12 novels that changed the way we live

A novel has the ability to shift our social, economic or political lives. But it doesn't happen often. "But then there is another collection of novels — some great, some not so great — that appeared in just the right form at just the right moment to effect a measurable impact outside the literary realm. That influence is relatively rare. We are far more likely to be motivated by works of nonfiction, by information, by exposé" Ron Charles, in The Washington Post discusses 12 novels that changed society forever.