The InterExchange Top Cultural Picks in the U.S. > Guide to the Arts

Art, literature and design serve a fickle master. One person will love something and the person next to them will hate it. InterExchange staff gathered our favorite authors, books, plays and movies that we believe embody the voice and aesthetic of life and culture in the U.S. And you can start reading and watching these even before you leave for your trip to the U.S. to get a picture of how U.S. culture operates and how it has been influenced.

Books and Authors that Embody Culture in the U.S.

There are certain books we have all had to read in high school, "The Classics."  While many U.S. students  who would rather play video games than read classical literature, attitudes often change as they get older. Some of the incredible stories these books describe about the people who came before us and built the U.S. often take on new meaning. Here are some of our favorites:

• Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
• The Grape's of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Some scoff at modern-day literature and say it can never measure up to "The Classics". We at InterExchange tend to disagree. Here is a list of our favorite authors and some of their books.

• Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safron Foer
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
• Freedom by Jonathan Franzen 
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• I'm a Stranger Here Myself and The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
• On the Road by Jack Kerouc
• What is the What and Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Knock Your Socks Off Movies About Life in the U.S.

Sometimes a book just doesn't cut it. Movies are a great way - although sometimes not the most accurate - to see a glimpse of life in another country. Here are our favorites that depict in humorous and serious ways, our culture:

Art and Artists We Appreciate

There are some artists who you can look at and immediately associate with the U.S. Their works portray the feeling of the culture at the time they were created. Here is a list of our favorites:

The Theatre, The Theatre - Our Favorite Plays and Playwrights

Only on Broadway, kid! If you like a good musical or play, we have the list for you:

• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
• How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser
• Our Town by Thornton Wilder
• Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber
• Rent by Jonathan Larson
• A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? by Edward Albee