Candide: All for the Best by Voltaire (originally published 1759; available in many versions)

In this satirical story, an idealistic young man encounters one disaster after another while refusing to give up the notion that “all things work together for good.”

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom (Vintage, 2012)

This novel (which spawned a major motion picture) recounts the remarkable achievements of one man over a 40-year period, demonstrating his impact on others and on world history.

Little Big Man by Thomas Berger (Dial Press, 1989)

This panoptic novel, follows the life of Jack Crabb, who—orphaned at 10 and raised by Indigenous Americans—lives to be 110 years old.

The War Prayer by Mark Twain (Harper Colophon, 2001)

In this brief fantasy, an angel enters a religious service to express the results of war to those praying for victory. Twain was discouraged from printing the book during his lifetime for fear of pushback from loyal readers.