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25 American Classics Everyone Should Read at Least Once

Not all of us paid attention in high school English class, but that doesn't mean the assigned books weren't worth reading (or re-reading).
And maybe it's finally time to enjoy "The Grapes of Wrath" and other classics, instead of just the CliffsNotes version.
Miriam Tuliao, assistant director of central collection development at the New York Public Library, helped us create a list of 25 American classics everyone should read.
From John Steinbeck's masterpiece to Jack Kerouac's "On The Road," these 25 titles are worth your time (listed here in alphabetical order).
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
1
Betty Smith
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
2
Mark Twain
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Atlas Shrugged
3
Ayn Rand
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
4
Kate Chopin
The Poems of Emily Dickinson
The Poems of Emily Dickinson
5
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
6
Alice Walker
The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
The Crucible
7
Arthur Miller
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
8
Ray Bradbury
The Fall of the House of Usher (Edgar Allan Poe)
The Fall of the House of Usher
9
Edgar Allan Poe
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
10
John Steinbeck
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
11
Edith Wharton
How the Other Half Lives
How the Other Half Lives
12
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
13
Maya Angelou
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Harriet Jacobs)
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
14
Harriet Jacobs
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
15
Ralph Ellison
The Jungle (Upton Sinclair)
The Jungle
16
Upton Sinclair
Leaves of Grass (Walt Whitman)
Leaves of Grass
17
Walt Whitman
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (Stephen Crane)
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
18
Stephen Crane
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
19
Jack Kerouac
The Portrait of a Lady (Henry James)
The Portrait of a Lady
20
Henry James
The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
The Things They Carried
21
Tim O'Brien
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
22
Zora Neale Hurston
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
23
Harper Lee
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
24
Kurt Vonnegut
Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
Walden
25
Henry David Thoreau
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