Top Five's -- Most Important Books in U.S. History

1. Common Sense - Thomas Paine

2. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriot Beecher Stowe

3. the Jungle - Upton Sinclair

4. How the Other Half Lives - Jacob Riis

5. Silent Spring - Rachel Carson



One incited a revolution. One sparked a civil war. One exposed the American meatpacking industry. One used muck racking photojournalism to expose New York City slums. One launched the environmental movement. All these books served as a catalyst to something major in our history, and their repercussions are still felt today. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Has anyone read these books and can testify on their worthiness or unworthiness? Let's hear it.