He's not American but Khalil Gibran who wrote The Prophet is great:
from The Prophet
Then said Almitra, "Speak to us of Love." And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:When love beckons to you follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself. He threshes you to make you naked. He sifts you to free you from your husks. He grinds you to whiteness. He kneads you until you are pliant; And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast. All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart. But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing- floor, Into the season less world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed; For love is sufficient unto love. When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God." And think not you can direct the course of love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
I know most people probably won't read the whole selection but it is fantastic I have the entire collection of Gibran and I love it every time I read it
william s burroughs - the letters of william burroughs hunter s thompson - everything gore vidal - myra beckinridge hubert selby jr - last exit to brooklyn jim thompson - the grifters ayn rand - atlas shrugged
O-Henry was known mostly for his short stories. "The gift of the Magi" where a couple deeply in love but poor as church mice want to get a nice Christmas gift for each other. He has a watch but no fob, she has beautiful hair halfway down her back. She sells her hair to buy him a watch fob and he sells his watch to buy her a comb. Very sad!
Another O-Henry story called "The Third Ingredient" takes place in a boarding house during the depression. Heddy Pepper just gets fired from a dept store and all she has is 15 cents and a slab of meat. She meets an artist living in the attic "studio" who happens to own 2 potatoes. Ah hah 2/3 of a stew if only they can find someone with an onion the "Third Ingredient". Everybody knows you can't make stew without onions! After much deliberation and lamenting about the pot of stew they could almost make, they hear a man crying in the hallway. It turns out he is crying because he has a "sty" in his eye and is using this big beautiful Bermuda onion to try to make his eye tear to wash out the sty. Needless to say the two ladies are now on a mission to relieve this man of his onion so they can finally make a stew and have something to eat.
I'd go with Steinbeck. East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row, all classics. I'd also add Stephen King. Controversial maybe but he is a great storyteller.
The Great American Storyteller Louis L'Amour. I don't read fiction much, but I've read most of his works.
I also love Mark Twain, Melville- Bartleby the Scrivner fascinates me. I aspire to be like Hemingway, minus the drunkeness, and let's not forget Thoreau, and Whitman.
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Oh so many....
Who have you favored?
A short list.For what work and for Why?