The Reading History Project: The Authors Guild's "Essential Reading for America 250"

Gail Reading

There's an incredible amount of reading material available on American history. The Authors Guild has put together a list of nonfiction and fiction by century, that it thinks is Essential Reading for America 250. In case you need a little help getting started. 

Gail's Thoughts About Just Some of the Books:

Uncle Tom's Cabin. God forgive me, when I was young, I thought this sounded boring and never got over that. The write-ups here have me rethinking this.

Leaves of Grass. I am not a big poetry reader, but I have been interested in trying a little Walt Whitman.

Little Women. Not sure how I feel about Little Women as essential reading, since I used to be a big fan of Louisa May Alcott but am not anymore.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Somewhere I have an article I haven't read on the significance of this book. So maybe I should just read the book and forget about the article?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Maybe I should read this again.

How the Other Half Lives. I've been hearing about Jacob Riis for years. Yes, maybe I should read this.

The House of Mirth. I read The Age of Innocence years ago and survived it. I like reading about Wharton, so maybe I should give this a go.

The Great Gatsby. This title keeps coming up over and over again. I know I should reread it. Maybe if it's essential reading for America 250, I can get around to it.

Giant. Read So Big and, again, survived it. And wasn't this a movie with Elizabeth Taylor? Another book that I could take a shot at.

Charlotte's Web. No. Just no. 

Mrs. Bridge. "A gutting depiction of a "quintessentially" American marriage in the heartland?" Or anywhere? Anyone who has been married as long as I have can probably skip this. And wasn't it a movie with Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman? They went to Europe or something?

To Kill a Mockingbird. Have read it a couple of times, once as an early teen, once decades later. Good both times. You should read it. I don't think it's about racial injustice, myself. I think it's about daddy worship.

Kindred. I've read one book by Octavia Butler. I've often thought I should read another. 

There, There. I've read this! Gave it 4 stars at Goodreads.

A Protest History of the United States. I already had this in mind for a possible read this year.

Any other thoughts on the Guild's suggestions?