Books written in the 1950s, assigned in US schools
Cold War and conformity — and the first wave of teen-anchored novels (Holden Caulfield, Lord of the Flies' island).
- Books on file
- 12
- Lexile range
- 430L–1110L
- Grade span
- K–12
- Decade window
- 1950–1959
The 1950s canon
The Catcher in the RyeJ.D. Salinger · 790L
Charlotte's WebE.B. White · 680L
Invisible ManRalph Ellison · 950L
The Old Man and the SeaErnest Hemingway · 940L
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 890L
The CrucibleArthur Miller
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Cat in the HatDr. Seuss · 430L
The Witch of Blackbird PondElizabeth George Speare · 850L
Things Fall ApartChinua Achebe · 890L
A Raisin in the SunLorraine Hansberry
A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles · 1110L
Common questions
- How many 1950s books does the canon include here?
- 12 books written in the 1950s appear across the curricula and state ELA standards tracked by ReadingList. Each one is cited from a state department of education, AP/IB syllabus, or peer-reviewed source.
- What's the Lexile range for 1950s books?
- Lexile measures for 1950s assigned-reading titles range from 430L to 1110L. Books without a published Lexile measure (poetry, drama, graphic novels) are not included in this range.
- What grades assign 1950s books?
- Books written in the 1950s are assigned across grades K through 12 in US schools tracked by ReadingList. Specific grade-level assignments are listed on each book page.