PEOPLE Picks the Best Books From the 1970s
This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
PEOPLE Magazine, 15 Books
description from their website:
In celebration of our 50th year, we're looking back at some of our favorite reads over the decades.
No matter how old you are, we've all got those books that have made a lasting impression on us. Whether it's the book your mom read to you at night when you were a kid, one a beloved English teacher introduced you to or one that opened your mind and heart at an important point, some books really stand the test of time.
In celebration of 50 years of PEOPLE, we polled our staff about the books from decades past that made a difference in their lives or the culture at large. Here are our picks from the 1970s.
This list was originally published in 2024 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 652 | Dispatches | Michael Herr | 1977 | American | English | |
| 676 | The Princess Bride | William Goldman | 1973 | American | English | |
| 573 | Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret | Judy Blume | 1970 | American | English | |
| 3117 | The White Album | Joan Didion | 1979 | American | English | |
| 9221 | The Rachel Papers | Martin Amis | 1973 | British | English | |
| 3252 | Endless Love | Scott Spencer | 1979 | American | English | |
| 3148 | All the President's Men | Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein | 1974 | American | English | |
| 788 | Roots | Alex Haley | 1976 | American | English | |
| 1688 | Carrie | Stephen King | 1974 | American | English | |
| 14960 | Helter Skelter | Vincent Bugliosi | 1974 | American | English | |
| 8348 | Go Ask Alice | Beatrice Sparks | 1971 | American | English | |
| 904 | Breakfast of Champions | Kurt Vonnegut | 1973 | American | English | |
| 13359 | Where the Sidewalk Ends | Shel Silverstein | 1974 | American | English | |
| 633 | Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | John le Carré | 1974 | British | English | |
| 406 | Ragtime | E. L. Doctorow | 1975 | American | English |