Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/2011/12/20/20-best-books-about-the-american-dream/
http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/american-dream

While on the topic of that, how much more sense does the book make than the movie? The entire movie made literally no sense to me.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

gotta go classic shit m8

I've looked at a few of those and none of them caught my eye as interesting
EDIT: also wtf? the audacity of hope by obama???

make ur own american dream

Sirens of Titan

or

Cats Cradle

Vonnegut is the best

literally go to a bookstore and pick one up stop asking us what we think this is gaming forum

its exactly what hunter s thompson did in the 70s, took copious amounts of drugs while in las vegas

http://i.imgur.com/UyQbXmt.png

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thompson is on the left for anyone wondering

You have to be kidding. Most of those books are pretty damn 'interesting', could you try defining what exactly you mean by 'interseting'?

something that can keep the attention span of a 16 year old idiot. i havent read a book in forever that has kept me really glued to it

It was forever ago and I never finished it, same with the movie.

But I remember "The Joy Luck Club" being pretty good.

Pretty much all of those in the list include things like murder, love, betrayal, anger, sadness, and an entire glut of humanity. I mean if what you are expecting is harry potter you are probably not going to find it.

That's what I was thinking. Dude has one lifelong goal, puts his life on the line to get to it, regardless of what's in his way.

Atlas Shrugged

of mice and men if you want a really short book

Just going to say really you can pick almost any book written ever and if you are creative enough you can spin it towards the american dream, I mean your media does it allready...

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers is an amazing book that looks at what "The American Dream" can mean from multiple perspectives, it's interesting and not too difficult to understand. It may seem like a long book but it's a really fast read, you'll get though it faster than what you'd think you'd be able to. I'd recommend that or The Great Gatsby like someone else already said. A lot of American writers from the early twentieth century wrote a lot of great novels that explore the idea of what it means to be "American" and what the "American Dream" really means. I'd start there if nothing anyone has suggested here sounds interesting.

Moby Dick

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rGt8%2BPs0L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

If he is a 16 year old who has trouble staying interested in a book, I don't think him finishing Moby Dick is possible.

right......

Well then, To Kill a Mockingbird because it is very short, extremely easy to read, and has some really good content, considering how accessible it is.

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the book is a lot better than the movie, although i do really enjoy the movie. but, it being a 90 minute synposis of an entire book, they skim/skip a lot of important shit. movie felt a lot more focused on it being a drug fueled trip where crazy shit was going on, but in thompson's life most of that shit was normal, so the focus was on the search for the dream and the drugs were just sort of along for the ride with them.

i enjoyed the movie for what it is but if you really want to get thompson's views on the american dream read fear & loathing or some of his nixon/colorado articles in the great shark hunt: strange tales from a strange time. he's a hopeless romantic when it comes to america and when something (like nixon's presidency, the commercialism of aspen colorado, etc) sets him off his writing is insane.

i'm a bit of a thompson fan.

I read Joy Luck Club over the summer for school and it was really good. It really points to the American Dream theme directly and if you like extremely emotional writing, Joy Luck Club is the book to read. It has some mother daughter sad boys stuff in there.

I'd pick some book about the housing crisis a few years back. It'll let you put the 'American Dream' on blast.

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Short-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393338827

It's already been mentioned, but seriously, read The Great Gatsby. Phenomenal book.