Classic literature is replete with imagery of the time it was written and lessons for the
ages. It also demonstrates the excellence of well written works where emphasis was
on quality of words and structure rather than quantity of books published. These are
some of my favorite and most important works of all time!
10. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This is a tale of two displacd migrant workers during the depression in California.
9. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
This is a true story of a young girl in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi
occupation of the Netherlands.
8. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Set in the post war South, this story paints a picture of he people and places
along the Mississippi River.
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This story follows the experiences of Jane Eyre on her journey from youth to
adulthood including her moral sensibilities of the times.
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell
This is an allegory that questions the role and responsibility of government to its
people to rebel.
5. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
This novel courageously addresses adolescent themes of anxiety and alienation.
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
This classic is a book about the strength of women and the validation of virtue
over wealth in a family setting.
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The story follows the main character as she deals with issues of manners,
morality, education, and marriage in high society of early 19th Century England.
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This story reveals the unprecedented economic prosperity and flagrant culture
of the 1920's.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A disturbing look at the racial and financial inequality of the South in the 1930's.
6
