Ah - van Lingle! You have reminded me of one of the most important books I have ever read, which was, "Cry The Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. The book was probably the first to really make me care about apartheid, rather than simply believe it was just wrong. The film is a masterpeice, with a (young) Sidney Poittier giving a towering performance as an old man. It's sentimental, but I don't mind that. There is a sort of sentimentality which does not insult my intelligence.
I also think Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartta" is a very important book. It is free of the pomposity of "Steppenwolf" and presents the ideas in beautiful, clear prose. I had better try to read it in German one day.