I was born and raised in a country that many remember as the USSR, I think you are familiar with the political system of this country and the direction of agitation, the attitude towards Western countries, including the United States.
Much of US history has been omitted and the focus has been on the period of the slave system. The book on which, of course, Soviet schoolchildren wrote essays was Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
I remember how I was in the hospital, my mother brought me this thick book, as required reading, as required at school. But, fortunately, other novels were also available that opened the veil over the history of the United States by Jack London authors, novels by James Fenimore Cooper, O. Henry, I won’t talk about science fiction writers, which I read almost everyone and everything).
Therefore, I am inclined to admit that there are still many blank spots in my knowledge of US history, despite the film The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, who did not want to tell anyone about a certain period of his life, or, about the period of the civil war, as I understand.
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I will be honest and tell you that I grew up in the 80s so just as your learning was clouded about the US, mine was just as clouded about the USSR. I guess that is just a byproduct of living through the cold war. I think it is a pitty that the heart of the eastern European culture was "hidden" from us as I imagine it is rich and vibrant. you mentioned some fantastic authors. I hope you got the chance to read some Asimov, Norton, and Heinlein in your sci Fi explorations.
That time, for fantasy lovers, should be divided into two stages, before Perestroika and during Gorbachev's Perestroika.
Asimov, Sheckley, Bradbury, something from Garrison. then it was "The Unstoppable Planet", the beginning of the "Moralist", you could find and read. My grandmother was a librarian and I asked her to select literature for me to read. Asimov I attributed to thoughtful reading, Sheckley wrote light, sometimes very funny stories, and Bradbury is prone to psychodialic fiction, lol, sometimes there was a heavy residue after him. Harrison is impossible not to love, during perestroika I read everything he wrote and understood how poor cinema is. I couldn't understand why no one is filming Stainless Steel Rat lol. I visited Barsoom even before the film adaptation, reading Burroughs, Asprin gave vivid impressions of the journey between reflections and the excellent humor of the Shutt company, 9 princes of amber, with each new volume, became more and more like the Three Musketeers, 10 years later, 20 years later and Vicomte de Bragelon, I think the first book is the most action-packed), Norton with worlds similar to the worlds of Tolkien and Highline, with his dislike for bugs), appeared in my library later .. it's hard to tell everything in one comment.
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That is quite the list there! My parents always took me to the library as a kid, but never anything like you were clearly exposed to! I can tell how much you love those books and authors by the way you talk about them.
Let's just say, these are the books of my childhood and early youth, now I have one, the main book, which is also read in the USA)