If you had to pick a great american novel, what would it be?

I'd have to say Middlesex. It covers immigration, racism, gender issues, and is beautifully written.

I do get why people often say huckleberry finn or moby dick, but as great as those novels are, I think they're written too early to encapsulate much of what America is today. Perhaps GAN should be "awarded" every 25 years or so