Technology is amazing for sure, but expository writing is probably one of the most important in this day and age. It seems like as children are entering the digital age, they’re leaving behind a part of America that was meant to last forever: American literature was for hundreds of years the only available entertainment form and survived the arrival of television and computers. However, it seems to be dying out with the new fandom for “no fluff” in writing. In tenth grade, my English teacher made us read a new American classic every three weeks. When I ran into her a week weeks ago, she mentioned that now with a good class she barely gets through three novels. The curriculum is all about writing in structure, with very little room for imagination. In most classes, there’s not a “right and wrong” way to interpret literature.

In hopes of preserving my love for reading, here is a list of my all-time favorite American novels.

1.The Great Gatsby

If you haven’t read this short 180-page novel, please stop whatever you’re doing and pick it up. Don’t even bother finishing the rest of the list and please don’t say that you’ve seen the movie. As my favorite novel, The Great Gatsby provides a reading experience that any reader could understand and relate to. Besides, you’re going to get invited to a theme party at some time and only someone who reads the books will know how to dress up as Jay Gatz or Daisy Buchanan.

2. The House of Mirth

This one gets more mixed reviews but Wharton’s depiction of Lily Bart is that of any woman wavering in making a decision. Unable to leave wealth for love but marry into wealth without love, Lily goes through a journey common to a Manhattanite in the 1920s.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird

When I heard this book was no longer a required summer reading novel, I was truly flabbergasted. Atticus Finch is a literary hero, who has his faults, but demonstrates a pure heart and unbiased judgment. Honestly, I have not read “Go Set a Watchman,” for no reason other than that I can’t imagine reading a novel that could belittle my view of Atticus.

4. Catcher in the Rye

A teenager complains. A teenager nags. Especially a teenager like Holden Caulfield. Holden may be every parent’s worry and kid’s annoyance but teenage rebellion is a common theme no matter where you live. Holden’s journey is like no other, yet still so relatable to adolescents, making this a must read. Even if you hate it at the end, you should still pick it up and begin reading.

These are just four of my favorite American classics. But as long as you keep reading, that’s all that matters.