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The Great American Read (PBS)

Is anyone watching? Voting?

PBS has narrowed down a list of 100 books (or in some cases, series of books) and is asking viewers to vote their favorite. Voting ends October 18.

The shows, hosted by Meredith Vieira, feature brief summaries of the books, and include short interviews with celebrities and normal every day people about which books are their favorites.

Of course, there are some clunkers on the list...(Twilight?? FIFTY SHADES OF GREY??) But most of the candidates are worthy. I do wish they hadn't "cheated", and actually picked only one book if it was from a series.

My favorites are old standbys that some of you will roll your eyes at, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Great Gatsby. But reading them take me back to when I first read them, and how much I enjoyed them, and the great teachers I had helping us develop our own feelings and opinions on the books, the characters, the authors.

Also, I just like that it's pushing people to read more and improve their education.

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by Anonymousreply 26December 15, 2018 4:10 PM

I love it. I’ve read half of the100 books, and read a terrific teen book after seeing it on the list—Ghost by Jason Reynolds.

by Anonymousreply 1October 13, 2018 7:54 PM

I thought it was interesting for 30 minutes - then it was just a bunch of celebrities gushing about their favorite books. Also the title was really misleading - I thought they were going to be just American books by American authors. Nope.

It ended up being a really disjointed production. I understand what they're trying to do - but I think they could have done it much better. It's hard to select 100 books and describe each of them. They could have categorized them better or did some other way to make it look like such a hodgepodge.

Low standards for PBS.

by Anonymousreply 2October 13, 2018 7:57 PM

I brought up "The Great American Read" in the recent thread about novels but I was thoroughly ignored. With all its faults, I applaud and encourage anything that will get people to read books.

by Anonymousreply 3October 13, 2018 8:07 PM

I was delighted that Another Country by James Baldwin was on the list.

by Anonymousreply 4October 13, 2018 8:10 PM

Get back to me when they finally acknowledge THIS American literary masterwork.

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by Anonymousreply 5October 14, 2018 12:15 AM

Which will be number one?

by Anonymousreply 6October 18, 2018 11:37 PM

R2, completely agree with you. I'm a librarian and we pushed this (not hard, but we never push anything hard) at the library this summer. It was more like signage and then we pushed it under the rug. But we were encouraged to read from the list and I enjoyed a couple of the books I read. I also wish it had focused on American writers.

by Anonymousreply 7October 18, 2018 11:41 PM

No Donna Tartt but Fifty Shades of Gray, Harry Potter, Tom Clancy and similar garbage? Bye, bitch.

by Anonymousreply 8October 19, 2018 12:08 AM

I've read 34 of the books on the list. Including The Godfather, which should NOT be on the list, frankly (it's a Great American Trashy Read). Agreed that the entire list should be American writers, although they would have lost a lot of YA readers by leaving off the Harry Potter books. "Mockingbird" for the win.

by Anonymousreply 9October 19, 2018 12:08 AM

Don't forget to vote.

by Anonymousreply 10October 19, 2018 2:30 PM

Voting is closed. The winner will be announced on Tuesday.

by Anonymousreply 11October 20, 2018 9:57 PM

No OP, I'm with you! And R3. Mockingbird or Gatsby for the win. Also always push John Irving, especially his early work. Such good fun.

by Anonymousreply 12October 20, 2018 10:36 PM

R5, dat book ees not so great, I'd rather get brain freeze from Slurpee.

by Anonymousreply 13October 20, 2018 10:49 PM

R8, what do you mean? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is on the list. Haven't read it yet.

I'm wanting A Prayer for Owen Meany to win, but suppose that it won't. Will probably be To Kill a Mockingbird.

by Anonymousreply 14October 20, 2018 10:55 PM

To Kill a Mockingbird is Number One!!!

by Anonymousreply 15October 24, 2018 1:15 AM

Damn! I clicked on this thread before I watched the show. But that was my prediction.

by Anonymousreply 16October 24, 2018 1:16 AM

I never read books, and I am the President.

by Anonymousreply 17October 24, 2018 1:26 AM

Did the Bible crack the top 10?

by Anonymousreply 18October 24, 2018 1:33 AM

What do you think the reaction would have been had GWTW been #1 instead of #6?

I never knew Outlander was such frau bait. What was up with that author’s voice?

by Anonymousreply 19October 24, 2018 2:34 AM

I was also surprised that Outlander was that big a deal. Pleasantly surprised Charlotte's Web ended up number 7. I wanted A Prayer for Owen Meany and it ended up 26 which was respectable but not what it deserved.

by Anonymousreply 20October 24, 2018 3:43 AM

Outlander surprised me too. It's probably one of those books/series with a looney but dedicated fan base who spent all day voting through the different avenues. Actually, based on the clip that aired during the show, it's safe to say that's exactly what happened.

Others higher than I expected: Gone With the Wind (6), The Book Thief (14), The Help (16), And Then There Were None (19), and The Outsiders (32). To be honest, I never voted in this, but And Then There Were None is a personal favorite that I never expected to rank that high, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that result.

Lower than I expected: The Great Gatsby (15), Great Expectations (29), The Catcher in the Rye (30), Moby Dick (46), War and Peace (50), and Crime and Punishment (64).

I also thought The Handmaid's Tale (34), Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (39), The Hunger Games (40), and Game of Thrones (48) would have gotten more "fanatical" votes from their base like Outlander did, pushing them higher.

I thought it was fun to see what people's favorites are, and learn about some titles that I haven't discovered.... while at the same time, I wasn't so invested in any of this that I ultimately cared much where my personal favorites landed.

by Anonymousreply 21October 24, 2018 5:10 AM

By the way, here are the results for anyone interested who didn't watch.

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by Anonymousreply 22October 24, 2018 5:12 AM

Sadly, only a small minority of Americans read. Most Americans, like Trump and his deplorables, do not read.

by Anonymousreply 23October 25, 2018 5:35 PM

"The Art of the Deal" is the GREAT American read.

by Anonymousreply 24December 9, 2018 12:12 AM

Murdered Heiress: Living Witness by Dr. Petie Wagner. Left a mark on my life.

by Anonymousreply 25December 9, 2018 12:15 AM

Did any of you vote in this election?

by Anonymousreply 26December 15, 2018 4:10 PM
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