Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls

Hemingway experienced the grime and blood of the Spanish Civil War through his gig as an ambulance driver. He takes his first-hand knowledge of the war and applies it neatly to FWTBT. In this story, an American, Robert Jordan, is assigned to blow up a bridge. Things, however, get complicated when he runs into a band of Spanish guerillas who are hiding in the Spanish mountains.
Hemingway's prose speaks volumes using sparse syntax and simple vocabulary. That is not to say that the novel is simple. This book describes the complex nature of courage, and Robert Jordan exemplifies the Hemingway hero: stoic, honest and rugged.
Most English majors in college must read this before they graduate. However, it is a novel worth reading by anyone with an interest in great American Literature.