There is no shortage of books written about pre-Civil War America, but this one was actually written by an author who lived through it. This book has even been thought to have perhaps provided the spark for the beginning of the war. Uncle Tom's Cabin has not survived without controversy, and it is clearly a work of fiction written by a woman who lived a life of some privilege in the north. Nonetheless, Harriet Beecher Stowe brought her characters to life in a dark, realistic setting and wrote a gut-wrenching story of what life may very well have been like for many people during her time. A story that will stick with you long after you are done reading it.