I think the scholars mostly get it right when they talk about great books. If I had to list the five greatest American novels, they’d all be pretty recognizable.
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
2. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
3. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
5. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
It’s just hard for me to find an American novel that is better (more perfect) than those five. I really love Catcher in the Rye and have it read it more than any other book. But I can’t justify placing it on my list. What do you think?
