Books like Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

Charles Dickens’ landmark historical novel, set in London and Paris during the French Revolution, follows Doctor Manette’s 18‑year imprisonment, his release, and his reunion with daughter Lucie amid looming terror.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece examines the glittering yet hollow glamour of the Roaring Twenties as the enigmatic Jay Gatsby pursues love, wealth, and identity across the social divide.

A weary father and his young son journey across a bleak, post‑apocalyptic America, battling cannibals, starvation, and a harsh winter in a desperate quest for safety and a glimpse of remaining civilization.

The Grapes of Wrath follows a family of Oklahoma sharecroppers who leave their land during the Great Depression, journey to California, and confront the harsh realities of labor camps, low wages, and the struggle for dignity on the open range.

A 1930s wartime tale of a blind French girl and a German boy whose lives intersect in occupied France, weaving themes of survival, friendship, and the moral choices people make amid World War II.

Middlesex follows a Greek-American family's multigenerational saga, charting the life of its intersex protagonist as they navigate gender identity and the search for belonging.

Americanah follows Ifemelu, a Nigerian student who moves to the United States for university, exploring her life and love across continents while reflecting on identity, immigration, and cultural belonging.

In post‑war New York, Newland Archer faces a dilemma when his fiancée’s cousin, the rebellious Ellen Olenska, challenges his elite society’s expectations and his own loyalty.

Zora Neale Hurston’s Pulitzer‑winning novel follows Janie Crawford’s journey of self‑discovery and empowerment, mapping her search for love, independence, and identity against the backdrop of the African‑American South during the early 20th century.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay follows 19‑year‑old Josef Kavalier, a Prague refugee who arrives in 1939 New York and partners with his cousin Sammy to create a comic‑book hero, the Escapist, while fighting fascism, navigating family, identity and the rapidly changing world of 20th‑century mass media.

Ernest Hemingway’s Louisiana‑born narrator takes readers through the 1920s Lost Generation—expatriates on Paris’s Left Bank, bullfights in Spain, and the era’s moral and spiritual unraveling.

A heart-wrenching coming-of-age story of poverty and resilience in 1930s Brooklyn.

Craig of the Mohicans, a frontier scout turns away from civilization, forming a bond with a Mohican warrior as they escort two sisters across the perilous wilderness of America's frontier.

A woman born on a snowy night in 1910 dies and is reborn repeatedly, each life giving her the chance to alter history as the world heads toward another global conflict.

A fast-paced historical romance set in early America, featuring the legendary Natty Bumppo and a love story set against the backdrop of the French and Indian War.

An experimental novel by William Faulkner that tells the same events from four distinct perspectives, each with a unique narrative style, charting the decline of a once‑wealthy Southern family.

The Deerslayer: A prequel to James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, focusing on the rapid civilizing of New York and the introduction of the hero, Natty Bumppo, to the frontiersmen of the time.

Billy Bathgate follows a young New Yorker who infiltrates Dutch Schultz’s gang, rising from admirer to apprentice and protégé in 1930s New York crime.

Natty Bumppo's first journey into frontier life and the challenges of defending his freedom against dangerous Indians and the corrupting influence of a ruthless new lawman, setting the stage for the larger story of The Last of the Mohicans.

A group of settlers encounters an old trapper on the prairie in 1805, as they push westward over the Great Plains for new land and opportunities in the United States of America, while the country is still being explored.

Set in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction, The Unvanquished follows the Sartoris family, whose code of personal responsibility and courage embodies the best of Old South traditions.

A thrilling historical spy novel set during the American Revolution, inspired by accusations of venality and featuring a common man wrongly suspected as a spy for the British, who refuses to accept payment for information vital to the Patriot's cause.

Set against the backdrop of the Anti‑Rent War in 19th‑century New York, this historical fiction by James Fenimore Cooper portrays the lives and struggles of Native Americans and settlers during a turbulent era.

When Scottish convict Duncan McCallum arrives aboard a British ship to New York, a chilling series of murders and suicides among his fellow prisoners sets him on a treacherous path that intertwines with the brutal realities of the French and Indian War.

A fictionalized account of Israel Potter's life and experiences, featuring famous American Revolution figures like Benjamin Franklin and John Paul Jones.

An exploration of the Harlem Renaissance through the eyes of its larger-than-life residents in a New York apartment building setting, with satirical characters and themes that intersect with Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alain Locke. This novel is a blend of historical fiction and satire, set in the vibrant world of the 1920s Harlem and bringing to life the era's vibrant culture and characters. The story is a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance's artistic and intellectual contributions, set against the backdrop of New York's vibrant cultural scene.

A tale of the 1839-1846 Anti-rent War in New York, featuring the Littlepage Manuscripts and classic literature characters, including James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, focusing on themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, through the eyes of the Littlepage family, who uncover a secret manuscript that reveals the true power behind the anti-rent movement, and how it was suppressed by those in control, offering a fresh perspective on the history of the era through the lens of a family torn between tradition and change, amidst the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, with the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, and the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future.

E. L. Doctorow’s The March brings the brutal reality of Sherman’s 1864 campaign into dramatic focus, tracing Union forces as they sweep through Georgia and the Carolinas, capturing the human cost of the Civil War.

Addie Baum, a Boston-born Jewish girl of the early 20th century, discovers voice, ambition, and love through the changing city streets, sharing her life story with her granddaughter.