Designed to Feel by Peter Burchardt
Bestseller by Peter Burchardt
Designed to Feel
Why Evolution Built Your Emotions, and How to Make Them Work for You
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Literary Canon

Best Books from United States

The United States has produced more Nobel Prize-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning literature than any other nation. From the Harlem Renaissance and the Beat Generation to the postmodern experimentalism of Pynchon and DeLillo, American fiction has always been an argument about what the country itself means. Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Philip Roth, and Marilynne Robinson have brought the moral weight of the American experience into the novel form, while a new generation — from Colson Whitehead to Hanya Yanagihara — continues to stretch it. The country's literary culture is vast, contentious, and endlessly generative.

#1
Cover of The Road
literary-fiction

The Road

Cormac McCarthy· 2007
★Pulitzer Prize★Hugo Award
Editorial Score100/100
#2
Cover of Lincoln in the Bardo
literary-fiction

Lincoln in the Bardo

George Saunders· 2017
★Booker Prize
Editorial Score100/100
#3
Cover of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
literary-fiction

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Ocean Vuong· 2019
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score93/100
#4
Cover of The Grapes of Wrath
literary-fiction

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck· 1962
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score90/100
#5
Cover of Orange Is the New Black
biography-memoir

Orange Is the New Black

Piper Kerman· 2010
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score90/100
#6
Cover of Go Set a Watchman
literary-fiction

Go Set a Watchman

Harper Lee· 2015
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score89/100
#7
Cover of The Corrections
literary-fiction

The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen· 2002
★National Book Award
Editorial Score88/100
#8
Cover of Beloved
literary-fiction

Beloved

Toni Morrison· 1993
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score85/100
#9
Cover of The Lacuna
historical-fiction

The Lacuna

Barbara Kingsolver· 2009
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score83/100
#10
Cover of The Dispossessed
science-fiction

The Dispossessed

Ursula K. Le Guin· 1975
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score83/100
#11
Cover of The One and Only Bob
childrens

The One and Only Bob

Katherine Applegate· 2020
★Newbery Medal
Editorial Score83/100
#12
Cover of Ender's Game
science-fiction

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card· 1986
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score82/100
#13
Cover of The Sympathizer
literary-fiction

The Sympathizer

Viet Thanh Nguyen· 2016
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score81/100
#14
Cover of Middlesex
literary-fiction

Middlesex

Jeffrey Eugenides· 2003
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score81/100
#15
Cover of We Need to Talk About Kevin
literary-fiction

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Lionel Shriver· 2005
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score81/100
#16
Cover of The Left Hand of Darkness
science-fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin· 1970
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score81/100
#17
Cover of Speaker for the Dead
science-fiction

Speaker for the Dead

Orson Scott Card· 1987
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score80/100
#18
Cover of The Forever War
science-fiction

The Forever War

Joe Haldeman· 1976
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score80/100
#19
Cover of The Nickel Boys
literary-fiction

The Nickel Boys

Colson Whitehead· 2020
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score80/100
#20
Cover of Invisible Man
literary-fiction

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison· 1952
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score79/100
#21
Cover of Neuromancer
science-fiction

Neuromancer

William Gibson· 1985
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score79/100
#22
Cover of The Sound and the Fury
literary-fiction

The Sound and the Fury

William Faulkner· 1949
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score78/100
#23
Cover of To Kill a Mockingbird
literary-fiction

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee· 1961
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score78/100
#24
Cover of Startide Rising
science-fiction

Startide Rising

David Brin· 1984
★Hugo Award★Nebula Award
Editorial Score78/100
#25
Cover of Property
literary-fiction

Property

Lionel Shriver· 2003
★Women's Prize for Fiction
Editorial Score78/100
#26
Cover of The Overstory
literary-fiction

The Overstory

Richard Powers· 2019
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score78/100
#27
Cover of The Obelisk Gate
fantasy

The Obelisk Gate

N.K. Jemisin· 2017
★Hugo Award
Editorial Score78/100
#28
Cover of The Stone Sky
fantasy

The Stone Sky

N.K. Jemisin· 2018
★Hugo Award
Editorial Score78/100
#29
Cover of The Fifth Season
fantasy

The Fifth Season

N.K. Jemisin· 2016
★Hugo Award
Editorial Score78/100
#30
Cover of The News from Paraguay
historical-fiction

The News from Paraguay

Lily Tuck· 2005
★National Book Award
Editorial Score78/100
#31
Cover of Demon Copperhead
literary-fiction

Demon Copperhead

Barbara Kingsolver· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score77/100
#32
Cover of Project Hail Mary
science-fiction

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir· 2021
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score76/100
#33
Cover of The Human Comedy
literary-fiction

The Human Comedy

William Saroyan· 1943
★Nobel Prize in Literature
Editorial Score76/100
#34
Cover of The Underground Railroad
historical-fiction

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead· 2017
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score75/100
#35
Cover of Fourth Wing
fantasy

Fourth Wing

Rebecca Yarros· 2023
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score75/100
#36
Cover of Less
literary-fiction

Less

Andrew Sean Greer· 2018
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#37
Cover of The Goldfinch
literary-fiction

The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt· 2014
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#38
Cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
literary-fiction

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score74/100
#39
Cover of Olive Kitteridge
literary-fiction

Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout· 2009
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score74/100
#40
Cover of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
science-fiction

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

Becky Chambers· 2021
★Hugo Award
Editorial Score73/100
#41
Cover of A Frolic of His Own
literary-fiction

A Frolic of His Own

William Gaddis· 1995
★National Book Award
Editorial Score73/100
#42
Cover of Here I Am
literary-fiction

Here I Am

Jonathan Safran Foer· 2016
★Costa Book Award
Editorial Score72/100
#43
Cover of Lessons in Chemistry
literary-fiction

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus· 2022
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score72/100
#44
Cover of A Memory Called Empire
science-fiction

A Memory Called Empire

Arkady Martine· 2020
★Hugo Award
Editorial Score72/100
#45
Cover of Tree of Smoke
literary-fiction

Tree of Smoke

Denis Johnson· 2008
★National Book Award
Editorial Score72/100
#46
Cover of Circe
fantasy

Circe

Madeline Miller· 2018
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score72/100
#47
Cover of Tinkers
literary-fiction

Tinkers

Paul Harding· 2010
★Pulitzer Prize
Editorial Score71/100
#48
Cover of Daisy Jones and The Six
literary-fiction

Daisy Jones and The Six

Taylor Jenkins Reid· 2019
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
#49
Cover of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
literary-fiction

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Taylor Jenkins Reid· 2017
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
#50
Cover of It Ends with Us
romance

It Ends with Us

Colleen Hoover· 2016
Goodreads Choice Award
Editorial Score71/100
The Happiness Blueprint
New Release by Peter Burchardt
The Happiness Blueprint
Your Evolutionary Guide to Joy, Purpose, and Lasting Well-Being
Happiness isn’t a destination — it’s a blueprint written in your DNA.
Get It on Amazon →Paperback & Kindle

Genres

Literary Fiction709Horror474Classic Literature394Science Fiction306Mystery & Thriller238Short Stories207Travel & Exploration171Historical Fiction157Adventure143Biography & Memoir141Art & Design125Cooking & Food124Psychology122Religion & Spirituality114Romance111Politics & Society102Fantasy99Science & Nature69Graphic Novels39Young Adult23History19Philosophy7Children's Books6Business & Economics6comedy5Poetry2

Notable Authors

Cormac McCarthy5 booksGeorge Saunders1 bookOcean Vuong1 bookJohn Steinbeck28 booksPiper Kerman1 bookHarper Lee2 booksJonathan Franzen2 booksToni Morrison9 booksBarbara Kingsolver6 booksUrsula K. Le Guin32 books

United States Literature — FAQ

What are the best books from United States?

The top-ranked books from United States include The Road, Lincoln in the Bardo, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous — all highly scored by international editorial consensus.

Which United States authors have won the Nobel Prize in Literature?

United States has produced several Nobel Prize laureates. Our rankings highlight these winners alongside other critically acclaimed authors from the country.

How many books from United States are ranked on 50 Best Books?

We currently rank 50 books from United States, spanning fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and more.

What literary traditions is United States known for?

United States's literary tradition includes Literary Fiction, Horror, Classic Literature — genres where the country has produced world-class authors.

Where can I read more about United States literature?

Explore our dedicated guide at /best-books-in/united-states for a comprehensive overview of United States's literary landscape, key authors, and recommended reading order.