It's not an easy task, but someone's gotta do it. And PBS has decided they're the ones to head up the quest for America's favorite novel.
Let's talk books, shall we? Books have power -- there's no doubt about that. They have the power to transport us to other worlds, to other time periods, and into other people's heads. Well-told stories light up our imaginations, stretch our brains, and stir our hearts, making us more empathetic, well-rounded individuals. But which novel has captivated us and affected us the most? That is the question that PBS is seeking to answer via its new summer-long campaign, The Great American Read, launching May 22.
From classics like Pride and Prejudice to modern thrillers like Gone Girl, PBS has compiled a list of 100 books via a YouGov survey of more than 7,000 demographically diverse Americans who were asked to name their favorite novel. On Tuesday, May 22, PBS will air a two-hour kickoff event hosted by Meredith Vieira, where multiple celebrities and regular American citizens will weigh in on the effect certain favorite books have had on their lives. Online voting for our favorite novel will begin then, as well.
Then? We'll all get a chance to catch up on our reading this summer before The Great American Read returns in the fall with the rest of the eight-part series and an October 23 finale revealing which book has received the most votes, winning the coveted title of America's favorite novel.
"Rather than dictate from the top, we want to reflect what Americans actually care about," Bill Gardner, PBS's vice president of programming and development, told USA Today. "If some choices — such as Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell — are controversial, all the better... We're not trying to tell people what the greatest novel is, and does it really matter who wins? We're not doing a vote-you-off-the-island type of thing."
The list of 100 books has already been revealed, and you can even take a quiz to see how many you've read thus far! Though I've always thought of myself as a voracious reader, I have only read 24 of the books on the list. My husband -- who majored in English Literature and is a high school English teacher -- has only read 45. That's because the list is quite eclectic and varied, including books from all genres -- from Fifty Shades of Grey to The Great Gatsby.
From PBS's website ...
"'THE GREAT AMERICAN READ' is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey). It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience .... The series is the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-platform digital, educational and community outreach campaign, designed to get the country reading and passionately talking about books."There were a few rules that PBS employed when compiling the survey's results and making their top 100 list. Only fiction books were included, each author was limited to just one title, and series with multiple books were listed as just one entry. A book could also originate from anywhere in the world as long as it was published in English.
PBS is simply hoping that The Great American Read will inspire reading, as well as a positive conversation about books.
"Let's talk about what's good about America, what brings us together — especially now," Gardner said.
Be sure to tune in on PBS on May 22, at 8 p.m. ET. You can vote for your favorite novel beginning May 22 as well, at pbs.org/greatamericanread, and on Facebook and Instagram (#GreatReadPBS). Have you taken the quiz? How many books have you read off the list? What's your favorite novel? Which one do you think will be voted as America's best-loved? Leave a comment below, and let's get the conversation started! Happy reading!