OT: Best American Author
- Thread starter Spectrumalaska
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No love for Mari Sandoz or Willa Cather in this thread?
And I'm surprised Don DeLillo has not been mentioned.
And I'm surprised Don DeLillo has not been mentioned.
After reading numerous Sandoz and Cather books in school it took me years before I could pick up one of their books, especially "Old Jules". I'm guessing I'm not alone in that.
Fortunately I re-discovered these authors when I left Nebraska. Both are wonderful. I'm currently reading "Cheyenne Autumn" by Sandoz.
"Cheyenne Autumn" is one of her best and it's heart-breaking. If you get a chance to visit Fort Robinson State Park near Chadron, you should -- the history there is palpable and alive, as are the Northern Cheyenne spirits.
If you like WWII historical novels... Herman Wok... Winds of War and War and Remembrance
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Incredible talent.
One of my English classes at UNL was a Fitzgerald/Hemmingway class. By the end of the semester I just wished Hemmingway used more words and Fitzgerald used less.
One of my English classes at UNL was a Fitzgerald/Hemmingway class. By the end of the semester I just wished Hemmingway used more words and Fitzgerald used less.
Still believe it is Steinbeck.
Loved reading all the responses.
Melville may have written the best novel, but Steinbeck told stories for everyone.
I was never a big fan of Steinbeck. "Cannery Row", "Of Mice and Men" - required high school reading which may explain my displeasure. (Don't get me started on Faulkner's "Unvanquished".) However "Grapes of Wrath" was amazing.
“Grapes of Wrath”, may well be the story of America.
Here we are again on a Birthday, but it seems as the best of America is like, “Moses”, refusing to cross the river.
I love to read, more than even Alaska, or Nebraska Football.
Maybe a "What are you reading?" thread?
FWIW, "The Dawn of Everything" by Graeber and Wengrow. I'm a few years behind.
best Stephen King???
11-22-1963….. and it’s not even close
I started mourning that book being over 150 pages from the end….
11-22-1963….. and it’s not even close
I started mourning that book being over 150 pages from the end….
Read it about a decade ago, during my 23-year stint in Colorado. Intriguing and spare. A good portrait of the "other" Colorado.
Jack Carr - Navy seal. Writes the Terminal List series.
Mark Greaney - writes the Gray Man series which are a lot of fun.
Mark Greaney - writes the Gray Man series which are a lot of fun.
When I was young in the 90s RL Stine was very hot.
Honestly, the best books I've read are from Orson Scott Card - Enders Game series
Honestly, the best books I've read are from Orson Scott Card - Enders Game series
The man in the white suit...Tom Wolfe. The man completely understood America. Anyone old enough to remember the cold war hysteria of the sixties, and the space race to the moon will recognize the fact that Wolfe nailed it in The Right Stuff. Bonfire of the Vanities as well...don't bother with the movie. The Electric Cool Aid Acid Test. Martinis with Wolfe would have been fantastic.
Getting loaded with Hemingway would have been a blast...when he was in his twenties and thirties. Like Fitzgerald, he later became a bore. I always thought Hemingway's real life was far bigger than any of his fiction.
James Michener - Centennial; Tales of the South Pacific; Hawaii.
Robert Penn Warren - I believe he the only individual to win Pulitzers in both fiction and poetry. All the Kings men says it all.
Getting loaded with Hemingway would have been a blast...when he was in his twenties and thirties. Like Fitzgerald, he later became a bore. I always thought Hemingway's real life was far bigger than any of his fiction.
James Michener - Centennial; Tales of the South Pacific; Hawaii.
Robert Penn Warren - I believe he the only individual to win Pulitzers in both fiction and poetry. All the Kings men says it all.
Far from the best, but I’ll throw a mention to Jon Krakauer as a pretty uniquely American writer/adventurer
Suspect many here share at least a few of his interests
Suspect many here share at least a few of his interests
Saw him talk and present slides of the disastrous Everest expedition that took place in the 90's. Led to his book, Into Thin Air.
Not the best, but two of my favorites. Clive Cussler (Sahara and Raise the Titanic). He weaves together several stories that come together in the end. Karin Slaughter, crime novels. Every character is flawed, the bad guys are disgusting and after reading one of her books I feel like taking a shower.