Here are 13 famous books of the 1940’s with the first seven being books that most experts agree defined the times.
1.The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
2.Young Lions by Irwin Shaw
3.A Bell for Adano by John Hershey
4.The Human Comedy by William Saroyan (talked about prejudice in a World War II setting)
5.Black Boy by Richard Wright (Richard is my favorite male name. My hero in Return Engagement is named Richard.)
6.Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Spock (revolutionized child care)
7.The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
8.For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
9.The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
10.The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The last three are children’s books.
11.King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
12.Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
13.Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
The only ones I’ve read are Strawberry girl, King of the Wind, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Lottery. I first read The Lottery when I was in college. I remember that it horrified me. It was written to show how nice, normal people could have allowed the Holocaust. It's a short story not a full length novel so if you'd like to read it go to http://www.americanliterature.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html
What about you? How many have you read? Do you think 1940's literature is similiar to our own?
I'm so glad you had that cover from Jackson's "The Lottery". I love her writing--she's superb. Her "Haunting of Hill House" is one of the best--if not THE BEST--horror story of all time. I hold that up as the standard that everyone else must meet, and so far, while King comes close with "The Shining", she's still the winner in my book.
ReplyDeleteThe Haunting of Hill House can give you the creeps. Even the movie was scary.
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