Tag Archives: American Literature

A Lesson Before Dying

Posted on November 15, 2019 by smellincoffee

A Lesson Before Dying © 1993 Ernest Gaines 256 pages “And that’s all we are Jefferson, all of us on this earth, a piece of drifting wood. until we – each of us, individually- decide to become something else. I … Continue reading →

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The Jungle

Posted on October 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Jungle © 1906 Upton Sinclair 475 pages Welcome to The Jungle, but we don’t have fun and games. We have despair, ruin, and death.    The Jungle begins as the story of the Rudkus-Lukoszaite family, who have arrived in America … Continue reading →

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The Education of Henry Adams

Posted on August 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Education of Henry Adams © 1918 Henry Adams 324 pages   Who is Henry Adams, and why would anyone read about his education?    Personally, I discovered this book through a personal interest in his family; Henry’s great-grandfather was John … Continue reading →

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The Grapes of Wrath

Posted on July 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Grapes of Wrath © 1939 John Steinbeck 464 pages                                  “I’m just tryin’ to get along without shovin’ nobody around.” When I drew up my list of Classics Clubs entries,  I made sure to include The Grapes of Wrath … Continue reading →

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The Whale

Posted on January 27, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Whale, or, Moby-Dick © 1851 Herman Melville 630 pages The Whale, alternatively called Moby-Dick,  is a comprehensive  19th century guide to whaling and whales from a novelist who decided to take a hand at writing nonfiction. Such a thing … Continue reading →

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The Republic of Imagination

Posted on September 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Republic of Imagination: America in Three BooksOther edition subtitle: A Case for Fiction© 2014 Azar Nafisi352 pages When Azar Nafisi taught literature in Iran, she dreamed of America. Not the United States, the government of which had been making … Continue reading →

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East of Eden

Posted on July 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

East of Eden© 1952 John Steinbeck580 pages Why did Cain kill Abel?  East of Eden explores that question via a family saga, one that stretches across North America, spanning the continent as well as the generations;  a story that begins at … Continue reading →

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Posted on February 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings© 1969 Maya Angelou304 pages I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography in the form of a novel, following a young woman’s coming of age as she journeys from a small … Continue reading →

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Up from Slavery

Posted on February 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Up From Slavery© 1901 Booker T. Washington332 pages Up from Slavery is an hopeful reflection by Booker T. Washington on the future of black Americans and the American nation, as he reflects on the thirty-odd years since the abolition of … Continue reading →

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America First

Posted on September 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

America First: Its History, Culture, and Politics© 1995 Bill Kauffman296 pages For slightly over a year prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor, there existed a civic organization of nearly a million people called the America First Committee. It dedicated … Continue reading →

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