I'm currently on a reread of
The Divine Comedy, would recommend it to anyone who has been interested in reading it.
I want to know more about your history and culture, so if you have recommendations for me - I will be happy to check it out!!
History is great, I love learning about the past. Being from the US, I don't shy away from our history, good and bad. It makes me a more complete person to understand where I come from and allows me to portray the qualities I was told (read: propagandized) the United States upheld as I was growing up.
If you want more non-fiction historical texts,
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown gets into Native American history of displacement and warfare. It's a pretty difficult read if you aren't prepared for what happens in it.
Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution by Eric Foner is another one I see recommended a lot and generally has a good reception.
If you want something more like great works of literature about American culture, John Steinbeck wrote a lot of 'em such as
The Grapes of Wrath and
East of Eden. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is often recommended as well.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy has been brought into debate on if it should be considered the Great American Novel. Another hard sell because it's heavy on the violence and brutality. Can hardly say I enjoyed it, but I appreciate that I finished it and can recognize why some people rate it so high.
If any of the above don't do it for you, I can always try to recommend different ones.
