The 42nd Parallel

John Dos Passos · 1896–1970 · USA

Why it matters

The opening volume of the U.S.A. trilogy, interrupting a dozen fictional Americans' lives with 'Newsreel' collages of real headlines and stream-of-consciousness 'Camera Eye' interludes. Dos Passos's collective portrait of a nation industrializing itself into war and disillusionment.

At a glance

Interlocking documentary collage, multiple narrators, and no single throughline demand sustained attention.