The Great American Read
PBS, 2018. A readers list. See the original list
We use only the titles, authors and places from this list. 100 novels from it are in The Novel Index.
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith, 1943
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie, 1939
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
Flowers in the Attic
V. C. Andrews, 1979
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain, 1876
On 1 of the 12 lists it was eligible for
The Coldest Winter Ever
Sister Souljah, 1999
On 1 of the 18 lists it was eligible for
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon, 2003
On 3 of the 18 lists it was eligible for
The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy, 1984
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
This Present Darkness
Frank E. Peretti, 1986
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls, 1961
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
The lists that agree with this one most
| List | Books in common |
|---|---|
| Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026) | 30 |
| The Big Read top 100 (BBC, 2003) | 29 |
| 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.co.uk, 2014) | 21 |
| 100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009) | 22 |
| The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026) | 22 |