Which book should I read?

Question

OK, so i have to do an English project on the American Dream and I'm supposed to pick a book out of this list and write about the American Dream that is portrayed in the book. Now, i haven't heard of single book in this list and I have to actually read the book before starting on my project, so which book do you suggest i should read? ( I'd like to read one that's like suspenseful or drama; one that is interesting.)

* The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
* Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
* Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
* American Pastoral by Philip Roth
* The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
* On the Road by Jack Kerouac
* Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser
* House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus
* Is the American Dream Killing You?: How "the Market" Rules… by Paul Stiles
* Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
* The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
* Rocket man by William Elliott Hazelgrove
* Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream by Barbara Ehrenreich
* The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American… by Barack Obama
* A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
* Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
* Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class by Barbara Ehrenreich
* Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the… by Adam Shepard
* Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Of this list, I would recommend "The Great Gatsby" if you are short on time. If you have awhile, "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men" are both good.

"On The Road" by Jack Kerouac is pretty wild. Kerouac was an icon of the "beat" generation in the 50s. It is said that he wrote the book on a roll of toilet paper in one continuous paragraph.

Note: check at the library, you might be able to get some of these books on cassette tape or CD. sometimes you get more out of listening to them than reading them.

Good luck with your report.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

I got the Great Gatsby on audio..
You were a great help..
I didn't even know they had books on audio at the library!
Thanks..

Answer 2

The Grapes of Wrath. its kinda sad.

Answer 3

Death of a Salesman was extremely boring for me. It is a play, and we had to act it out in 11th grade English. It was terrible, but if you like that kind of thing, go for it.

I absolutely LOVED Of Mice and Men. Great book, and it is also a very short book, so if you don't have a lot of time to read before you have to turn in your project, that would be a good pick. I have not read any of the other books on your list, but I have heard very good things about A Raisin in the Sun, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Answer 4

I would probably go with Great Gatsby. Not my favorite read but the paper shouldn't be too bad and it's an easier read.
Huck Finn is fun but the paper would be a little more difficult; it's also controversial.
Raisin in the Sun is a play. It's not a difficult read and the paper would be fairly easy.

I did not like Ellison's book.
I found Steinbeck's books majorly depressing and thus I couldn't get into them.

I haven't read the others.

Answer 5

I think that The Great Gatsby is a pretty good book, it's get sorta exciting at the end (the beginning is slow, but it's worth it) and definitely has The American Dream as a main theme.

Answer 6

the grapes of wrath is one of the most boring books i have ever read. i wouldn't recommend reading it unless you absolutely have to.

of mice and men is a great book, although it's a little sad. but it is a rather easy read and i think your paper would be pretty easy to write.
i also LOVE the great gatsby, i thought it was super interesting. but i think your paper might be a little more difficult if you use that book.

unfortunately i haven't read many others on your list... :/
but i have heard that 'on the road' by jack kerouac is amazing, and it's at the top of my list right now.

Answer 7

Speaking from a similar experience I once had, I would choose between The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. Either choice should cause you few problems in terms of getting through, getting interested, and then analyzing. Not that the other ones aren't good, but I find those two to be good choices for school projects and such...

I wouldn't go with anything really recent, just because there aren't as many papers or research sources about them, and you might find it difficult to get information.