Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Bell for Adano | 1944 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 2 | Hiroshima | 1946 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 3 | The Child Buyer | 1947 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 4 | The Wall | 1950 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 5 | A Single Pebble | 1956 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 6 | The War Lover | 1959 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 7 | White Lotus | 1965 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 8 | Too Far to Walk | 1966 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 9 | Under the Eye of the Storm | 1967 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 10 | The Conspiracy | 1972 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 11 | My Petition for More Space | 1974 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 12 | The Walnut Door | 1977 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 13 | The Call | 1985 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 14 | Antonietta | 1991 | John Hersey | Buy |
| 15 | The Marmot Drive | 2019 | John Hersey | Buy |
John Hersey’s fifteen standalone novels span from A Bell for Adano (1944) to The Marmot Drive (2019). His early work drew directly from World War II: A Bell for Adano tells the story of an American major governing a small Sicilian town, and Hiroshima recounts the experiences of atomic bomb survivors. The Wall (1950) is a fictionalized account of the Warsaw Ghetto.
His later novels moved into a wider range of subjects. A Single Pebble (1956) is set in China, The War Lover (1959) follows an American bomber crew in England, and White Lotus (1965) is an allegory about race in America. The Conspiracy (1972) is set in ancient Rome, and The Call (1985) follows an American missionary in China. Hersey’s fiction is marked by careful reporting and a focus on how individuals respond to historical forces.