If you enjoy reading novels by John Dos Passos then you might also like the following authors:
Readers who enjoy the works of John Dos Passos may also like Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway presents characters clearly and realistically, often set in difficult situations.
His famous novel “The Sun Also Rises” follows Jake Barnes and his friends from Paris cafés to the streets of Pamplona, Spain. Jake is an American expatriate whose war injury complicates his relationships, especially with Lady Brett Ashley.
Through Hemingway’s direct style, readers experience the friendships and tensions that build during the bullfighting festival.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American author known for his vivid portrayal of life in America during the Jazz Age. His novel “The Great Gatsby” is set in Long Island and New York City in the roaring twenties.
It tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious man who throws extravagant parties at his mansion. Gatsby is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan, a woman he knew years before. He hopes to win her back by impressing her with his wealth and status.
Fitzgerald captures the dark side of the glamorous party life and shows the emptiness behind Gatsby’s dreams.
Readers who enjoy John Dos Passos’ sharp looks at American society might appreciate Fitzgerald’s clear-eyed views of the illusion of wealth and success in “The Great Gatsby.”
William Faulkner is an American author known for stories set in the deep South. His book “As I Lay Dying” follows the Bundren family’s journey across Mississippi toward Jefferson. Their mother, Addie Bundren, has died, and her wish was to be buried in her hometown.
Faulkner shows the thoughts and struggles of each family member through short chapters, each one narrated from a different character’s viewpoint. The characters’ voices are authentic and reveal personal secrets and struggles, making the Bundrens’ journey strange and memorable.
For readers who enjoy John Dos Passos, Faulkner may offer another intriguing perspective on American life and family connections.
If you enjoy John Dos Passos, you may also appreciate John Steinbeck. Steinbeck is known for his clear writing style and down-to-earth stories about everyday life in early twentieth-century America. One of Steinbeck’s classic novels is “The Grapes of Wrath.”
The book follows the Joad family as they leave Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl and head to California. On their way, the Joads endure poverty and hardship but remain hopeful and determined. Steinbeck captures this difficult period in American history with honesty and compassion.
Sinclair Lewis was an American writer known for sharp social observations in his novels. One of his famous books is “Babbitt.” It tells the story of George Babbitt, a middle-aged businessman who lives in the fictional city of Zenith.
At first, Babbitt embraces his routine life and conventional values, but soon he begins to question them. Lewis explores the emptiness beneath the prosperous and comfortable surface of American middle-class life in the 1920s.
Readers who like John Dos Passos’ way of looking at American society may become absorbed in Sinclair Lewis’ honest portrayal of ordinary people.
If you enjoy John Dos Passos, Theodore Dreiser might also be an author you’d appreciate. Dreiser was an American novelist who wrote about society and the everyday struggles of people in early 20th-century America.
In his novel “Sister Carrie,” Dreiser tells the story of Carrie Meeber, a young woman who leaves a small town for city life in Chicago. Carrie tries to find her place and happiness in a tough urban world, working in difficult conditions and trying to make ends meet.
“Sister Carrie” has interesting insights into the choices that shape a person’s life path and what those choices can cost. Dreiser creates a realistic portrayal of city life and characters who readers can truly understand.
If you enjoyed the style of John Dos Passos, you may also appreciate E.L. Doctorow. Doctorow is an American author known for novels mixing real historical events with fictional characters. One of his best-known novels is “Ragtime.”
Set in early twentieth-century America, it follows the intersected lives of a rich New York family, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, and an African American musician named Coalhouse Walker. The novel portrays America at a time of social and technological changes.
Characters struggle with issues of race, wealth, and class. Doctorow weaves fictional lives alongside real historical figures such as Harry Houdini and Henry Ford, readers see people from different walks of life create an intriguing depiction of the era.
Sherwood Anderson was an American writer famous for stories set in small-town America. Readers who enjoyed John Dos Passos might appreciate Anderson’s style, especially his book “Winesburg, Ohio.”
In it, Anderson presents a series of short stories that connect through the life of a young reporter named George Willard. Each chapter reveals the secret life of a different town resident, filled with hopes, regrets, and usually hidden struggles.
For example, one interesting story focuses on a quiet woman named Elizabeth Willard and her dreams of adventure outside her ordinary life in Winesburg. Anderson’s writing is simple and honest, bringing each character and their personal story sharply to life.
Upton Sinclair was an American writer known for novels that focus on social issues and ordinary people’s struggles. One of his best-known novels is “The Jungle,” a vivid story set in early 20th-century Chicago.
It follows Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who takes a job at the city’s meatpacking plants. Sinclair describes the shocking working conditions and poor treatment of workers.
Through Jurgis’s eyes, readers get a clear look at the harsh realities faced by immigrants in industrial America.
Readers who appreciate novels by John Dos Passos, especially those exploring American life and social problems, will find Sinclair’s writing interesting and relatable.
Thomas Wolfe was an American writer who became known for portraying characters and their experiences during times of change. His novel “Look Homeward, Angel” follows the life of Eugene Gant, a young man growing up in a small North Carolina town.
Readers get to know Eugene and witness his ambitions, struggles and relationships as he tries to understand himself and the world around him.
Wolfe gives readers honest characters who seem real, in the same way John Dos Passos wrote about people’s daily lives and their place in society.
Richard Wright was an American author who wrote about race relations in the United States during the early 20th century. One book he wrote is “Native Son.” The story follows a young black man named Bigger Thomas who lives in poverty on Chicago’s South Side in the 1930s.
After Bigger accidentally kills a wealthy white woman, he tries to deal with the consequences of his action. The novel explores the difficult racial conditions and class tension of that era through Bigger’s experience.
Wright writes with honesty and a clear eye for the difficult reality his characters face. For readers who enjoyed John Dos Passos’ portrayal of American society and social issues, Wright’s “Native Son” could feel familiar and interesting.
Nelson Algren is an author known for his realistic novels about everyday life in American cities. His book “The Man with the Golden Arm” gives readers a direct look into a struggling neighborhood of post-war Chicago.
He follows the journey of Frankie Machine, a card dealer who tries hard to move past his addiction and start a fresh life. Algren is frank about troubles in society, similar to how John Dos Passos directly explores American lives in his novels.
Readers who enjoy Dos Passos’ approach to America’s challenges may find something worthwhile in Algren’s honest storytelling and memorable characters.
Jack London was an American author known for stories with adventure and realism. His writing often shows characters who face tough situations, as seen in “The Call of the Wild”.
The book tells the story of a dog named Buck who is taken from his home and sold off to work in the harsh conditions of the Yukon during the gold rush. The narrative follows Buck’s experiences as he learns to adapt among sled dogs and harsh humans.
London’s writing is direct and clear, which may appeal to readers familiar with John Dos Passos’ straightforward style and thoughtful characters.
Kurt Vonnegut is an American author known for combining sharp satire with playful storytelling. Readers who enjoy John Dos Passos’ approach to exploring American society could also appreciate Vonnegut’s novel “Slaughterhouse-Five.”
The story centers on Billy Pilgrim, an American soldier who becomes unstuck in time after surviving the bombing of Dresden in World War II. Vonnegut’s narrative moves Billy Pilgrim through different periods of his life, including strange encounters with aliens.
Vonnegut’s direct, humorous style offers a thoughtful look into war, fate and human experience.