It On The Mountain continues to resonate with readers, interrogating the role of race and religion in society. Read Go Tell It On The Mountain : Amazon | Goodreads

5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

One of the most controversial books from the 1950s – and dark romance movies to watch – is also one of the most masterful and acclaimed.

Lolita set the standard for unreliable narrators with the loathsome Humbert Humbert telling his own story of how he kidnapped and abused a 12-year-old girl whom he gave the titular nickname.

It’s stomach-churning stuff, but it’s also beautifully written – all the more amazing for the fact that Russian-American Nabokov wasn’t writing in his native language.

The cultural legacy of this novel cannot be compared, as artists like Lana Del Rey continue to draw on its iconography and academics continue to debate its themes and significance. Read Lolita : Amazon | Goodreads

6. The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1952)

Ernest Hemingway’s final major work before his death, The Old Man And The Sea , ended up being one of the most significant in his ouveur.

For this novella, he won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and it was specifically cited when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

Written with Hemingway’s characteristic brevity, The Old Man And The Sea is short enough to be read in a single afternoon, but it’s rich enough in metaphor and meaning that you’ll be thinking about it for years.

This is one of the books from the ’50s that continues to be analyzed and adored around the world and will likely be for many decades more. Plus, it’s a quick read if you are looking for books set in and about Cuba . Read The Old Man And The Sea : Amazon | Goodreads

7. The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank (1952)

First translated into English in 1952 by B. M. Mooyaart-Doubleday

Even though The Diary Of A Young Girl was first written during the Second World War, the first English translation didn’t appear until 1952.

The ten-year interlude between Anne Frank receiving a blank diary for her 13th birthday in 1942 and the English-speaking world becoming acquainted with her story was a time of major social and political upheaval.

Perhaps that’s why the earnest etchings of a Jewish girl in hiding touched such a cord with readers.

Anne’s diary went on to become one of the bestselling books in the 1950s, posthumously making her dream of being a literary sensation come true.

Throughout the decades, The Diary Of A Young Girl is one of the most widely read WWII books in American classrooms . Read The Diary Of A Young Girl : Amazon | Goodreads

8. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (1952)

Illustrated by Garth Williams

Revisit your childhood and get a heady dose of nostalgia with Charlotte’s Web , one of the most charming children’s books from the 1950s.

It all begins when Fern begs her father not to kill the runt of a litter of piglets. The little piggy becomes her pet, her beloved Wilbur – and his journey is only just beginning.

He later befriends a sentient spider who takes to crafting messages in her web to keep Wilbur from the butcher’s block.

Upon release, reviews called White’s story “magical” and “just about perfect,” a sentiment echoed by generations of young readers in the decades since. Read Charlotte’s Web : Amazon | Goodreads

9. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)

In 1953, Ralph Ellison became the first Black man ever to win the U.S. National Book Award For Fiction, for his novel Invisible Man published the previous year.

TIME magazine called it “the quintessential American picaresque of the 20th century,” when they named it one of the Top 100 Best English-language Novels (1923-2005).

Ellison used what he called “an experimental attitude” to craft a genre-bending story that addresses race and racial politics in a way few other 1950s books do.

Hulu has been working on adapting Invisible Man since 2017, so you’ll want to read it before the series comes out! Read Invisible Man : Amazon | Goodreads

10. On The Road by Jack Kerouac (1957)

You can’t call yourself a beatnik if you haven’t read On The Road , one of the best books about the 1950s counterculture.

Kerouac famously wrote the entire manuscript in just three weeks, typing on a single giant scroll of tracing paper about 120ft in length.

He called his method “spontaneous prose,” an account written “with the fluidity of jazz.”

The story is a (very) thinly veiled fictional account of his adventures across the United States with his friend and fellow Beat Generation figure Neal Cassady, assigned the names Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty respectively.

For iconic road trip books , On The Road is a confronting, challenging, and powerful read. Read On The Road : Amazon | Goodreads

11. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)

Chinua Achebe’s debut novel, Things Fall Apart , was also his magnum opus–a milestone in African literature, and one of the best books from the 1950s.

Through the story of a local wrestling champion, Achebe presents a heart-wrenching account of the impact of European colonialism on the people of southeastern Nigeria.

Things Fall Apart was one of the first African novels, written in English, to receive global acclaim. It has gone on to sell over 20 million copies and has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Achebe is now widely considered one of the most important African novelists, a defining voice in our understanding of African identity and society.

Explore even more books about, from, and set in Nigeria . Read Things Fall Apart : Amazon | Goodreads

12. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)

If you ever needed proof that human history is all swings and roundabouts, you can find it in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible .

(Okay, technically it’s a play, but it’s so frequently read and reviewed as a book in and of itself, it should really count as one of the must-read books from the ‘50s.)

Miller used a partly-fictionalized story about the Salem witch trials in the 1690s to craft a careful allegory about the dangers of McCarthyism.

He was so successful in making his point that he was actually questioned by the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to snitch on his friends. Read The Crucible: Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information

13. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (1951)

For too long, Daphne du Maurier’s novels were written off as “popular trash.”

It’s only in recent years that her Gothic mysteries and compelling psychological thrillers have been recognized for the brilliant works of English literature that they are.

My Cousin Rachel is carefully crafted and perfectly paced. It revolves around an orphan, Philip, who is raised to be the heir to his cousin Ambrose’s Cornwall estate.

When Ambrose falls in love, marries, and dies (in rapid succession), Philip is devastated and highly suspicious of the widow.

Did she have a hand in Ambrose’s death? You can see why this was one of the bestselling books in the 1950s! Read My Cousin Rachel : Amazon | Goodreads

14. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (1953)

The man, the myth, the legend – James Bond all began with Casino Royale , Ian Fleming’s first book about the British secret agent.

It was an instant bestseller in the U.K, selling out of three print runs in its first month on the market, but it bombed in the U.S. (possibly because it was given the aggressive title ‘ You Asked For It ’ in the American market, and editors changed the spy’s name to Jimmy Bond).

Eventually, Fleming found his audience on both sides of the pond, and now his early Bond stories are remembered as game-changers, the best spy thriller books from the ‘50s.

Read Casino Royale : Amazon | Goodreads

15. My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (1956)

Before there was David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs, there was Gerald Durrell.

My Family And Other Animals is the – admittedly over-exaggerated for comedic effect – story of life for the young Durrells on the Greek island of Corfu.

With a cast of eccentric side characters and an impressive collection of pets, there are guaranteed laughs to be had.

In between family foibles, Durrell writes beautifully about the fauna and flora of the island.

So beautifully, in fact, that much of the tourism to the island today can be traced back to this and other 1950s books by Durrell.

Books about Greece and Greek life don’t get any more fun and enjoyable than this.

Explore more great books set on islands .

Read My Family And Other Animals : Amazon | Goodreads

16. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (1956)

Yes, James Baldwin wrote so many books in the 1950s that he appears on this list twice!

Giovanni’s Room is very different in tone and style from Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953) , but it’s equally as brilliant.

The story revolves around David, an American man living in Paris, and his relationships with other men –especially the Italian bartender, Giovanni, who caught his eye in a Parisian gay bar.

This examination of masculinity, sexuality, social isolation, and identity crises was so far ahead of its time that it’s possible we’re only truly starting to appreciate it fully in the present day.

Learn more about Paris with this reading list . Read Giovanni’s Room : Amazon | Goodreads

17. Strangers On A Train by Patricia Highsmith (1950)

You might have seen the Hitchcock film (1951), but have you read one of the smartest psychological thriller books from the 1950s?

Strangers On A Train has an intriguing premise: two strangers (who meet, you guessed it, on a train) agree to ‘trade’ murders, each removing a human obstacle from the other’s life.

As the two men are not connected in any other way, and neither of them otherwise has any motive to kill their targets, they predict that they will easily escape police detection.

Of course, nothing in a Patricia Highsmith novel is ever that simple. This taut, introspective train thriller will have you on the edge of your seat! Read Strangers On A Train : Amazon | Goodreads | Book Information

18. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)

Technically, all seven novels in the Narnia chronicles series were books from the ‘50s – published between 1950 and 1956.

However, the best-known was the first, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe .

The story revolves around four siblings who are sent to live in the country during the Second World War, where they discover a portal in the back of a cupboard to the land of Narnia.

There are talking lions, mythical creatures, witches , and – most important of all – Turkish Delight.

Revisiting this story as an adult will remind you how brilliant C.S. Lewis was at crafting allegories, and you’ll see the deeper meaning(s) you missed as a kid.

1950s books really don’t get any more iconic than this! Read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe : Amazon | Goodreads

19. Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose (1954)

Twelve Angry Men is another play most certainly counts as one of the best books about the 1950s.

The story seems simple enough: a jury retires from a homicide trial to deliberate. Eleven of the twelve ‘men in ties’ push for an immediate verdict of guilty, but one refuses.

One by one, the dissenter persuades other members of the jury (and the reader) to change their vote, ultimately ensuring that an innocent man goes free.

Twelve Angry Men remains popular to this day, with scary new resonance in light of the public failings of the justice system. Read Twelve Angry Men : Amazon | Goodreads

20. East Of Eden by John Steinbeck (1952)

Sitting down to read East Of Eden is quite an undertaking, but if you’ve got the time and patience, you’ll find it’s one of the most rewarding books from the 1950s.

It’s certainly Steinbeck’s most ambitious novel, and he himself called it his ‘magnum opus’.

He drew his inspiration from the biblical story of Cain and Abel, crafting a story of depravity, guilt, and struggle around two families (the Trasks and the Hamiltons) set primarily in California over the first half of the 20th century.

It’s a pensive and philosophical novel – and depressing, to boot! – but beautifully written.

Read more contemporary books set in CA too!

Read East Of Eden : Amazon | Goodreads

21. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (1956)

Perhaps you’re wondering how a 1960s soap opera ended up on a list of the bestselling books in the 1950s…?

Well, Peyton’s Place was actually based on a novel by Grace Metalious, a salacious and scintillating book that topped the New York Times Bestseller List for over a year.

The content of the book was surprisingly ahead of its time.

The story revolves around three women who live in a small, gossipy New England village.

They battle inequity and class privilege in their quest to live their truth, while also navigating adultery, lust, and murder.

This is one you’ll want to read when you’re in the mood for something sinfully delicious. Read Peyton Place : Amazon | Goodreads

22. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (1957)

Translated into English by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

The 1950s were a wild time for protest books.

Doctor Zhivago had to be smuggled out of the USSR in order to reach publishers in Italy, as Boris Pasternak was none too popular with the Russian government of the day.

Censors rejected his work on the grounds that he (subtly) criticized Stalinism and the Great Purge.

Thankfully, the manuscript landed in the right hands in Milan, so we all get to enjoy it today.

It’s surely one of the most complex books from the ‘50s with dozens of characters with multiple names playing out an intricate plot.

But it’s also an immensely rewarding read, if only for the struggle it had to go through to get to us.

Read Doctor Zhivago : Amazon | Goodreads

23. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (1959)

If it weren’t for pearl-clutching censors and puritan scolds, Lady Chatterley’s Lover wouldn’t be one of these 1950s books at all.

The first editions were published in liberal European nations, Italy and France, two full decades before they could be sold elsewhere.

D.H. Lawrence’s story of adultery and desire was subject to one of the most extensive and controversial censorship campaigns of the 20th century.

The matter made it all the way to the courts where the book’s publishers were put on trial for obscenity.

The publisher’s victory paved the way for publication in the U.S. (1959) and the U.K. (1960) and changed the game for all controversial titles that came after.

Essentially, the story follows the relationship between a working-class man and an upper-class woman.

Lady Chatterley (formerly Constance) has been trapped in an emotionless marriage and has an affair with the gamekeeper. Read Lady Chatterley’s Lover : Amazon | Goodreads

24. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (1950)

If you’re in the mood for nostalgic, romantic books from the 1950s, pick up A Town Like Alice (also called The Legacy in the U.S.).

It’s one of the first examples of WWII historical fiction , written not long after the war ended and based loosely on the real experiences of women and communities during the conflict.

Jean Paget, a British secretary, comes into an unexpected inheritance.

She wants to use her new wealth to build a well for a Malayan village community where she herself was held prisoner during the war.

Jean wants to make it “a town like Alice [Springs],” an Australian region she visited while searching for the man she fell in love with while imprisoned.

Explore even more WW2 books for world travelers . Read A Town Like Alice : Amazon | Goodreads

25. The Flower Drum Song by C.Y. Lee (1957)

Although it’s not as widely read as other 1950s books today, The Flower Drum Song was one of the bestselling books in the 1950s.

It’s a story about the Chinatown district of San Francisco, the refugees who have made it their home, and the pressures of assimilation.

Chinese-American writer C.Y. Lee initially had a lot of trouble finding a publisher willing to take it on.

However, an elderly manuscript assessor for Farrar, Straus, and Cudahy (who died shortly after reading the draft) convinced them with a final message he scrawled on the front page: Read This.

The book went on to be adapted for both stage and screen, to great success. Read The Flower Drum Song : Amazon | Goodreads

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Sheree Strange

Sheree (pronouns: she/her) is a writer and book reviewer living on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation (known as Sydney, Australia). She has been reviewing books on her blog, Keeping Up With The Penguins , since 2017. She reads books of all kinds and shares her thoughts on them all across the internet.

Sheree, I’m a big fan of the 1950s and I was very glad to see the decade in literature covered in your list. You covered some excellent books; I wouldn’t quibble with a single one. There are a few I would add to your list, however, if I may: 1) Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (1959) 2) The Adventures of Angie March by Saul Bellow (1953) 3) Rabbit, Run by John Updike (1959) 4) From Here to Eternity by James Jones (1951) 5) The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson (1955) 6) Warlock by Oakley Hall (1959) 7) The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (1954?) 8) The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut (1958?) 9) Exodus by Leon Uris (1958) 10) The Town and the City by Jack Kerouac (1950) 11) The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (1951) 12) Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (1959) There are many more. It was a great decade for literature. And film. And music. And cars, and everything else.

Thanks so much for sharing this great list, Bruce. We and our readers appreciate it.

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