World's FairWorld's Fair
Score Classic
What it's about
In the 1930s Bronx, Edgar, a sensitive boy growing up in a Jewish family, takes in the world around him: his loving, quarrelling parents, his older brother, neighborhood bullies and friends, the Depression and the coming war, culminating in a visit to the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award. It's a tender, beautifully detailed coming-of-age novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Ragtime
Billy Bathgate
A Tree Grows in BrooklynGood to know
It's quiet and autobiographical.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 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.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by E. L. Doctorow
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
The Caine Mutiny
East of Eden
I, Claudius
A Room of One's Own
Angle of ReposeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is World's Fair worth reading?
It won the National Book Award. Its Must-Read Score is 62.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is World's Fair about?
In the 1930s Bronx, Edgar, a sensitive boy growing up in a Jewish family, takes in the world around him: his loving, quarrelling parents, his older brother, neighborhood bullies and friends, the Depression and the coming war, culminating in a visit to the 1939 New York World's Fair.
How long does it take to read World's Fair?
About 8 hours (304 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has World's Fair won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1986).
What should I read after World's Fair?
If you liked it, try Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.