“American Pastoral”
Life is just a short period of time in which we are alive.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, American Pastoral by Philip Roth is a thought-provoking novel about post World War II life in America and specifically, how Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and racial cultural norms interplay when forced together. Told from the perspective of Nathan “Skip” Zuckerman, a 62-year old writer who goes back to Newark, New Jersey for his 45th high school reunion in 1995, only to discover his childhood hero – Seymour “Swede” Levov and the older brother of a classmate – has just died at age 70 of prostate cancer that had metastasized. Having just seen the still “splendid-looking” Swede a few months prior at a restaurant in New York City where they had dinner together, Skip decides to write the life story of the Jewish kid from Newark who seemed to live the American Pastoral. Read more 
“A Visit From The Goon Squad”
A Visit From The Good Squad was written by Jennifer Egan and awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The 340-page book has won numerous other awards and endorsements but has also been criticized for its unconventional format. At first the book appears to be about a group of characters in the music industry but music serves as a backdrop for the characters across the generations. Read more
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