20 Best Books By American Authors (2023 Update)

New york times and usa today bestseller viral sensation and emmy award-winner leslie jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice. when actor leslie jordan learned he had "gone viral," he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. on instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays. bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish southern charm, how y'all doing? whether he's writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a west hollywood starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary hollywood start debbie reynolds, leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart. is an authentic, warm, and joyful portrait of an american sweetheart– a southern baptist celebutante, first-rate raconteur, and keen observer of the odd side of life whose quirky wit rivals the likes of amy sedaris, jenny lawson, david rakoff, and sarah vowell.

A new york times and washington post notable book a 2018 best of the year selection of npr * time * bustle * o, the oprah magazine * the dallas morning news * amazon.com oprah’s book club 2018 selectionwinner of the women's prize for fictionwinner of the 2019 aspen words literary prize winner of the 2019 naacp image award for outstanding literary work—fictionlonglisted for the 2018 national book award for fiction“a moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young african-american couple.” —barack obama “haunting . . . beautifully written.” —the new york times book review “brilliant and heartbreaking . . . unforgettable.” —usa today “a tense and timely love story . . . packed with brave questions about race and class.” —people “compelling.” —the washington post “deeply moving . . . thought-provoking." —bill gates “epic . . . triumphant.” —elle newlyweds celestial and roy are the embodiment of both the american dream and the new south. he is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. but as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime celestial knows he didn’t commit. though fiercely independent, celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. as roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. after five years, roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to atlanta ready to resume their life together. this stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. an american marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

#1 new york times bestseller, named by the times as one of "6 books to help understand trump's win" and soon to be a major-motion picture directed by ron howard "you will not read a more important book about america this year."—the economist "a riveting book."—the wall street journal"essential reading."—david brooks, new york timeshillbilly elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class americans. the disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.the vance family story begins hopefully in postwar america. d.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from kentucky’s appalachia region to ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. they raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from yale law school, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. with piercing honesty, vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.a deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, hillbilly elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. and it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the american dream for a large segment of this country.

Netgalley review: holly senecal: "completely compelling to read… fascinating biography, gorgeous setting. a perfect blend and a really good read." go behind the wooden gates of the writers' compound in key west to discover the untold story of four of the most celebrated america authors in the 20th century. based on anecdotes, events, and conversations gleaned from first-person interviews with other writers and friends who knew them best, the writers' compound reveals both the good times and the bitter resentments that confronted these writers on their island paradise. in addition to the fascinating story of these four famous writers, the writers' compound also captures both the nostalgia of the period, and the enduring allure of key west today. the writersjohn ciardi: an admitted grouch whose volatile temper and sarcastic wit could eviscerate anyone in his line of fire, but who could also be "extremely entertaining and funny and gregarious." ralph ellison: a complicated man who may or may not have been homophobic, but openly admitted that he accepted gays "as long as they were not obvious." john hersey: whose distinguished career as a pulitzer prize winning author was marred by charges of plagiarism – a charge he reluctantly admitted to but never really accepted. richard wilbur: an unabashed free spirit who embraced an island that he found (like the movie bonnie and clyde) "morally questionable, but, aesthetically, very pleasing."

The debut novel from the new york times bestselling author of the son, which is now an amc original tv series set in a beautiful but economically devastated pennsylvania steel town, american rust is a novel of the lost american dream and the desperation–as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love–that arise from its loss. from local bars to trainyards to prison, it is the story of two young men, bound to the town by family, responsibility, inertia, and the beauty around them, who dream of a future beyond the factories and abandoned homes. left alone to care for his aging father after his mother commits suicide and his sister escapes to yale, isaac english longs for a life beyond his hometown. but when he finally sets out to leave for good, accompanied by his temperamental best friend, former high school football star billy poe, they are caught up in a terrible act of violence that changes their lives forever. evoking john steinbeck's novels of restless lives during the great depression, american rust takes us into the contemporary american heartland at a moment of profound unrest and uncertainty about the future. it is a dark but lucid vision, a moving novel about the bleak realities that battle our desire for transcendence and the power of love and friendship to redeem us. newsweek's list of "best. ever"a washington post top ten book of 2009a new york times notable book of 2009an economist best book of 2009a kansas city star top 100 book of 2009pittsburgh post-gazette's best books of 2009idaho statesman's best books of 2009

A 2016 coretta scott king author honor book, and recipient of the walter dean myers award for outstanding children’s literature. in this new york times bestselling novel, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.a bag of chips. that’s all sixteen-year-old rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. what he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, paul galluzzo, who mistakes rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to stay still as ordered. but how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement? there were witnesses: quinn collins—a varsity basketball player and rashad’s classmate who has been raised by paul since his own father died in afghanistan—and a video camera. soon the beating is all over the news and paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. but then rashad is absent. and absent again. and again. and the basketball team—half of whom are rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. as does the school. and the town. simmering tensions threaten to explode as rashad and quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this four-starred reviewed tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of rashad and quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken directly from today’s headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

A struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding in this hilarious pulitzer prize-winning novel full of "arresting lyricism and beauty" (the new york times book review). winner of the pulitzer prizenational bestseller – a new york times notable book of 2017a washington post top ten book of 2017a san francisco chronicle top ten book of 2017longlisted for the andrew carnegie medal for excellence, the lambda award, and the california book award – who says you can't run away from your problems? you are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. a wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. you can't say yes–it would be too awkward–and you can't say no–it would look like defeat. on your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world. – question: how do you arrange to skip town? answer: you accept them all. – what would possibly go wrong? arthur less will almost fall in love in paris, almost fall to his death in berlin, barely escape to a moroccan ski chalet from a saharan sandstorm, accidentally book himself as the (only) writer-in-residence at a christian retreat center in southern india, and encounter, on a desert island in the arabian sea, the last person on earth he wants to face. somewhere in there: he will turn fifty. through it all, there is his first love. and there is his last. – because, despite all these mishaps, missteps, misunderstandings and mistakes, less is, above all, a love story. – a scintillating satire of the american abroad, a rumination on time and the human heart, a bittersweet romance of chances lost, by an author the new york times has hailed as "inspired, lyrical," "elegiac," "ingenious," as well as "too sappy by half," less shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy." i could not love less more."–ron charles, the washington post"andrew sean greer's less is excellent company. it's no less than bedazzling, bewitching and be-wonderful."–christopher buckley, the new york times book review

An ordinary man finds that his life has been made extraordinary by the catastrophic intrusion of history, when, in 1968, his adored daughter plants a bomb that kills a stranger, hurling her father out of the longed-for american pastoral and into the ingenious american berserk. "never before has roth written with clear conviction".–"time". winner of the pulitzer prizehere is philip roth's masterpiece–an elegy for the american century's promises of prosperity, civic order, and domestic bliss. roth's protagonist is swede levov, a legendary athlete at his newark high school, who grows up in the booming postwar years to marry a former miss new jersey, inherit his father's glove factory, and move into a stone house in the idyllic hamlet of old rimrock. and then one day in 1968, swede's beautiful american luck deserts him. for swede's adored daughter, merry, has grown from a loving, quick-witted girl into a sullen, fanatical teenager–a teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of political terrorism. and overnight swede is wrenched out of the longed-for american pastoral and into the indigenous american berserk. compulsively readable, propelled by sorrow, rage, and a deep compassion for its characters, american pastoral gives us philip roth at the height of his powers.

From the bestselling author of the hit netflix series, virgin river! in sullivan's crossing, #1 new york times bestselling author robyn carr has created a place where good people, powerful emotions, great humor and a healthy dose of common sense are the key ingredients to a happy life. sullivan's crossing brings out the best in people. it's a place you'll want to visit again and again.dr. leigh culver loves practicing medicine in timberlake, colorado. it is a much-needed change of pace from her stressful life in chicago. the only drawback is she misses her aunt helen, the woman who raised her. but it's time that leigh has her independence, and she hopes the beauty of the colorado wilderness will entice her aunt to visit often.helen culver is an independent woman who lovingly raised her sister's orphaned child. now, with leigh grown, it's time for her to live life for herself. the retired teacher has become a successful mystery writer who loves to travel and intends to never experience winter again.when helen visits leigh, she is surprised to find her niece still needs her, especially when it comes to sorting out her love life. but the biggest surprise comes when leigh takes helen out to sullivan's crossing and helen finds herself falling for the place and one special person. helen and leigh will each have to decide if they can open themselves up to love neither expected to find and seize the opportunity to live their best lives.

A #1 new york times bestseller, wall street journal best book of the year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war has enthralled a generation. with courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author kristin hannah captures the epic panorama of world war ii and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. the nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in german-occupied, war-torn france—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. it is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.goodreads best historical novel of the year – people's choice favorite fiction winner – #1 indie next selection – a buzzfeed and the week best book of the year praise for the nightingale:"haunting, action-packed, and compelling." —christina baker kline, #1 new york times bestselling author"absolutely riveting!… read this book." —dr. miriam klein kassenoff, director of the university of miami holocaust teacher institute"beautifully written and richly evocative." —sara gruen, #1 new york times bestselling author“a hauntingly rich wwii novel about courage, brutality, love, survival—and the essence of what makes us human.” —family circle“a heart-pounding story.” —usa today"an enormous story. richly satisfying. i loved it." —anne rice"a respectful and absorbing page-turner." —kirkus reviews"tender, compelling…a satisfying slice of life in nazi-occupied france." —jewish book council“expect to devour the nightingale in as few sittings as possible; the high-stakes plot and lovable characters won’t allow any rest until all of their fates are known.” —shelf awareness"i loved the nightingale." —lisa see, #1 new york times bestselling author"powerful…an unforgettable portrait of love and war." —people

The blockbuster hit—over two million copies sold! a new york times, usa today, wall street journal, and publishers weekly bestseller“poignant, engrossing.”—people – “lisa wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power.”—paula mclainmemphis, 1939. twelve-year-old rill foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s mississippi river shantyboat. but when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a tennessee children’s home society orphanage, the foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. at the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. aiken, south carolina, present day. born into wealth and privilege, avery stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. but when avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.

Now a major motion picture from lion's gate films starring christian bale (metroland), chloe sevigny (the last days of disco), jared leto (my so called life), and reese witherspoon (cruel intentions), and directed by mary harron (i shot andy warhol). in american psycho, bret easton ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. patrick bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s manhattan. expressing his true self through torture and murder, bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.

This highly acclaimed collection of short stories by american writers contains only the best literary art of the past four decades. editors raymond carver and tom jenks have selected fiction that “tells a story”–and tells it with a masterful handling of language, situation, and insight. but what is so special about this volume is that it mirrors our age, our concerns, and our lives. whether it’s the end of a marriage, as in bobbie ann manson’s “shiloh,” or the struggle with self-esteem and weight in andre dubus’s “the fat girl,” the 36 works included her probe issues that give us that “shock of recognition” that is the hallmark of great art—wonderful, absorbing fiction that will be read and reread for decades to come.

The best american short stories is the longest running and best-selling series of short fiction in the country. for the centennial celebration of this beloved annual series, master of the form lorrie moore selects forty stories from the more than two thousand that were published in previous editions. series editor heidi pitlor recounts behind-the-scenes anecdotes and examines, decade by decade, the trends captured over a hundred years. together, the stories and commentary offer an extraordinary guided tour through a century of literature with what moore calls "all its wildnesses of character and voice." these forty stories represent their eras but also stand the test of time. here is ernest hemingway's first published story and a classic by william faulkner, who admitted in his biographical note that he began to write "as an aid to love-making." nancy hale's story describes far-reaching echoes of the holocaust; tillie olsen's story expresses the desperation of a single mother; james baldwin depicts the bonds of brotherhood and music. here is raymond carver's "minimalism," a term he disliked, and grace paley's "secular yiddishkeit." here are the varied styles of donald barthelme, charles baxter, and jamaica kincaid. from junot díaz to mary gaitskill, from zz packer to sherman alexie, these writers and stories explore the different things it means to be american. moore writes that the process of assembling these stories allowed her to look "thrillingly not just at literary history but at actual history — the cries and chatterings, silences and descriptions of a nation in flux." 100 years of the best american short stories is an invaluable testament, a retrospective of our country's ever-changing but continually compelling literary artistry.

This gorgeously-produced companion book to pbs's new series exploring america's best-loved novels presents all 100 finalists with fascinating information about each book, plus author profiles, themed articles about banned books, the most influential book illustrators, reading recommendations, the best first-lines in literature, and more. beautifully designed with rare images of the original manuscripts, first-edition covers, rejection letters, and other ephemera. hardcover, 288 pages.

#1 new york times bestseller | a reese witherspoon x hello sunshine book club pick“a great narrative about personal strength and really captures how books bring communities together.” —reese witherspoon – from the author of the last letter from your lover, now a major motion picture on netflix, a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of kentucky and beyond in depression-era america – alice wright marries handsome american bennett van cleve, hoping to escape her stifling life in england. but small-town kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. so when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of eleanor roosevelt’s new traveling library, alice signs on enthusiastically. – the leader, and soon alice's greatest ally, is margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. they will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the packhorse librarians of kentucky. what happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion. these heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. and though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives. – based on a true story rooted in america’s past, the giver of stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling.

American writers at home affords an unprecedented opportunity to visit the private homes where our greatest writers crafted their masterpieces. in the process, it opens a window onto the writer's life that will forever change the way you read. as he wrote moby-dick, herman melville imagined that his study had become a whaling ship's cabin. in pencil tracings still visible today, william faulkner plotted the intricate webs of his fiction on his study walls. in these and myriad other ways, the imaginations of the twenty-one writers profiled in this book transformed their surroundings, even as those surroundings shaped the character and context of their classic works. the photographic and literary portraits in this book reveal as never before how important place – a sense of home – has been in the creation of our greatest writing.

These recordings of twentieth-century american authors interpreting their own works were highly praised when first released in the 1960s. today the cultural and historical value of these recordings makes them an essential part of our literary heritage.in this collection, james baldwin reads from giovanni’s room and another country, exploring the challenges of being black and gay in mid-twentieth century america. william styron reads about a disabled child finding brief moments of joy in lie down in darkness, his novel about a troubled southern family. james jones reads the most famous passage from his celebrated world war ii novel, from here to eternity. and philip roth does a hilarious comic turn in a bizarre scene from his early novel, letting go.additionally, nelson algren reads from his most famous novel, the man with the golden arm, about the decline and fall of a drug dealer and card sharp. bernard malamud’s devastating selection from the magic barrel portrays poor, embittered old jews who achieve a moment of grace after fierce antagonism. in john updike’s story from pigeon feathers and other stories, a seminary student working as a lifeguard draws a witty and lyrical contrast between saving souls and bodies. and james jones’ account of a world war ii battle in japan in the thin red line shows young soldiers at their most heroic and perilous moments.

These recordings of twentieth-century american authors interpreting their own works were highly praised when first released in the 1960s. today the cultural and historical value of these recordings makes them an essential part of our literary heritage.in this collection, james baldwin reads from giovanni’s room and another country, exploring the challenges of being black and gay in mid-twentieth century america. william styron reads about a disabled child finding brief moments of joy in lie down in darkness, his novel about a troubled southern family. james jones reads the most famous passage from his celebrated world war ii novel, from here to eternity. and philip roth does a hilarious comic turn in a bizarre scene from his early novel, letting go.additionally, nelson algren reads from his most famous novel, the man with the golden arm, about the decline and fall of a drug dealer and card sharp. bernard malamud’s devastating selection from the magic barrel portrays poor, embittered old jews who achieve a moment of grace after fierce antagonism. in john updike’s story from pigeon feathers and other stories, a seminary student working as a lifeguard draws a witty and lyrical contrast between saving souls and bodies. and james jones’ account of a world war ii battle in japan in the thin red line shows young soldiers at their most heroic and perilous moments.

Recalling contemporary classics such as americanah, behold the dreamers, and the brief wondrous life of oscar wao, a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of family, immigration, prejudice, and the american dream through meaningful and unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances. – pival sengupta has done something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the first class india usa destination vacation tour company. but unlike other upper-class indians on a foreign holiday, the recently widowed pival is not interested in sightseeing. she is traveling thousands of miles from kolkota to new york on a cross-country journey to california, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, rahi. a year ago rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was gay. then, pival’s husband, ram, told her that their son had died suddenly—heartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. now, with ram gone, she is going to america to find rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and come to terms with her own life. – arriving in new york, the tour proves to be more complicated than anticipated. planned by the company’s indefatigable owner, ronnie munshi—a hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the american dream—it is a work of haphazard improvisation. pavil’s guide is the company’s new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful satya, who has been in america for one year—and has never actually left the five boroughs. for modesty’s sake pival and satya will be accompanied by rebecca elliot, an aspiring young actress. eager for a paying gig, she’s along for the ride, because how hard can a two-week "working" vacation traveling across america be? slowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely companions, pival finds that her understanding of her son—and her hopes of a reunion with him—are challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive country. as the bonds between this odd trio deepens, pival, satya, and rebecca learn to see america—and themselves—in different and profound new ways. – this audiobook includes an episode of the book club girl podcast, featuring an interview with leah franqui about america for beginners.