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"Native son"
By Richard Wright, exposed racial injustices in the United States, in parallel to broader debates about social inequality that were becoming more global, but as Western democracies sought to present themselves as morally superior to the communists -
"The stranger"
Wrote by Albert Camus, captured the existentialist despair that resonated after WWII, as the world struggled with reconstruction and the uncertainties of the Cold War. -
"Animal farm"
By George Owell, It was a direct response to totalitarian regimes, criticizing Soviet communism (Russia) when Cold War tensions began between the occident and the USSR. -
"The Catcher in the Rye"
By J.D. Salinger, it reflected the order felt by individuals conforming to the Cold War, as well as the pressure to parallel social norms under the threat of communism. -
"Invisible man"
By Ralph Ellison addressed the issue of invisibility and marginalization in the United States, reflecting how minorities were marginalized in the Cold War narrative by focusing on global ideological struggles. -
"Fahrenheit 451"
By Ray Bradbury, warned of censorship and authoritarianism, reflecting fears of suppressing free speech thanks to communist regimes during the height of Cold War paranoia. -
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
By Harper Lee, highlighted racial injustice, paralleling Cold War efforts to present the United States as a democratic beacon of civil rights. -
"The Fire Next Time"
By James Baldwin, it was a call for justice and social equality, it intersected with the tensions of the Cold War era, where the United States projected moral superiority by directly disregarding civil rights. -
"Slaughterhouse-Five"
By Kurt Vonnegut, criticized the war and said it was very absurd, especially World War II, which was deeply enmeshed in Cold War politics. -
"The Edible Woman"
By Margaret Adwood, feminist themes, criticizing patriarchy, reflecting the power struggles and hierarchies of the Cold War -
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
By Hunter S. Thomson, criticized the corruption of the American dream, in parallel with the disillusionment generated by the government, especially after the Vietnam War. -
"Song of Solomon"
By Toni Morrison, explored African American identity and heritage, addressing how they felt pressured (oppression) by the United States and being ignored during the Cold War -
"Midnight’s Children"
By Salman Rushdie, encompassed national identity and postcolonialism, paralleling the Cold War proxy struggles in newly independent nations as the United States and USSR sought to influence the still developing world. -
White Noise
By Don DeLillo, It criticized media saturation and consumerism, reflected the commodification of culture during the Cold War and how the West promoted itself as a better model of capitalist place. -
"Love in the Time of Cholera"
By Gabriel García Márquez, used themes of love and memory in politically turbulent environments, emphasizing the instability of Latin America during the Cold War, where it was influenced by the USA and Russia. -
"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"
By Haruki Murakami, this novel reflected on how individuals, despite having ended the war, confusion persists, it is the search for identity in a post-ideological world. -
"Infinite Jest"
By, David Foster Wallace, it takes place in a dystopian near future where entertainment, technology and addiction dominate society, reflects disillusionment with traditional political structures, and addresses a world struggling for the meaning of existence after the fall of communism. -
"White Teeth"
By Zadie Smit, the novel addresses themes of immigration, multiculturalism, cultural identity and postcolonialism, showing how the global changes caused by decolonization shape family and cultural identities in post-Cold War Britain.