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'Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis' - JD Vance -

The best-selling 'Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis' has been described as the book that won Donald Trump the presidency. Published in 2016, it's effectively a memoir recounting JD Vance's life growing up with his Kentucky family in Ohio.

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JD Vance (1984–Present) -

JD Vance, the junior senator for Ohio, is now Donald Trump's running mate, the Republican nominee for vice president in the 2024 presidential election.

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'Nineteen Eighty-Four' - George Orwell -

Published in 1949, 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is set in a dystopian future and presents a society under the iron grip of a totalitarian regime. The novel centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, the manipulation of truth, and repressive regimentation of people and behaviors within society, with the omnipresent Big Brother keeping an eye on everybody.

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George Orwell (1903–1950) -

'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was George Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime. It has become a classic literary example of political and dystopian fiction.

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'Catch-22' - Joseph Heller -

A satirical war novel published in 1961, 'Catch-22' is set during the Second World War and examines the military bureaucracy and the illogical nature of conflict.

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Joseph Heller (1923–1999) -

The title of American author Joseph Heller's novel—often cited as one of the most significant novels of the 20th century—has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice.

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'The Handmaid's Tale' - Margaret Atwood -

Canadian author Margaret Atwood saw her futuristic dystopian novel published in 1985 to critical acclaim. In it, women are stripped of their rights and forced to work as "Handmaids," assigned to produce children for the "Commanders," who are the ruling class in Gilead. Among other themes explored, the novel deals with the extreme end of misogyny and religious fundamentalism.

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Margaret Atwood  (1939–Present) -

Margaret Atwood is known for encompassing a variety of themes in her work including gender and identity, religion and myth, the power of language, climate change, and what she calls "power politics."

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'Invisible Man' - Ralph Ellison -

'Invisible Man' follows a young African-American man's journey through life, addressing along the way many social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early 20th century.

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Ralph Ellison (1913–1994) -

'Invisible Man' was Ralph Ellison's first novel, and the only one published during his lifetime. The book serves as a profound critique of societal norms and racial prejudice as well as addressing issues of individuality and personal identity.

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'Animal Farm' - George Orwell -

George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' is set on a farm where the animals revolt and overthrow their human farmer. The book works as an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin, where instead of creating a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy, their idyl descends into an oppressive and corrupt regime.

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George Orwell (1903–1950) -

Published in 1945, 'Animal Farm' arrived on the shelves as wartime alliances gave way to the Cold War, thus lending the novel a topical and prescient edge.

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'Things Fall Apart' - Chinua Achebe -

Set in the late 1800s in Igboland, a cultural area in modern-day southeastern Nigeria, 'Things Fall Apart' follows Okonkwo, a respected warrior in the Umuofia clan of the Igbo tribe, and the way his life, and those of others, is affected by the arrival of European missionaries and the impact of colonialism.

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Chinua Achebe (1930–2013) -

A central figure of modern African literature, Chinua Achebe is often referred to as the "father of African literature." 'Things Fall Apart,' published in 1958, remains one of the most widely studied, translated, and read of African novels.

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'The Golden Notebook' - Doris Lessing -

Published in 1962, 'The Golden Notebook' is layered with anti-war and anti-Stalinist messages and among other issues explores themes of mental breakdown, the changing role of women, and the fear of nuclear war.

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Doris Lessing (1919–2013) -

British novelist Doris Lessing campaigned against nuclear arms and was an active opponent of apartheid, which led her to being banned from South Africa and Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) in 1956 for many years.

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'The Tin Drum' - Günter Grass -

'The Tin Drum' ('Die Blechtrommel') by German novelist Günter Grass revolves around the life of three-year-old Oskar Matzerath, who decides that he will stop growing. Through his eyes the reader is privy to life in Danzig during the rise of the Nazi Party.

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Günter Grass (1927–2015) -

In writing 'The Tin Drum,' Günter Grass, who was born in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), drew on his own experiences of being drafted into the military and serving from late 1944 in the Waffen-SS. The result is a blend of magical realism and historical fiction.

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'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -

The hardships and brutality of serving time in a Soviet gulag in the 1950s is vividly brought to life in this acclaimed novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The story is told through a prisoner, Ivan Denisovich, from the moment he wakes up to when he goes to bed.

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) -

Through his work, Russian author and Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn helped raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the cruel and unjust gulag prison system.

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'For Whom the Bell Tolls' - Ernest Hemingway -

Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' tells the story an American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the conflict. Besides its military theme, the book explores the character's relationship with other characters and, in particular, the love affair he embarks upon with a young Spanish woman.

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Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) -

As a writer and journalist, Ernest Hemingway served as a war correspondent both in Spain and later in France during the Second World War. He also reported from Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge.

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'Lord of the Flies' - William Golding -

William Golding' classic tale of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island after their plane crash-lands and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves is a chilling exercise in how civil order can quickly descend into savagery and violence.

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William Golding (1911–1993) -

'Lord of the Flies' was William Golding's debut novel, published in 1954. Its themes of morality, leadership, and the tension between civility and chaos, has made it a popular assigned book in schools.

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'The Prince' - Niccolò Machiavelli -

One of the great works of political philosophy, 'The Prince' is a 16th-century political treatise written by the Italian diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. It's presented as a guide on political leadership and power and how to achieve it, even if that means compromising morality and ethics.

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Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) -

'The Prince' was written in 1513 but wasn't published until 1527, five years after Machiavelli's death. The overriding point that Machiavelli makes is that the ends justify the means in politics.

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'Nostromo' - Joseph Conrad -

Set in the imaginary South American country of Costaguana, 'Nostromo,' published in 1904, follows an Italian expatriate as he navigates the turbulent political and social changes of the era. Along the way his loyalty is tested and his morality challenged as power and corruption gathers momentum in an atmosphere of revolutionary fervor.

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Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) -

Frequently regarded as amongst the best of Joseph Conrad's long fiction, 'Nostromo' followed his other great novels, 'Heart of Darkness' (1899) and 'Lord Jim' (1900).

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'Das Kapital' - Karl Marx -

'Capital: A Critique of Political Economy,' to give this influential work its full title, is the culmination of Karl Max's life work. Originally published as three volumes in 1867, 1885, and 1894, 'Das Kapital' is a comprehensive critique of political economy.

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Karl Marx (1818–1883) -

Karl Marx, together with Friedrich Engels, is also the author of the 1848 pamphlet 'The Communist Manifesto.'

Sources: (The Greatest Books) (Oxford Scholastica Academy) (The New York Times)

See also: Books that have been translated into hundreds of languages

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