The Great American Read book list

The Great American Read: How many have you read?

The Great American Read book list

At the heart of “The Great American Read” is the list of America’s 100 best-loved novels. Did your favorite make the list?

The top 100 book list is based on a public opinion poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of PBS for “The Great American Read,” that asked respondents to name their favorite novel. An advisory panel of book industry professionals compiled the results. Each author was represented only once, and series such as the Alex Cross Mysteries were included as one entry.

The chosen books span five centuries, from “Don Quixote” (1603) to “Ghost” (2016). Authors from 15 different countries are represented, with genres ranging from beloved children’s classics such as “Charlotte’s Web” to modern best-sellers such as “Ready Player One.”

Below is the full list of America’s 100 favorite novels, in alphabetical order by title:

1984
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Game of Thrones
A Prayer for Owen Meany
A Separate Peace
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Alchemist
Alex Cross Mysteries**
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Americanah
And Then There Were None
Anne of Green Gables
Another Country
Atlas Shrugged
Beloved
Bless Me, Ultima
The Book Thief
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Call of the Wild
Catch-22
The Catcher in the Rye
Charlotte’s Web
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Coldest Winter Ever
The Color Purple
The Count of Monte Cristo
Crime and Punishment
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Da Vinci Code
Don Quixote
Doña Barbara
Dune
Fifty Shades of Grey
Flowers in the Attic
Foundation
Frankenstein
Ghost
Gilead
The Giver
The Godfather
Gone Girl
Gone with the Wind
The Grapes of Wrath
Great Expectations
The Great Gatsby
Gulliver’s Travels
The Handmaid’s Tale
Harry Potter **

Hatchet
Heart of Darkness
The Help
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Hunger Games
The Hunt for Red October
The Intuitionist
Invisible Man
Jane Eyre
The Joy Luck Club
Jurassic Park
Left Behind
The Little Prince
Little Women
Lonesome Dove
Looking for Alaska
The Lord of the Rings**
The Lovely Bones
The Martian
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mind Invaders
Moby Dick
The Notebook
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Outlander
The Outsiders
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Pilgrim’s Progress
The Pillars of the Earth
Pride and Prejudice
Ready Player One
Rebecca
The Shack
Siddhartha
The Sirens of Titan
The Stand
The Sun Also Rises
Swan Song
Tales of the City
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Things Fall Apart
This Present Darkness
To Kill a Mockingbird
Twilight
War and Peace
Watchers
The Wheel of Time**
Where the Red Fern Grows
White Teeth
Wuthering Heights

**Denotes a series title

Want more? Get details on each book and its author here.

An illustration of two children planting seeds in a garden with text reading: Oct. 21-27, 2024, National Estate Planning Awareness Week

Receive your free Personal Estate Planning Guide

Oct. 17

‘The Marlow Murder Club’ series premiere advanced screening

aired Sept. 27

What is the political makeup of Arizona voters?

Illustration of columns of a capitol building with text reading: Arizona PBS AZ Votes 2024

Arizona PBS presents general election debates

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters

STAY in touch
with azpbs.org!

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters: