# Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a classic of American literature, with a memorable fence scene and lasting literary value. Critics call its humor tedious and some call it racist.

## Why people recommend it

- Seen as quintessential American novel (2 comments): "Twain is the obvious "American Homer" not just because his name pops immediately to mind" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48986916)) "that passage more than any other story sums up the spirit of the USA" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50300083))
- Childhood favorite with literary value (2 comments): "One of my fondest childhood memory is reading sawyer and huck." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50297924)) "There's still a lot of value in it as a work of literature" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50297778))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1443425435?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781443425438) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain", https://hackerapproved.com/p/adventures-of-tom-sawyer/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).