1. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
It is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane. Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. It garnered widespread acclaim shortly after its publication, making Crane an instant celebrity at the age of twenty-four. It has never been out of print, and is now thought to be Crane’s most important work and a major American text.
2. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
It is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison. It follows the life of Macon “Milkman” Dead III, an African-American male living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood. This book won the National Books Critics Award, was chosen for Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club, and was cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding Morrison the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature.