Simon introduces Eugene Morris Jerome for the first time in his play Brighton Beach Memoirs (1984). Set in Brooklyn in 1937, the story revolves around a Jewish family grappling with financial difficulties during the Great Depression.

The final installment of Simon's semi-autobiographical trilogy is Broadway Bound (1987). This play follows Eugene and his older brother as they leave home to pursue careers as writers for a radio show. Meanwhile, their parents' marriage falls apart, and their family opposes their new career path. Eugene comes to understand that life doesn't always offer the happy endings he can create in his comedic writing.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, is a captivating work that offers fascinating insights into American society on the home front during World War II. It delves deeply into the events within the Roosevelt White House, highlighting the interactions and relationships among those living, working, and visiting there during this pivotal era.

David Guterson's novel Snow Falling on Cedars (1994) depicts the internment of Japanese Americans in Washington State during World War II. Spanning both the 1940s and 1990s, the narrative examines the profound and lasting impacts of racism.

Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried (1990) is a collection of interconnected short stories about young soldiers serving in the Vietnam War. O'Brien, a Vietnam veteran himself, poignantly and powerfully captures this challenging chapter in American history, focusing on the young men who were sent to fight in the war.