Too often, we think of classic literature as being sealed in a vault and locked away. Its contents were decided long ago and are therefore immovable. This austerity gives classic literature a shiny halo, putting it on a pedestal that, while no doubt deserving, is not confined to literature written hundreds of years ago. It can be difficult to remember that once upon a time, the classics were current, and more so that our current reads could be future classics.
In our last article, we talked about what makes the Great American Novel. Now, we’ve compiled a list of contemporary books we believe bear that title and will go on to live long, illustrious lives as future classics of American literature. All of these novels meet the criteria we outlined for the Great American Novel: memorable characters, a distinct style, and exploration of the human experience. Moreover, they grapple with distinctly American themes: individualism, nostalgia, and the conflicting sins and ideals that surround the American dream.
Here are our future American classics (ordered by year, because it would be impossible to rank them):
Martyr! (2024) by Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar’s 2024 fiction debut asks what it means to live a life worth remembering—a question that no doubt will remain relevant hundreds of years from now. In Martyr!, we meet Cyrus, a recovering addict whose mother died on a flight shot down over the Persian Gulf and whose father spent his life killing chickens at a Midwestern factory. Cyrus’ family history leads him to an obsession with martyrdom and a journey to create a life with meaning.
James (2024) by Percival Everett
In Percival Everett’s acclaimed retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we get this classic American story from the perspective of the enslaved Jim, in a distinct voice that is as tender as it is satirical. Giving Jim humanity, agency, and insight that the original story denies him, Everett both honors and critiques the American literary tradition in this groundbreaking work. Just as Mark Twain’s 1884 novel is still read in schools, we have no doubt this lyrical, poignant, and utterly moving novel will be read in schools in 3084 and beyond.
Trust (2022) by Hernan Diaz
This Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece takes on American wealth, influence, and power in a novel whose distinct structure will inspire generations of future writers. Focused on the life of a mysterious financier, Trust is composed of four fictional texts from four different perspectives. With often contradictory portrayals of the same cast of characters, readers are forced to confront whose accounts of history they believe, and why.
Demon Copperhead (2022) by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver takes Charles Dickens’ classic critique of poverty and forgotten children and adapts it seamlessly to modern America. Set in Southern Appalachia, Demon is born into poverty and neglect, but he possesses a miraculous talent for survival. Braving foster care, child labor, addiction, and more, Demon fights for his life with wit and wisdom that will steal your heart, all told through gorgeous, breathtaking prose.
An American Marriage (2018) by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are living the American Dream—she is an artist about to make her big break, he a young executive—when Roy is suddenly arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. Five years later, Celestial is unable to maintain her love for her husband when his conviction is overturned and the two are thrown back into the life that was unceremoniously ripped from them. Interrogating love, pain, and the racism central to past, present, and unfortunately, future America, An American Marriage is a modern masterpiece.
Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) by Jesmyn Ward
Taking the archetype of the road trip novel and bringing it to new heights, Jesmyn Ward paints a poignant portrait of hope, struggle, and the challenges and triumphs of family. Jojo is a biracial teenager trying to understand what it means to be a man and navigate his complex family history. Leonie, his mother, struggles to put the needs of her children over the demands of her drug addiction. When Jojo’s father is released from prison in Mississippi, the family must examine the ugly truths at the heart of American history and their own place within it.
Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) by George Saunders
In this strange and stunning story, George Saunders imagines Abraham Lincoln, who, facing a nation at war, must now also endure the death of his 11-year-old son, Willie. Meanwhile, Willie has travelled to the Bardo, a purgatory where ghosts mingle, complain, argue, and mourn their lost lives. As specific as the setting is, Saunders creates a timeless and deeply moving mosaic of love, loss, grief, and American identity.
The Underground Railroad (2016) by Colson Whitehead
In this New York Times bestseller, Colson Whitehead imagines the underground network used to help escaped slaves journey north to freedom as a literal underground railroad complete with tunnels, train tracks, engineers, operators, and more. Cora, a young enslaved woman from Georgia, seizes an opportunity to escape, but along the road to freedom, even greater horrors than those in her past await. In this brilliant and imaginative novel, Whitehead reckons with the horrors of slavery, which will remain at the core of our national identity for centuries to come.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005) by Jonathan Safran Foer
After nine-year-old Oskar’s father dies in 9/11, he discovers a forgotten key in a vase in a closet. Determined to find out which of the millions of locks in New York City it belongs to, Oskar journeys through the city and the chaotic lives of friends, loved ones, and total strangers into a mystery that goes back 50 years. Tender, inspiring, and hilarious, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an American story for the ages.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) by Michael Chabon
Joe Kavalier is a young artist and Czech immigrant who has miraculously escaped Nazi Europe and landed in New York. His Brooklyn-born cousin Sammy Clay is obsessed with superheroes and looking for a creative partner. This beloved story about creativity, comic books, and the romance and heartbreak of the American Dream has endured for 25 years and will no doubt enchant readers for many, many more.
