Leaves of GrassLeaves of Grass
Score Classic
What it's about
Walt Whitman spent his whole life rewriting and expanding one book of poems. It begins with Song of Myself, a long, joyful celebration of the self, the body and democratic America, and goes on to include the Civil War poems he wrote as a nurse and his elegies for Abraham Lincoln, including O Captain! My Captain!
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and is the foundation of modern American poetry. Whitman's long, free lines and his embrace of everything were completely new.
You'll love it if you liked
Walden
Essays of Michel De Montaigne
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
It's poetry, and best read a little at a time. Editions differ a lot: the short 1855 first edition and the final 'deathbed' edition are both popular.
By the numbers
- Readers66 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is Leaves of Grass worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and is the foundation of modern American poetry. It ranks #820 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Leaves of Grass about?
Walt Whitman spent his whole life rewriting and expanding one book of poems. It begins with Song of Myself, a long, joyful celebration of the self, the body and democratic America, and goes on to include the Civil War poems he wrote as a nurse and his elegies for Abraham Lincoln, including O Captain! My Captain!
How long does it take to read Leaves of Grass?
About 5 hours (196 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Leaves of Grass?
If you liked it, try Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Essays of Michel De Montaigne by Michel de Montaigne or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.