Reading the 100
In March of 2024, the Atlantic released their list of "The Great American" Novels of the last century and told us all, "You have to read them." This is a diary of my reading of them. And also, perhaps, some ideas about craft and inspiration.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 4
- Latest publication
- Sep 10, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 16, 2026
Latest issues
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West (1939) (opens the original)
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In March of 2024, The Atlantic posted their list of “The Great American Novels” of the last century. They then demanded, “You have to read them.” This is my diary of doing just that.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ezz1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd52887be-f850-4e2c-8f51-5afd58e7362d_2158x3
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939) (opens the original)
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In March of 2024, The Atlantic posted their list of “The Great American Novels” of the last century. They then demanded, “You have to read them.” This is my diary of doing just that.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RBmx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F485e38ee-9c38-46f6-ab30-3452da8ffe30_1960x3
Ask the Dust by John Fante (1939) (opens the original)
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In March of 2024, The Atlantic posted their list of “The Great American Novels” of the last century. They then demanded, “You have to read them.” This is my diary of doing just that.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!h5X3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83f4
The U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos - The Big Money (1938) (opens the original)
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In March of 2024, The Atlantic posted their list of “The Great American Novels” of the last century. They then demanded, “You have to read them.” This is my diary of doing just that.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fB4B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fff5f
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