TWENTY-FIVE BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA

"In the four corners of the globe, who reads an American book?": this exuberant literary exploration offers twenty-five reasons to do just that.

For readers around the world, Professor Foster is the ideal guide through the bookshelves and history of Americana. He has established himself as the go-to literature expert of American classics. In TWENTY-FIVE BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, he applies that combination of knowledgeable analysis and literary passion to select great works of American literature, explaining how each of them has shaped the country's identity over time. Is Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography more factual or fictive? What makes Leaves of Grass the great hymn of America? From the New England soil of The Scarlet Letter and the wild seas of Moby Dick to the big river of Huckleberry Finn to the prairie of My Ántonia to the mean streets of San Francisco in The Maltese Falcon, Foster illuminates how these and other works captured an American moment, how they influenced the country's perception of nationhood and citizenship, and what about them endures in the American character. With his inimitable wit, good humor, and attention to detail, Foster cultivates a sense of discovery throughout the book, peeling back layers from well-known classics and arguing for books that aren't so obvious. He concludes with a list of fifteen more contenders and outlines what exactly is--and isn't--the "Great American Novel." For readers familiar with American literature, Professor Foster gives a fresh perspective-- and for those who have yet to discover American authors, or those seeking insight into the history and development of the country, his light, conversational style creates an accessible introduction.