UnderworldUnderworld
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1951, at a famous baseball game in New York, a boy catches the home run ball that won the pennant. The novel follows that ball through the second half of the century, and with it Nick Shay, a waste management executive haunted by something he did as a teenager, and dozens of other lives, from J. Edgar Hoover to the comedian Lenny Bruce, all shaped by the Cold War.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and is often named one of the great American novels of its era. Its opening chapter, at the ballgame, is famous.
You'll love it if you liked
White Noise
Gravity's Rainbow
American PastoralGood to know
It's over 800 pages and moves backward in time, jumping between characters. It's demanding.
By the numbers
- Readers34 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics82 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller21 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
- #571 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1089 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Don DeLillo
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Quick answers
Is Underworld worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and is often named one of the great American novels of its era. It ranks #1,089 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Underworld about?
In 1951, at a famous baseball game in New York, a boy catches the home run ball that won the pennant. The novel follows that ball through the second half of the century, and with it Nick Shay, a waste management executive haunted by something he did as a teenager, and dozens of other lives, from J. Edgar Hoover to the comedian Lenny Bruce, all shaped by the Cold War.
How long does it take to read Underworld?
About 21 hours (832 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Underworld?
If you liked it, try White Noise by Don DeLillo, Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon or American Pastoral by Philip Roth.