1. Death Comes to the Archbishop = Cather
This novel was written by Willa Cather in 1927. It tells the story of two people, Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, a Catholic bishop and a priest, who are living in New Mexico. They are trying to establish an administration which will be run by the Church.
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin = Stowe
This famous novel was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. It is an important piece of literature as it is an anti-slavery novel which in a way led to the Civil War between the North and the South (one of the most important issues was the issue of slavery and whether it should be kept or not).
3. Babbitt = Lewis
This novel was written by Sinclair Lewis in 1922 and it brought him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930 (the first American author to get it). It is a novel written to satirically criticize the American society (especially the middle-class) which is highly pressured to conform and do what is expected to do of them.
4. The Scarlet Letter = Hawthorne
This novel was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. It tells the story of a woman who commits adultery in a Puritan society. She is condemned not only by the society but also by herself for cheating on her husband and getting pregnant with another man. As a symbol of her adultery, she wears a scarlet letter A embroidered to her clothes.
5. Mardi = Melville
The entire name of this novel is Mardi, and a Voyage Thither, and it was written by Herman Melville in 1849. It is a sort of a travelogue (a novel written about traveling). Although it does start as a simple travelogue, throughout the novel there are many philosophical thoughts, which is characteristic of Melville.
6. The Pearl = Steinbeck
This novel was written by John Steinbeck in 1947. It is one of his most famous works and it tells the story of a pearl hunter, Kino. It is a parable, an allegory of human life, and a satire about how people are vain and greedy and would do anything for wealth and riches. It has been adapted into many successful movies.
7. The Pathfinder = Cooper
The entire name of the novel is The Pathfinder, or the Inland Sea, and it was written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1840. It is a part of his Leatherstocking Tales, which consists of 5 novels - The Pathfinder is the third novel in the sequence, and the fourth one featuring his popular protagonist, Natty Bumppo.
8. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court = Twain
This novel was written by Mark Twain (his real name is Samuel Clemens) in 1889. As many literary works written by humorist Twain, this novel is also rather satirical and witty. It tells a story of Hank Morgan, a Yankee from Connecticut, who travels back in time to King Arthur's ages.
9. Growth = Tarkington
This is a series of novels written by Booth Tarkington, starting in 1916. Growth is the name of his trilogy, telling the story of the American society between the American Civil War and the years leading up to the WWI.
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls = Hemingway
This novel was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1940. It is one of his most famous works, and tells the story of the Spanish Civil War. The protagonist is Robert Jordan, part of the republican guerrilla. It was supposed to receive a Pulitzer Prize, but was found to be offensive by one member of the committee.
