The Great American Read

MAN: A READER LIVES A THOUSAND LIVES BEFORE HE DIES.

A MAN WHO DOES NOT READ LIVES ONLY ONE.

SECOND MAN: THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE TO EACH OTHER IS BY STORIES.

I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT MY MOTHER FELT IT WAS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF ENRICHING OUR LIVES.

THIRD MAN: SOMETIMES TO SEE OUR WORLD BETTER, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO LEAVE IT, OR AT LEAST PRETEND TO.

YOU CAN GO VISIT COUNTRIES THAT YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE.

FOURTH MAN: EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF VICTORY, THE AGONY OF DEFEAT.

SWASHBUCKLING AND SWORDS AND CASTLES.

FIFTH MAN: THOSE WORDS ARE DOING THINGS.

THEY'RE CONJURING IMAGERY.

THEY'RE ACCESSING YOUR EMOTIONS.

I JUST LOVE GREAT BOOKS.

GOOD EVENING.

I'M MEREDITH VIEIRA, AND I AM THRILLED TO BE BACK WITH YOU AS YOUR HOST OF "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ," OUR SEARCH FOR AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

YOU'VE BEEN WITH US ALL SUMMER LONG, READING, SHARING, AND VOTING FOR YOUR FAVORITES.

SO WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU VOTING FOR?

I'M VOTING FOR "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE."

"GREAT GATSBY."

I'M VOTING FOR... "READY PLAYER ONE."

"BLESS ME, ULTIMA."

THAT'S AN AMAZING BOOK.

VIEIRA: COME WITH US ON THIS UNIQUE LITERARY QUEST.

NOW, IN ORDER TO MAKE CHOOSING A LITTLE EASIER, WE'VE COMPILED A LIST OF 100 BOOKS SELECTED BY READERS LIKE YOU THROUGH A NATIONWIDE SURVEY, ACCOUNTING FOR GENDER, ETHNICITY, AGE, AND REGION.

WE SURVEYED THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS ACROSS THE NATION, AND THE TOP 100 NOVELS YOU CHOSE FOR AMERICA'S BOOKSHELF INCLUDE 51 BOOKS SET IN THE UNITED STATES, 64 WRITTEN BY AMERICANS, 70 NOVELS PUBLISHED AFTER WORLD WAR II, 9 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS, AND ONE NOVEL WRITTEN BY A FORMER HEAD OF STATE.

CHECK IN WITH YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION TO FIND OUT MORE AND GET INVOLVED.

I'M VOTING FOR "MEMOIRS OF GEISHA."

YOU WILL LOVE "CRIME AND PUNISHMENT."

"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."

"THE LITTLE PRINCE."

"CHRONICLES OF NARNIA."

THIS IS THE "CATCHER IN THE RYE."

I'M VOTING FOR "THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD," AND YOU SHOULD, TOO.

VIEIRA: KEEP READING, SHARING, AND VOTING FOR THE ONES YOU LOVE, AND STAY WITH US OVER THE NEXT 5 WEEKS AS WE PRESENT A SERIES OF DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMS THAT DIG DEEP INTO THEMES IN THE NOVELS TRENDING IN THE COMPETITION.

THEN LATER THIS FALL, WE'LL ANNOUNCE THE WINNING BOOK, YOUR NUMBER ONE BEST-LOVED NOVEL IN A SPECIAL FINALE RIGHT HERE ON PBS.

SO WHICH BOOK WILL WIN?

"THE GREAT AMERICAN READ" CONTINUES.

WELCOME BACK TO "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

WELCOME BACK TO THE GREAT AMERICAN READ.

IN OUR LAUNCH EPISODE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER, WE REVEALED ALL 100 TITLES ON YOUR LIST.

STARTING TONIGHT, THIS CAMPAIGN HITS HIGH GEAR WITH A REVVED-UP REVIEW OF THE BOOKS YOU PICKED.

AND THEN IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

SO WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU VOTING FOR?

I'M CARLA HAYDEN, LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IS RALPH ELLISON'S "INVISIBLE MAN."

IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE 6 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO HAS NOT YET READ J.R.R.

TOLKIEN'S "LORD OF THE RINGS," WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

I LOVE THE BOOK "THE GIVER" BY LOIS LOWERY.

I LOVED "WAR AND PEACE."

I FELL IN LOVE WITH "DON QUIXOTE."

I'M STILL LOOKING FOR DON QUIXOTE.

MY NAME'S CHRIS KLUWE, AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IS "FOUNDATION" BY ISAAC ASIMOV.

"THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY."

IT'S JUST AN AWKWARD, WEIRD BOOK, BUT I LOVE THAT IT IS.

VIEIRA: WE BEGIN IN MISSOURI WITH A NOVEL THAT HAS DEFINED AMERICAN CHILDHOOD SINCE IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1876.

IT WAS WRITTEN BY A SON OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER-- SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS, BETTER KNOWN AS MARK TWAIN.

TWAIN EDUCATED HIMSELF IN LIBRARIES AND TRAVELED THE WORLD, PRODUCING DOZENS OF SHORT STORIES AND 16 NOVELS ALONG THE WAY, AMONG THEM, THE NEXT BOOK YOU CHOSE-- "THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER."

MAN: WE'RE IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

I'M SITTING HERE WITH A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.

MARK TWAIN DESCRIBES A YOUNG BOY WAKING UP, SUMMER MORNING COMES AROUND, AND YOU SMILE AND SAY, "WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY?"

THOSE PASSAGES HAVE STAYED WITH ME ALL MY LIFE.

VIEIRA: TOM SAWYER IS A COMIC ADVENTURE STORY ABOUT A MISCHIEVOUS BOY WHO GETS INTO A LOT OF GROWN-UP TROUBLE.

TWAIN WEAVES GROWN-UP SUBJECTS INTO THE BOOK AS WELL, NOTABLY SLAVERY.

AND HE DOES SO IN A WAY AMERICAN READERS AT THE TIME WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

MAN: MARK TWAIN DELIVERED THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE TO THE WORLD.

BEFORE THEN, AMERICAN NOVELISTS WERE WRITING THINGS REALLY FROM A BRITISH PERSPECTIVE.

THAT'S REALLY ALL THEY KNEW.

THERE WERE NO AMERICAN CHARACTERS WHO SPOKE LIKE AMERICANS, USED LOCAL LANGUAGE, LOCAL DIALECTS.

IN A WAY, HE INVENTED THAT WHOLE GENRE.

THIS IS THE AMERICAN DREAM, THIS IS THE AMERICAN LIFE, AND THIS IS THE AMERICAN SPIRIT.

VIEIRA: OUR NEXT BOOK TELLS ANOTHER ICONIC STORY ABOUT A YOUNG BOY AND IS LOVED BY READERS OF ALL AGES EVERYWHERE.

TIME TO CELEBRATE, HOGWARTS FANS.

THE BOOK IS "HARRY POTTER."

OHH.

I GREW UP WITH HARRY POTTER.

IT JUST SUCKED ME IN.

THIS WORLD OF HARRY POTTER JUST TOOK OVER MY ENTIRE LIFE.

EACH BOOK GETS MORE INTENSE.

YOU'RE GONNA BE LIKE, "I NEED ALL OF THEM.

I NEED TO GET ALL OF THEM RIGHT NOW."

AND IT'S FOR EVERYONE.

IT'S NOT A SURPRISE TO ME AT ALL THAT "HARRY POTTER" IS ON AMERICA'S 100 BEST-LOVED BOOKS.

IT WOULD BE SHOCKING TO ME IF IT WEREN'T.

VIEIRA: WAITING FOR YOU FAVORITE "HARRY POTTER" BOOK TO MAKE THE LIST?

WELL, TO KEEP THINGS FAIR ON "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ," ANY SERIES OF NOVELS COUNTS AS A SINGLE BOOK, SO DON'T DELAY, VOTE HOGWARTS NOW.

WE MET ONE YOUNG WOMAN FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS WHO FOUND "HARRY POTTER" TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE.

YISRAEL: MY NAME IS ELIYANNAH.

I GREW UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.

BOOKS INTRODUCED A WORLD TO ME OUTSIDE OF MY OWN.

AND SO I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I WOULD SEE THE WORLD.

I WAS VERY MUCH A LIBRARY GIRL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WAS LIKE, THAT'S THE BEST PLACE ON THE PLANET.

I READ THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.

SOMETIMES I READ THEM TWICE A YEAR, BUT AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR I READ ALL 7 BOOKS.

VIEIRA: "HARRY POTTER" TELLS THE SPELLBINDING STORY OF AN ORPHAN BOY WHO FINDS OUT HE IS REALLY A WIZARD.

IT'S A DISCOVERY THAT LEADS HIM TO THE HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY AND A GROUP OF LIFELONG FRIENDS.

YISRAEL: YOU'VE GOT RON, HERMIONE, AND HARRY, AND THEY WERE THIS GROUP OF FRIENDS.

THEY WERE THERE FOR EACH OTHER THROUGH THICK AND THIN.

FROM THE VERY FIRST MOMENT THAT I WAS INTRODUCED TO MISS HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, I REALIZED THAT SHE WAS MY LONG-LOST TWIN SISTER.

I HAD NEVER SEEN A CHARACTER THAT WAS ME IN THAT WAY, THAT WAS LIKE SO INTO READING THAT IT WAS LIKE AN OBSESSION.

I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS THAT HERMIONE JUST GAVE ME CONFIDENCE.

AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT SHE'S THE MUDBLOOD OF THE SERIES.

VIEIRA: IN POTTER WORLD, CERTAIN PURE BLOOD WIZARDS DISMISS HERMIONE AS MUGGLE BORN OR MUDBLOOD, MEANING THE CHILD OF NON-WIZARD PARENTS.

YISRAEL: THEY FIRST INTRODUCED MUDBLOOD AS A SLUR AGAINST MUGGLE BORNS, AND I THOUGHT, "WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING."

WHAT A REALLY FASCINATING WAY TO TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE DANGERS OF OPPRESSING PEOPLE BECAUSE OF WHO THEY WERE BORN AS.

THESE ARE KIDS AND TEENAGERS WHO ARE FIGHTING BIGOTRY AND RACISM.

"HARRY POTTER" IS ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING TO MAKE A BETTER WORLD.

VIEIRA: "HARRY POTTER" INSPIRED ELIYANNAH TO CREATE HER OWN WEB SERIES, PICKING UP THE CHARACTERS' LIVES WHERE THE BOOKS LEFT OFF.

YISRAEL: THE SHOW IS CALLED "HERMIONE GRANGER AND THE QUARTER LIFE CRISIS."

I CAST HERMIONE AS A BLACK WOMAN, EVEN IF SHE WASN'T BLACK IN THE BOOKS, BECAUSE IT KIND OF IS IRRELEVANT.

IN THIS SERIES, SHE IS.

I ALWAYS LAUGHED AT, LIKE, A 13-YEAR-OLD CHARACTER TAUGHT 20-YEAR-OLD ME HOW TO, LIKE, BELIEVE IN MYSELF AND HOW TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF.

YOU CAN BE THIS POOR LITTLE BLACK GIRL FROM THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO AND COME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A WEB SERIES AND LIKE--AND MAKE IT.

[ALL CHEERING] DREAMS CAN COME TRUE.

EVERYBODY SHOULD READ "HARRY POTTER."

IT CAN GIVE YOU HOPE.

IT CAN GIVE YOU INSPIRATION.

IT CAN GIVE YOU FIGHT.

VOTE FOR "HARRY POTTER" BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE AMERICA'S BEST BOOK.

IT HAS TO BE AMERICA'S MOST-LOVED BOOK.

IT HAS TO WIN BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD.

IT IS SO GOOD.

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.

I LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FINISH A BOOK THAT I'VE LOVED AND IMMEDIATELY HAND IT TO SOMEONE WHO I THINK IS GONNA LIKE IT.

WHEN I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE NEXT BOOK ON MY LIST, I GO TO THE PEOPLE.

BUSH HAGER: PEOPLE SHOULD READ "THE BOOK THIEF."

IT'S LIKE A MOSAIC OF POETRY.

"CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR."

I THINK YOU'LL REALLY ENJOY IT.

PEOPLE SHOULD READ "THE HELP" BECAUSE IT'S BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, AND IT WAS REALLY INSPIRING TO READ ABOUT THESE VERY STRONG WOMEN.

GOOD WRITING ALWAYS STANDS THE TEST OF TIME.

"LITTLE WOMEN" BY LOUISA MAY ALCOTT.

YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FAMILY VALUES AND DOING THE RIGHT THING.

MAN: I THINK ABOUT "HATCHET," AND THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED OR THOUGHT ABOUT FROM THIS BOOK GAVE ME THE INSPIRATION THAT I NEEDED TO CONTINUE ON.

FAVORITE BOOK TO READ IS THE ALEX CROSS SERIES.

"THE DA VINCI CODE," KEPT YOU READING.

IT'S THOSE LITTLE HOOKS.

YOU HAVE TO SEE, LIKE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE IT.

VIEIRA: THE WRITER'S CRAFT, THE RULES NOVELISTS INVENT FOR THEMSELVES, IS A SUBJECT OF FASCINATION TO LOYAL FANS.

SO WE ASKED THE AUTHORS OF SOME OF THE BOOKS ON YOUR LIST TO GIVE YOU A PEEK INTO THEIR PROCESS.

BUDDING WRITERS, TAKE NOTE.

MAN: STORIES ARE ALL ABOUT CHARACTERS FOR ME, BECAUSE PEOPLE INVEST IN PEOPLE.

I'D RATHER TRY TO WORK AS HARD AS I CAN TO TRY TO WRITE PEOPLE, NOT CHARACTERS.

I WANT TO WRITE PEOPLE, BREATHING HUMAN BEINGS THAT FEEL PALPABLE ON THE PAGE.

I THINK PEOPLE TEND TO BE EITHER PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO LOOK UNDER THE ROCK OR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE TO LOOK UNDER THE ROCK.

AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN LIKE, "WHAT IS UNDER THIS ROCK?"

BOINK.

THE NOVEL ISN'T ONE IDEA.

A NOVEL IS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF IDEAS STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.

I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW STUFF IS TOTAL NONSENSE BECAUSE THAT WOULD LIMIT EVERYONE TO JUST WRITING THEIR OWN BIOGRAPHY, AND THIS WOULD NOT BE FUN FOR ANYONE.

BEING ABLE TO PULL SOMEONE OUT OF THEIR DAILY LIFE AND TRANSPORT THEM COMPLETELY INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD, THAT'S MAGIC.

VIEIRA: THE AUTHOR OF THE NEXT BOOK ON YOUR LIST BELIEVED WORDS COULD CHANGE THE WORLD.

WE VISITED HIS HOME IN BROOKLIN, MAINE TO HEAR WHAT SOME OF HIS BIGGEST FANS HAVE LEARNED FROM E.B.

WHITE'S "CHARLOTTE'S WEB."

FRIENDSHIP SHOULD BE UNCONDITIONAL.

A LITTLE THING CAN DO A BIG THING IN A BIG THING'S LIFE.

IT'S SORT OF A GUIDE TO FRIENDSHIP.

GIRL: SOMETIMES YOUR FRIENDS WILL DO ALMOST ANYTHING TO HELP YOU OR SAVE YOUR LIFE.

IT'S JUST A REALLY BEAUTIFUL BOOK.

STAHL: EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS MAGICAL.

I READ AS I WAS GROWING UP, AND NOW I'M READING IT TO MY GRANDCHILDREN.

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL IS THE STORY OF A RUNT PIGLET SAVED FROM THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE BY A WISE AND BENEVOLENT BARN SPIDER, CHARLOTTE, WHO WEAVES HIM A PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF A SMALL MAINE TOWN.

STAHL: TO HAVE AN AUTHOR ELEVATE THE VERY CREATURES THAT WE ALL GO, "EW!"

WHEN WE SEE THEM OR HEAR THEM.

WE'RE AFRAID OF THEM.

THE RAT, THE SPIDER, THE PIG.

AND YET THEY ARE THE HEROES, AND THEY BECOME LOVABLE, INTELLIGENT, AND HUMAN.

THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT HELPING EACH OTHER, BEING KIND TO EACH OTHER.

I LOVE TO READ TO MY GRANDCHILDREN, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE SITTING IN YOUR LAP AND YOU CAN HOLD THEM AT THE SAME TIME.

THAT'S MY FAVORITE, FAVORITE THING TO DO.

GIRL: YOU KNOW HOW THERE'S A SAYING, NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER?

THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT REMINDS ME OF SINCE HOW CHARLOTTE'S A SPIDER AND SHE HAS 8 LEGS AND SHE PROBABLY LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN WILBUR, BUT WILBUR DOESN'T CARE HOW SHE LOOKS.

HE JUST CARES IF SHE'S NICE.

ALL: VOTE "CHARLOTTE'S WEB"!

VIEIRA: WAS CHARLOTTE ONE OF YOUR CHILDHOOD ROLE MODELS?

THEN TUNE BACK IN FOR OUR THEMED EPISODE ALL ABOUT HEROES LATER THIS FALL.

THE AMERICAN WRITER JAMES BALDWIN ONCE DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS AN UNWILLING INSTRUMENT OF TRUTH.

HIS PERCEPTIONS REMAIN INSTRUCTIVE TO AMERICANS TODAY, AND YOU HAVE CHOSEN HIS NOVEL, "ANOTHER COUNTRY," AS THE NEXT BOOK ON YOUR LIST.

IN NEW YORK CITY, WE HEARD FROM ONE OF BALDWIN'S CELEBRATED FANS.

[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] I'M BILL T. JONES.

I AM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR HERE AT NEW YORK LIVE ARTS.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IS JAMES BALDWIN'S "ANOTHER COUNTRY."

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL IS SET IN HARLEM AND PARIS IN THE 1950S AND CENTERS AROUND A BLACK JAZZ MUSICIAN NAMED RUFUS SCOTT, WHO IS INVOLVED WITH A WHITE WOMAN AND ALSO EXPLORING A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A MAN.

RUFUS ENJOYS SOME SUCCESS AS AN ARTIST, BUT AS A BLACK MAN, HE IS THE CONSTANT TARGET OF RACISM, AND FURY GROWS INSIDE HIM.

JONES: WHAT DO I LOOK FOR IN A NOVEL?

I LOVE A PROTAGONIST WHO IS FULL OF A CERTAIN STRUGGLE, WANTS TO GO PAST THEMSELVES, WHO FAILS.

I WANT A BOOK THAT SOMETIMES BEATS ME UP AND LEAVES ME BRUISED.

BALDWIN: "HE BEGAN TO CRY.

"SOMETHING IN RUFUS WHICH COULD NOT BREAK "SHOOK HIM LIKE A RAG DOLL "AND SPLASHED SALT WATER ALL OVER HIS FACE "AND FILLED HIS THROAT AND HIS NOSTRILS WITH ANGUISH.

"HE KNEW THE PAIN WOULD NEVER STOP.

"HE COULD NEVER GO DOWN INTO THE CITY AGAIN.

"HE DROPPED HIS HEAD AS THOUGH SOMEONE HAD STRUCK HIM "AND LOOKED DOWN AT THE WATER.

"IT WAS COLD AND THE WATER WOULD BE COLD.

HE WAS BLACK AND THE WATER WAS BLACK."

I DIDN'T EVEN GO TO NEW YORK UNTIL I WAS, LIKE, 19.

MY WHOLE FAMILY AT THAT TIME WERE LIVING IN A COUPLE OF ROOMS.

I WOULD CURL UP AND READ ABOUT IT.

SUDDENLY YOU COULD TRAVEL IN THESE BOOKS.

WHAT WAS HARLEM?

HARLEM WAS A PLACE I'D HEARD ABOUT.

WHAT DID NEW YORK SMELL LIKE, THINK LIKE?

WHAT DID INTELLECTUALS TALK ABOUT AT DINNER PARTIES?

I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BIG CONVERSATION IN THE WORLD, BEING WHO I WAS IN THAT SMALL TOWN AND READING THE WORK OF A MAN I'D NEVER MET BEFORE, KNOWING THAT HE WAS BLACK, AND ONLY LATER UNDERSTANDING THAT HE WAS SOMETHING CALLED A HOMOSEXUAL.

I SAW THERE WERE POSSIBILITIES IN THIS WORLD AND RESPONSIBILITY.

YOU COULD MAKE WORK THAT HAD VERY HIGH VALUES, BUT IT HAD TO HAVE SOUL.

CAN YOU DO ALL OF THAT, BILL T. JONES?

CAN YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF TO BE THAT POTENT AND SPEAK THAT MANY LANGUAGES AS JAMES BALDWIN DID?

I SAY I'M AN ARTIST FIRST, AND I THINK THAT FREEDOM CAME FROM A PERSON LIKE JAMES BALDWIN.

YOU SHOULD READ "ANOTHER COUNTRY."

IT CAN FRIGHTEN AND DISMAY, BUT ULTIMATELY, IT COMFORTS.

READ IT.

WOMAN: WHEN I READ STORIES OF VICTORY AND TRIUMPH THROUGH THE WORST CIRCUMSTANCES, I THINK IT HELPS ME TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE.

LIKE, IF I HAVE A REALLY TERRIBLE LOSS, I'M GONNA SAVE THIS BOOK BECAUSE THEN I KNOW THAT I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO READ IT AND REALLY NOT THINK ABOUT WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE BETTER.

I READ THE "CHRONICLES OF NARNIA" AS AN ADULT MAYBE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

THE STORIES WERE ABOUT OBVIOUSLY ALL THESE FANTASTIC BEASTS AND MONSTERS AND TALES OF THESE KIDS, BUT IT WAS REALLY A LOT ABOUT A STORY OF FAITH MIXED INTO LIKE ALL THESE FANTASTIC TALES.

YOU STARTED TO THINK, "OK, WELL, PERHAPS I SHOULD ALSO HAVE FAITH IN MYSELF."

READ THE "CHRONICLES OF NARNIA" BY C.S.

LEWIS.

IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS.

VIEIRA: NOVELS ABOUT FAITH SCORED BIG ON OUR SURVEY.

FROM THE AGNOSTIC TO THE DEVOUT, READERS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS SEEK OUT BOOKS THAT EXPLORE SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS THEMES.

AMONG THEM, JOHN BUNYAN'S 1678 NOVEL "THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS," "MIND INVADERS" BY DAVE HUNT, FRANK E. PERRETTI'S "THIS PRESENT DARKNESS," MARILYN ROBINSON'S PULITZER-WINNING "GILEAD," AND HERMANN HESSE'S "SIDDHARTHA"... A STORY ABOUT A YOUNG MAN'S JOURNEY TOWARD ENLIGHTENMENT AT THE TIME OF THE GAUTAMA BUDDHA AROUND 500 B.C.

MAN: "SIDDHARTHA" IS A DISCOVERY OF WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN LIFE.

UNDERSTANDING THAT MAYBE THE BIGGEST AND THE SHINIEST AND THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING ISN'T THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

BEFORE "SIDDHARTHA," I WAS BETTER AT BEING BAD THAN I WAS BETTER AT BEING GOOD.

I'M NOT THE SAME PERSON THAT I WAS BEFORE I READ THAT BOOK.

IN COMEDY, YOU CAN BE A LITTLE MEAN.

I USED TO WISH HARM ON PEOPLE AND I WISHED, YOU KNOW, NOT-GREAT THINGS TO HAPPEN TO SOME PEOPLE, AND I'M NOT AS CONSUMED BY OTHER PEOPLE, AND I'M NOT AS MEAN OR AS INCONSIDERATE AS I WAS BEFORE I READ "SIDDHARTHA."

VIEIRA: THE NIGERIAN AUTHOR CHINUA ACHEBE'S NOVEL "THINGS FALL APART" HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO MORE THAN 50 LANGUAGES, AND IT HAS SOLD OVER 15 MILLION COPIES GLOBALLY.

I'M WANTING SO MUCH FOR READERS TO HOLD THIS BOOK IN THEIR HANDS, THEN RECOGNIZE THERE IS A VERY OBVIOUS CONNECTION TO US TODAY.

VIEIRA: THE STORY TAKES PLACE IN A VILLAGE IN NIGERIA IN THE 1890S, JUST AS CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES ARE GAINING A FOOTHOLD IN THE COUNTRY.

IT FOLLOWS THE TRAGIC FALL OF A VILLAGE HERO WHO FIGHTS THE NEWCOMERS, BUT HAS SECRET DOUBTS ABOUT THE TRADITIONS IN WHICH HE WAS RAISED.

THIS IS A BOOK YOU COULD READ OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN CIVILIZATIONS.

HOW DO CHANGES HAPPEN?

HOW DO WE LOSE CULTURES?

THIS IS MY COPY.

VERY WELL WORN.

HA HA HA.

MY DAUGHTER WAS MAKING FUN OF IT BECAUSE IT'S SO RAGGEDY, AND SHE DOESN'T LIKE THAT I TURN DOWN CORNERS.

SHE THINKS IT'S UNFAIR TO THE BOOK.

SHE USES BOOKMARKS.

BUT I'M GLAD I DID BECAUSE I'VE MARKED ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASSAGES.

"WHEN DID YOU BECOME A SHIVERING OLD WOMAN, "OKONKWO ASKED HIMSELF, "YOU WHO ARE KNOWN IN ALL THE 9 VILLAGES "FOR YOUR VALOR IN WAR?

"HOW CAN A MAN WHO HAS KILLED 5 MEN IN BATTLE "FALL TO PIECES BECAUSE HE HAS ADDED A BOY "TO THEIR NUMBER?

OKONKWO, YOU HAVE BECOME A WOMAN INDEED."

FOR ME, READING IS NECESSARY.

I THINK IT'S ENRICHED MY LIFE BECAUSE IT'S PROVOKED THIS DESIRE TO LEARN MORE, TO SEE MORE, TO EXPERIENCE MORE, TO FEEL MORE.

MY NAME IS SARAH JESSICA PARKER, AND A BOOK I LOVE, ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE, IS "THINGS FALL APART."

VIEIRA: DIEHARD JANE AUSTEN FANS HAD TO EXPECT WE'D BE TALKING ABOUT THIS NOVEL.

THE ORIGINAL TITLE FOR THE BOOK WAS "FIRST IMPRESSIONS," BUT IT WENT ON TO BECOME "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE."

IN HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AT AN ANNUAL GATHERING OF JANEITES, AS THEY'RE KNOWN, WE LEARNED HOW THE STORY IS PLAYING OUT IN THE LIVES OF SOME OF AUSTEN'S MOST DEVOTED READERS.

WOMAN: I WANTED TO SHOW OFF MY JANE AUSTEN TATTOO.

"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" IS THE BOOK THAT SAYS, "JUST KEEP DOING YOU."

VIEIRA: THE HEROINE OF THE NOVEL, ELIZABETH BENNET, IS THE SECOND OF 5 SISTERS FROM A FAMILY OF EXCELLENT REPUTATION BUT LIMITED MEANS.

UNWILLING TO WED FOR MONEY ALONE, SHE HOLDS OUT FOR A MARRIAGE BASED ON REAL AFFECTION.

PARKER: "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" IS THE BOOK THAT TELLS ME IT'S OK THAT THIS ONE GUY TURNED YOU DOWN OR EVEN, LIKE, YOU'RE NOT GETTING ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS OR YOU'RE NOT GETTING ALONG WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" IS THAT BOOK THAT HAS ALL THOSE LESSONS IN IT.

"THERE IS A STUBBORNNESS ABOUT ME "THAT NEVER CAN BEAR TO BE FRIGHTENED "AT THE WILL OF OTHERS.

"MY COURAGE ALWAYS RISES WITH EVERY ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE ME."

I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD PICK UP A COPY OF THIS 200-YEAR-OLD BOOK BECAUSE IT'LL BE THE FUNNIEST OLDEST THING THEY'VE EVER READ.

IT'LL SEND YOU DOWN THIS RABBIT HOLE OF REGENCY EMPIRE WAIST GOWNS AND MEN IN WAISTCOATS AND SISTERLY LOVE AND GOING AGAINST THE SYSTEM.

IT'S A BALL.

VIEIRA: LIKE MOST WOMEN AUTHORS OF HER DAY, JANE AUSTEN PUBLISHED ANONYMOUSLY, AND SHE'S NOT THE ONLY WRITER ON YOUR LIST WHO HID HER IDENTITY.

ALMOST 170 YEARS LATER, V.C.

ANDREWS, AKA VIRGINIA ANDREWS, HAD TO PRINT HER DARK FAMILY DRAMA "FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC," UNDER HER INITIALS HER PUBLISHER SAID SO AS NOT TO TURN OFF MALE READERS.

AND EMILY AND CHARLOTTE BRONTE TOOK ON MALE NAMES TO GET "WUTHERING HEIGHTS" AND "JANE EYRE" PUBLISHED IN 1847.

THEY CHOSE ELLIS AND CURRER BELL.

THE BRONTE SISTERS HAD THESE LITERARY CAREERS DESPITE JUST UNIMAGINABLE OBSTACLES.

I JUST WANT TO TWEET CHARLOTTE AND BE LIKE, "YOU'RE ON THE TOP 100 LIST."

COME ON.

LIKE 'CAUSE SHE WROTE IT SO LONG AGO.

VIEIRA: MALE AUTHORS DISGUISED THEIR NAMES, TOO, BUT USUALLY FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.

ERIC ARTHUR BLAIR WANTED A GOOD, ROUND, ENGLISH-SOUNDING NAME, SO HE BECAME GEORGE ORWELL BEFORE HE WROTE HIS DYSTOPIAN NOVEL "1984."

AND THEN THERE'S ALEXANDRE DUMAS WHO PUBLISHED UNDER HIS REAL NAME, BUT PAID A GHOST WRITER TO HELP CRAFT HIS CLASSIC REVENGE STORY "THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO."

ENJOYING WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING SO FAR?

WELL, STICK WITH US ON THIS QUEST FOR AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL, AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS ALONG FOR THE RIDE, TOO.

YOU'LL BE THRILLED BY THE VARIETY OF EVENTS GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITIES, FROM AUTHOR TALKS TO READINGS, BOOK FAIRS, AND MORE.

CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NEAR YOU.

CLINTON: I LOVE TO READ.

I'M SO GRATEFUL TO MY PARENTS AND TO MY GRANDPARENTS FOR ALL THE BOOKS THEY READ TO ME WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL.

"WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS" BROKE MY HEART.

I REMEMBER SO VIVIDLY READING IT IN FOURTH GRADE.

I THINK I CRIED WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN CLASS.

I JUST WAS DEVASTATED.

I WOULD SAY IF SOMEONE'S GONNA READ THAT, THEY DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES NEARBY.

GIRL: "THE HUNGER GAMES" IS MY FAVORITE BOOK.

IT HAS ACTION, DRAMA, LIKE, EVERYTHING.

IT'S COOL.

WOMAN: "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN" IS ABOUT AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL AS SHE STRUGGLES TO LIVE AND TO KIND OF CRACK THE CODE OF WHAT BEING AN AMERICAN IS.

I JUST REALLY CONNECTED TO THAT HOPEFULNESS.

THE BOOK THAT I CHOSE THAT I HAVE SUCH A PASSION FOR IS "THE COLDEST WINTER EVER" BY SISTER SOULJAH.

IT SPOKE TO THE CULTURE THAT I WAS IN.

AND SO I USED IT AS A TOOL IN RAISING MY TWO DAUGHTERS.

THIS BOOK SPOKE TO THEM AND LET THEM KNOW IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MATERIAL THINGS IN LIFE, IT'S ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON AND BUILDING UP YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AND WHO YOU ARE IN SOCIETY.

MAN: I READ "A SEPARATE PEACE" SHORTLY AFTER IT CAME OUT WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.

YOU REALLY DO FEEL LIKE THE WORLD IS GOING TO COME TO AN END IN A FEW YEARS WHEN YOU BECOME AN ADULT.

IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THE HEART, EVEN THE PARTS THAT HURT.

VIEIRA: DID THIS BOOK TOUCH YOUR HEART?

COME BACK FOR OUR THEMED EPISODE "WHO AM I?"

TO HEAR MORE ABOUT "A SEPARATE PEACE" AND OTHER NOVELS THAT HELP US FIND OUT WAY IN THE WORLD.

WOMAN: MY GRANDFATHER WAS A RARE BOOK DEALER, AND I THINK HE REALLY THOUGHT CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT IS THE FIRST BOOK I WANT TO GIVE MY GRANDCHILD.

THIS IS "ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND," AND IT STILL HAS THE LITTLE NOTE HE PUT IN THERE FOR ME THAT SAYS, "FOR CYNTHIA ELLEN NIXON ON HER FIRST CHRISTMAS 1966 FROM HER GRANDPA."

IT'S A BOOK THAT HAS FOLLOWED ME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO AMONG MAD PEOPLE, ALICE REMARKED.

"OH, YOU CAN'T HELP THAT, SAID THE CAT.

"WE'RE ALL MAD HERE.

I'M MAD.

YOU'RE MAD.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M MAD?

SAID ALICE.

"YOU MUST BE, SAID THE CAT, OR YOU WOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE."

I'M CYNTHIA NIXON, AND ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BOOKS IS "ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND."

IT'S A FANTASTIC, HILARIOUS, TERRIFYING TRIP INTO A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.

I THINK YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO VOTE FOR THIS BOOK.

IT'S AS CAPTIVATING AS IT WAS WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN 150 YEARS AGO.

BUSH: WE BOTH LOVE READING.

WE GREW UP READING ALL THE TIME.

AND I HAVE SO MANY MEMORIES OF READING AS A FAMILY.

READING IS IN OUR DNA.

NOT ONLY IS OUR MOM A LIBRARIAN, BUT OUR DAD LOVES TO READ.

AND THAT LOVE HAS CERTAINLY STUCK WITH ME.

I LOVE STORIES AND FEELING INVOLVED IN SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE.

MY FONDEST MEMORIES ARE BEING CUDDLED UP NEXT TO MY PARENTS BEFORE WE WENT TO BED, ME PROBABLY SUCKING MY THUMB, LISTENING TO THESE STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO FELT LIKE FRIENDS BY THE TIME THE BOOKS WERE DONE.

AND NOW AS A MOM, I GET TO DO THAT WITH MY GIRLS, AND IT'S SO FUN TO RELIVE THOSE NIGHTS CUDDLED UP WITH WET HAIR AND BLANKETS.

I THINK IT CREATES THIS GREAT BOND.

MAN: WHEN I FIRST READ "THE LITTLE PRINCE," I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL READ ABOUT BEING CURIOUS AND EXPLORING AND LEAVING YOUR HOME PLANET, YOUR HOME ASTEROID, TO FIND OUT WHAT'S OUT THERE.

"PEOPLE HAVE STARS, BUT THEY AREN'T THE SAME.

"FOR TRAVELERS, THE STARS ARE GUIDES.

"FOR OTHER PEOPLE, THEY'RE NOTHING BUT TINY LIGHTS.

"BUT ALL THOSE STARS ARE SILENT STARS.

YOU, THOUGH, YOU'LL HAVE STARS LIKE NOBODY ELSE."

READING IS SO IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY TO GET OUR YOUNG KIDS INVOLVED AT AN EARLY AGE.

IF YOU'RE ONE OF MILLIONS OF FANS JOINING US FOR "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ," REMEMBER, IN THIS CAMPAIGN, YOU REALLY CAN VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN, ONCE A DAY, IN FACT, FOR EVERY ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS ON THE LIST.

THE BEST-LOVED BOOK OF ALL WILL BE DECIDED BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES IT GETS.

SO DO YOUR PART, GO TO PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD AND VOTE.

THIS IS KIND OF WHERE THE TRAGIC MAGIC HAPPENS.

IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, ME AS A WRITER, THIS TOP SHELF HERE, THESE ARE ALL BOOKS THAT AFFECTED ME THROUGH MY LIFE-- "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."

THERE'S STEPHEN KING IN THERE.

THOSE ARE BOOKS THAT REALLY AFFECTED ME AS I TRY TO BE A WRITER.

"ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE" IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE BOOK.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BOOKS THAT REALLY GOT ME TURNED ON RIGHT FROM THE FIRST LINES HERE.

"MANY YEARS LATER, AS HE FACED THE FIRING SQUAD, "COLONEL AURELIANO BUENDIA WAS TO REMEMBER "THAT DISTANT AFTERNOON WHEN HIS FATHER TOOK HIM TO DISCOVER ICE."

IT'S JUST, LIKE, A GREAT, A GREAT OPENING, AND--AND IT NEVER DISAPPOINTS.

I GOT A JOB AT A MENTAL HOSPITAL WHEN I WAS, LIKE, 18.

I WORKED A LOT OF NIGHT SHIFTS AND I STARTED READING LIKE CRAZY, AND AT SOME POINT, I STARTED SCRIBBLING STORIES, AND I LOVED IT, AND I STILL LOVE IT.

ONCE I TURNED ON TO IT, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TURN THE SPIGOT OFF.

VIEIRA: JAMES PATTERSON HAS OVER 110 NOVELS TO HIS NAME, BUT THERE'S ANOTHER AUTHOR WHO COMES IN A CLOSE SECOND WITH MORE THAN 80.

IT'S THE QUEEN OF CRIME HERSELF, AGATHA CHRISTIE.

CHRISTIE BROKE AWAY FROM HER SUCCESSFUL HERCULE POIROT AND MISS MARPLE SERIES TO PRODUCE A FEW FAMOUS ONE-OFF BOOKS, AMONG THEM THE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING CRIME NOVEL, CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE HER MASTERPIECE-- "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE."

BALDACCI: I LOVE THE PUZZLE ASPECT OF IT.

I WAS A TRIAL LAWYER FOR YEARS, AND TRIAL LAWYERS ARE TAUGHT, YOU HAVE A PUZZLE.

YOU HAVE TO PUT ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER AND MAKE IT-- AND FIGURE IT OUT AND TELL A STORY TO SOMEBODY.

AND THAT'S WHAT AGATHA CHRISTIE DID SO REMARKABLY WELL.

AND IT WOULD GET TO THE POINT WHERE I WANT TO READ SLOWLY, I WANT TO TRY TO GET ALL THE CLUES TOGETHER, I WANT TO FIGURE IT OUT, AND INVARIABLY, WHAT HAPPENS IS, OH, I CAN'T.

VIEIRA: AGATHA CHRISTIE'S "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE" IS A TALE OF JUSTICE SERVED, WHERE THERE ARE NO TRUE VICTIMS, ONLY VILLAINS.

MAN: IT'S SUCH A TERRIFYING BOOK.

I REMEMBER THIS TOTAL FEAR.

THE SAME FEAR OF THESE CHARACTERS, ALMOST, JUST SORT OF OVERWHELMING ME.

IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A NIGHTMARE AND I LOVED IT, OF COURSE.

FLYNN: I REMEMBER AS A FIFTH GRADER BEING QUITE GIDDY ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, THINKING, LIKE... THE GROWNUPS ARE GONNA DIE [LAUGHS] IT'S JUST THE MOST BRILLIANT, LITTLE PIECE OF CLOCKWORK.

IT'S SO--IT'S JUST SO CLEVERLY DONE.

VIEIRA: IF TALES OF EVIL ARE YOUR THING, WATCH OUT FOR OUR THEMED EPISODE ABOUT VILLAINS AND MONSTERS COMING UP ON PBS THIS FALL.

VIEIRA: AMY TAN'S DEBUT NOVEL "THE JOY LUCK CLUB" TACKLES A HUGELY IMPORTANT THEME IN AMERICAN LITERATURE-- THE DECISION TO LEAVE HOME AND BUILD A NEW LIFE IN A COUNTRY ACROSS THE OCEAN.

BUT THE PAIN OF MIGRATION ITSELF IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY.

WEN: I FELT LIKE SOMEONE WAS TALKING ABOUT MY OWN LIFE WITH VERY TRADITIONAL IMMIGRANT PARENTS.

YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD BE SPECIFICALLY IMPACTING THE ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES, BUT BECAUSE AMY TAN'S WORDS HAVE SUCH A UNIVERSALITY, IT IMPACTED EVERYONE.

EVERYONE WHO HAD THE IMMIGRANT PARENT, GRANDPARENT, GREAT-GRANDPARENT STORIES.

VIEIRA: "THE JOY LUCK CLUB" TELLS THE INTERWOVEN NARRATIVES OF 4 SETS OF CHINESE MOTHERS AND THEIR AMERICAN-BORN DAUGHTERS.

WHEN ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS, JUNE, TAKES HER LATE MOTHER'S PLACE AT A WEEKLY MAHJONGG GAME, SHE COMES TO UNDERSTAND HER MOM IN A WAY SHE NEVER COULD WHILE SHE LIVED.

WEN: ALL THESE MOMS, THEIR HISTORIES, IMPACTED THEIR DAUGHTERS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION.

AND THEN ONCE THE TRUTH DID COME OUT, IT KIND OF, LIKE, SET THESE DAUGHTERS FREE.

JUNE HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIND HER MOTHER'S APPROVAL, BUT HER MOM WAS TRYING TO TELL HER THAT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DO, IT'S WHO YOU ARE THAT SHE'S MOST PROUD OF.

AND...AND--AND FOR ALL OF US, I THINK, KNOWING THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED BUT WHO WE'VE BECOME.

THAT, I THINK, IS THE GREATEST LOVE THAT A PARENT CAN GIVE TO THEIR CHILD.

IT JUST KIND OF CROSSES ALL BOUNDARIES OF EVERY CULTURE, EVERY MAN OR WOMAN, BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT FAMILY, IT'S ABOUT LOVE, AND--AND IT'S ABOUT AMERICA IN MANY WAYS.

I RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ AMY TAN'S "THE JOY LUCK CLUB."

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

IT HAD SUCH A IMPACT ON ME.

IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU.

IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND LAUGH AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO RELATE TO YOUR PARENTS BETTER.

IT'S A GREAT BOOK.

VIEIRA: "THE JOY LUCK CLUB" IS ONE OF 33 BOOKS WRITTEN BY WOMEN AMONG YOUR BEST-LOVED NOVELS.

WOMAN: VOTE FOR "WHITE TEETH" BY ZADIE SMITH BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'S THE SMARTEST WOMAN ON THE PLANET.

SECOND WOMAN: WHEN "TWILIGHT" CAME OUT, IT WAS LIKE, THIS IS A COOL NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT VAMPIRES THAT I HADN'T SEEN.

THIRD WOMAN: THIS IS A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT IN MARGARET MITCHELL THAT WE SEE IN SCARLETT O'HARA.

FOURTH WOMAN: STEAMY, RAW, UNFILTERED.

EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO BE MRS. GREY.

MARGARET ATWOOD DRAMATIZES THE EROSION OF SOCIAL NORMS.

BEHAVIORS AND ACTIONS THAT ONCE SEEM UNTHINKABLE SUDDENLY BECOME ORDINARY.

THERE ARE MANY MORE BOOKS ON YOUR LIST THAT FEATURE A STRONG FEMALE LEAD.

THESE ARE CHARACTERS WHO DELIGHT, INSPIRE, TERRIFY, AND TEACH US, SOMETIMES ALL AT ONCE.

"DOA BARBARA," THE STORY OF A SEDUCTIVE ANTI-HEROINE, WRITTEN BY FORMER VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT ROMULO GALLEGOS, ALICE SEBOLD'S HAUNTING NOVEL "THE LOVELY BONES," NARRATED BY THE GHOST OF A MURDERED TEENAGE GIRL, "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES," THE INSPIRING TALE OF A SPIRITED ORPHAN GIRL BY LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY, AND CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE'S TENDER PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN FALLING IN LOVE ACROSS TIME AND PLACE, "AMERICANAH."

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IS "AMERICANAH."

YOU SHOULD READ IT BECAUSE I LOVED IT.

VIEIRA: NGOZI ADICHIE WON THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WITH "AMERICANAH" IN 2014.

AND YOU CHOSE OTHER PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE WINNERS, LIKE TONI MORRISON'S PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING TRAGEDY "BELOVED."

WHAT MORRISON DOES IN "BELOVED" IS THAT SHE BRINGS US IN CONTACT WITH OUR ANCESTORS.

MORRISON HAS WRITTEN BEAUTIFUL NON-FICTION BOOKS AND ESSAYS ABOUT THE HORRORS OF SLAVERY, BUT SHE CHOSE TO WRITE "BELOVED" AS A NOVEL.

IT BECOMES, FOR ME, A VERY POWERFUL WAY OF HOW WE TALK ABOUT THIS TRAUMA, YOU KNOW, AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT KNOW AND WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT BEAR.

HOW DO YOU INVENT A LANGUAGE TO WRITE ABOUT AND THINK ABOUT THE UNSAYABLE?

VIEIRA: MORRISON'S BOOKS HAVE WON WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM AND BROUGHT HER THE NOBEL PRICE FOR LITERATURE.

BUT YOU CHOSE OTHER NOVELS, STORIES SO FAR AHEAD OF THEIR TIME THAT THEIR AUTHORS WERE DEAD AND GONE BECAUSE THE BOOKS ENJOYED ANY SUCCESS.

JOSEPH CONRAD DIDN'T CARE MUCH FOR "HEART OF DARKNESS," HIS OWN HISTORICAL HORROR STORY SET IN COLONIAL CONGO, BUT IT NOW RANKS AMONG HIS BEST-READ NOVELS.

ZORA NEALE HURSTON'S "THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD," CAUSED A SCANDAL WHEN IT CAME OUT IN 1937 AND ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS.

THIS IS THE FIRST LOVE STORY EVER WRITTEN BY A BLACK AUTHOR, AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT A BLACK AUTHOR REPRESENTED HUMAN SEXUALITY IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY.

THE MAJOR MALE AUTHORS OF THE TIME HATED THE BOOK AND TRASHED IT.

WHY?

I THINK IT WAS WRITTEN FOR BLACK WOMEN AND TO STAND UP AGAINST BLACK MEN.

AND I'M SURE SHE KNEW THE RESPONSE IT WOULD ELICIT.

AND THIS WAS AGAINST THE TIDE.

THE BLACK BOARD OF CENSORSHIP, METAPHORICALLY, WANTED TO SHUT THIS BOOK DOWN, AND FOR A LONG TIME THEY DID.

WITHIN 15 YEARS, SHE WAS WORKING AS A MAID.

AND SHE DIED AND WAS BURIED IN AN UNMARKED GRAVE.

ALICE WALKER BOUGHT A MAGNIFICENT HEADSTONE, AND SHE COMMEMORATED HER DEATH, AND THEREFORE, GAVE HER A NEW LIFE AS AN AUTHOR.

WITHIN A YEAR, "THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD" WAS BACK IN PRINT.

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT.

IT IS THE GREATEST NOVEL EVER WRITTEN IN THE AMERICAN TRADITION.

VOTE FOR "THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD."

THE AMERICAN AUTHOR OF THE NEXT BOOK DIED BELIEVING HIS NOVEL WAS AN ABSOLUTE FAILURE.

HIS PUBLISHER HAD EVEN QUESTIONED ITS VERY PREMISE, SAYING, "DOES IT HAVE TO BE A WHALE?"

OF COURSE IT HAD TO BE A WHALE.

IT IS HERMAN MELVILLE'S "MOBY DICK."

MY NAME IS MARY K. BERCAW EDWARDS.

I'M AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, AND I'M ALSO A SAILOR.

I HAVE 58,000 MILES AT SEA.

I LOVE "MOBY DICK."

I PASSIONATELY BELIEVE IT'S THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL.

VIEIRA: "MOBY DICK" TELLS THE STORY OF THE MAD CAPTAIN OF A WHALING SHIP WHO DRIVES HIS CREW ON A HUNT FROM NANTUCKET ISLAND TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC TO KILL THE WHITE WHALE THAT BIT OFF HIS LEG.

BERCAW EDWARDS: "MOBY DICK" HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING LONG AND BORING AND DENSE.

BUT IT'S FILLED WITH HUMOR.

ALL TYPES OF HUMOR-- RAUNCHY HUMOR, SOCIAL MANNERS HUMOR.

AND IT'S ALSO BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE.

YOU GET LOST IN THE BEAUTY OF THAT LANGUAGE.

MAN: "AS FOR ME, I AM TORMENTED "WITH AN EVERLASTING ITCH FOR THINGS REMOTE.

"I LOVE TO SAIL FORBIDDEN SEAS AND LAND ON BARBAROUS COASTS."

BERCAW EDWARDS: MELVILLE WAS A SAILOR FIRST BEFORE HE BECAME A WRITER.

HE SPENT 4 YEARS AT SEA AND SERVED ON 3 DIFFERENT WHALE SHIPS.

ALL THIS HARDCORE KNOWLEDGE OF BEING AT SEA COMES THROUGH IN ALL OF HIS BOOKS.

VIEIRA: WHILE "MOBY DICK" DESCRIBES A VOYAGE ACROSS THE KNOWN WORLD, YOU CHOSE OTHER NOVELS THAT TAKE US ON JOURNEYS TO IMAGINARY LANDS AND OFTEN SEND US HOME WITH A MESSAGE.

THE SATIRIST JONATHAN SWIFT WROTE THE NEXT NOVEL TO RIDICULE HIS CONTEMPORARIES IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.

IT'S HIS MOCK TRAVELOGUE "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS."

MAN: WE ALL KNOW THIS ONE WHERE HE'S BIG AND THEY'RE LITTLE.

BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WEIRDEST OF THE STORIES.

HE GOES ON VOYAGES THAT, FOR ME, I CONTINUE TO REFLECT ON TO THIS DAY.

HE VISITS PLACES WHERE EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT-- THEIR CULTURES, THE WAY THEY COMMUNICATE, THE WAY THEY FEEL, THE WAY THEY THINK, HOW SMART THEY ARE.

IT IS HOW WE ALL IMAGINE EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE AND COMING UPON A PLANET WITH WHAT WE WOULD DEEM TO BE INTELLIGENT LIFE.

AND IT WASN'T JUST, "LET ME MAKE UP SOME STUFF" AND PUT IT ON A PAGE.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE PAGES OF "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" WAS A TAPESTRY OF SOCIAL COMMENTARY.

I'VE READ IT 8 TIMES.

AND I CAN'T STOP SMILING, REFLECTING, THINKING ABOUT THE THEMES AND SATIRES AND DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING THAT JONATHAN SWIFT HAD IN WHAT WE ARE AS HUMANS AND HOW WE INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER.

SO I'M NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, AND MY FAVORITE NOVEL IS "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS," NOT ONLY IN CHILDHOOD, BUT IN ADULTHOOD, AND LIKELY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

VIEIRA: JOIN US FOR OUR THEMED EPISODE "OTHER WORLDS" FOR MORE BOOKS LIKE "GULLIVER" AND OTHERS THAT TAKE US EVEN FURTHER AFIELD.

NEXT FROM OUR SURVEY OF AMERICA'S MOST-LOVED BOOKS IS THE WORLD'S BEST-SELLING SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

BUT IT HAD A RATHER HUMBLE START.

IT WAS FIRST PUT OUT IN SERIAL FORM BY A PUBLISHER BETTER KNOWN FOR PRINTING AUTO REPAIR GUIDES.

KNOW THE BOOK?

IT'S NONE OTHER THAN FRANK HERBERT'S "DUNE."

WHEATON: "DUNE" REMAINS THIS MASSIVE SCI-FI TOUCHSTONE BECAUSE THERE IS SOMEONE IN THAT BOOK FOR EVERY READER TO IDENTIFY WITH AND TO IDENTIFY AGAINST.

"FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER.

"FEAR IS THE LITTLE DEATH THAT BRINGS TOTAL OBLITERATION.

"I WILL FACE MY FEAR.

"I WILL PERMIT IT TO PASS OVER ME "AND THROUGH ME.

"AND WHEN IT IS GONE PAST ME, "I WILL TURN TO SEE FEAR'S PATH.

"WHERE THE FEAR HAS GONE THERE WILL BE NOTHING.

ONLY I WILL REMAIN."

IT IS A MAGNIFICENT WORK OF LITERATURE.

VIEIRA: "DUNE" DEPICTS A DEADLY CONFLICT OVER A LIMITED NATURAL RESOURCE.

PAUL ATREIDES, HEIR TO A ROYAL HOUSE, GATHERS AN ARMY TO KEEP THE ONLY SOURCE OF THIS COVETED SUBSTANCE KNOWN AS THE SPICE FROM FALLING INTO THE CLUTCHES OF THE MERCILESS HARKONNEN.

WHEATON: AT ITS HEART, "DUNE" IS VERY SIMPLY A STORY OF GOOD VERSUS EVIL.

AND THE HARKONNENS, WHO ARE THE VILLAINS, REPRESENT GLUTTONY AND GREED AND CRUELTY.

THE PART OF ME THAT CONSTANTLY SEEKS JUSTICE IN THE WORLD JUST LOVES THAT THEY'RE DESTROYED.

IT IS INCREDIBLY SATISFYING TO ME.

IT IS MORE SATISFYING THAN THE DEATH STAR BEING DESTROYED AT THE END OF "STAR WARS."

AT A TIME WHEN A LOT OF SCIENCE FICTION WAS FOCUSED ON LASER GUNS AND ROCKET SHIPS, "DUNE" IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL ALLEGORY FOR WHAT WE CAN DO AS HUMANS WHEN WE FACE OUR FEARS AND WORK TOGETHER AND WHEN WE ASPIRE TO GREATNESS.

HAVING A BOOK TO FALL INTO, A PLACE TO OCCUPY MY IMAGINATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

I AM WIL WHEATON, AND I BELIEVE "DUNE" IS AN ABSOLUTE CONTENDER FOR YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

VIEIRA: TO HAVE A LOOK AT ALL THE BOOKS THAT MADE YOUR TOP 100, PLEASE GO TO PBS.ORG AND CLICK "READ THE LIST" AND VOTE.

YOU HAVE TO VOTE FOR "FRANKENSTEIN."

"COLOR PURPLE."

"GAME OF THRONES" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOK SERIES.

YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY VOTE FOR IT.

VOTE FOR "THE STAND."

"THE ALCHEMIST."

"CATCH-22."

"THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME."

"PILLARS OF THE EARTH" BY KEN FOLLETT.

READ "A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY" AND CAST YOUR VOTE.

VOTE FOR "GHOST"!

KING: READING WAS IMPORTANT TO ME AS A LITTLE GIRL BECAUSE I LIVED IN ANKARA, TURKEY FROM FIRST GRADE TO SIXTH GRADE, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TELEVISION.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE DID FOR FUN WAS READING.

MY LIBRARY CARD WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POSSESSIONS.

I REMEMBER THE JOY OF GETTING YOUR LIBRARY CARD WITH YOUR NAME ON IT, GOING TO THE LIBRARY, GOING THROUGH THE CARD CATALOGUE.

SO IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR ME TO GO THE LIBRARY AND COME HOME WITH 5, 6-- I CAN REMEMBER ONE DAY COMING HOME WITH 10 BOOKS AND INTENDING TO READ THEM.

TO THIS DAY, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M A PRETTY FAST READER BECAUSE FROM THE TIME I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I WAS READING A LOT.

READING CAN TAKE YOU TO SO MANY PLACES.

YOU CAN GO VISIT COUNTRIES THAT YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE.

YOU CAN MEET CHARACTERS THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW.

SO FOR ME, IT WAS FANTASY, IT WAS EDUCATION, IT WAS ADVENTURE.

VIEIRA: YOUR NEXT NOVEL CAME OUT FIRST AS A SERIAL IN A SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA PAPER IN 1976 AND WAS SO POPULAR THE AUTHOR COULD BARELY KEEP UP WITH DEMAND FOR NEW INSTALLMENTS.

THE BOOK IS NOW A LANDMARK OF GAY LITERATURE.

IT'S ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S "TALES OF THE CITY."

MAN: IT'S SUCH A SPECIAL BOOK.

IT COVERS SO MANY GENRES ALL IN ONE.

IT'S HILARIOUS AND SERIOUS.

YOU'LL LAUGH AND YOU'LL CRY.

[LAUGHS] MAUPIN: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO ANALYZE "TALES OF THE CITY" WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THE CONTEXT IN WHICH IT WAS CREATED, WHICH WAS A WORLD THAT TOLD GAY PEOPLE TO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP.

SOME PEOPLE WERE HORRIFIED TO SEE THIS IN THEIR MORNING NEWSPAPER-- FICTION THAT INCLUDED A WIDE ARRAY OF CHARACTERS ON THE SEXUAL SPECTRUM.

NOBODY WAS TELLING THAT STORY.

NOBODY.

YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO.

I DON'T MIND CALLING "TALES OF THE CITY" GROUNDBREAKING, BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS.

I FELT IT EVERY DAY.

I KNOW THAT IT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN A LOT OF THE LIVES OF YOUNG QUEERS WHO READ IT AND SAW THAT THERE WAS A LOVING, PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT THEY MIGHT HAVE FOR THEMSELVES.

MAN: VOTE FOR "TALES OF THE CITY."

IT'LL TAKE YOU PLACES YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD GO TO, SO READ IT.

I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU HAD PICKED A NOVEL THAT COULDN'T BE FINISHED WITHOUT HELP FROM A GHOST.

AUTHOR RUDOLFO ANAYA'S BOOK ABOUT CHICANO SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS WAS STALLED UNTIL THE NIGHT HE SAW AN APPARITION.

THE GHOST TOLD HIM, "YOU WILL NEVER GET IT RIGHT UNTIL YOU PUT ME IN IT," AND SO, HE DID.

IT WAS THE SPIRIT OF ULTIMA, THE TITLE CHARACTER OF HIS PRIZE-WINNING 1972 NOVEL "BLESS ME, ULTIMA."

WOMAN: WHEN I WAS YOUNG, GROWING UP HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE, I WOULD ALWAYS ASK MY GRANDPARENTS, MY PARENTS, LIKE, "WHAT AM I?"

MY GRANDPA WOULD SAY, "WELL, WE'RE NOT WHITE, "WE'RE NOT MEXICAN, WE'VE LIVED HERE SINCE BEFORE IT WAS THE UNITED STATES, SO I GUESS WE'RE CHICANO."

THAT SENSE OF BEING IN THE IN-BETWEEN HAS ALWAYS REALLY STUCK WITH ME.

VIEIRA: "BLESS ME, ULTIMA" TELLS THE STORY OF A YOUNG CATHOLIC BOY WHOSE LIFE CHANGES WHEN, ON THE EVE OF HIS FIRST COMMUNION, A TRADITIONAL HEALER, OR CURANDERA, MOVES IN WITH HIS FAMILY AND INITIATES HIM INTO THE TRADITIONS OF HIS INDIGENOUS ANCESTORS.

GALLEGOS: WHEN I READ THIS BOOK, I FEEL LIKE I AM ANTONIO.

I FEEL WHAT HE'S FEELING.

I CAN SEE WHAT HE'S SEEING.

THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY READING A BOOK THAT REFLECTED MY PEOPLE, MY CULTURE, AND MY WAYS OF LIFE.

MAN: "ULTIMA CAME TO STAY WITH US "THE SUMMER I WAS ALMOST 7.

"WHEN SHE CAME, THE BEAUTY OF THE LLANO "UNFOLDED BEFORE MY EYES, "AND THE GURGLING WATERS OF THE RIVER "SANG TO THE HUM OF THE TURNING EARTH.

"THE MAGICAL TIME OF CHILDHOOD STOOD STILL "AND THE PULSE OF THE LIVING EARTH PRESSED ITS MYSTERY INTO MY LIVING BLOOD."

GALLEGOS: THE FAMILY IN THE STORY IS VERY SIMILAR TO MY FAMILY.

WE'RE VERY ROOTED TO OUR LAND AND TO THE TRADITIONS THAT HAVE EXISTED HERE.

THE REASONS THAT I IDENTIFY WITH THIS BOOK, THOSE ARE THE SAME REASONS WHY IT WAS BANNED.

VIEIRA: IN 2010, "BLESS ME, ULTIMA" WAS ONE OF SEVERAL NOVELS SUDDENLY PULLED FROM LIBRARY SHELVES WHEN NEIGHBORING ARIZONA PASSED A LAW BANNING MEXICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES IN SCHOOLS.

WOMAN: LAWMAKERS HAVE AGREED TO BAN SO-CALLED ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAMS IN OUR SCHOOLS.

MAN: STUDENTS ARE BEING TAUGHT A REVOLUTIONARY CURRICULUM.

IT'S AN OUTRAGEOUS ABUSE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS.

GALLEGOS: STUDENTS WERE OUTRAGED.

THEY FELT LIKE THEIR CULTURE, THEIR WAY OF LIFE WAS BEING PERSONALLY ATTACKED.

THE BAN ON ETHNIC STUDIES INSPIRED ME TO DO AS MUCH WORK AS I COULD.

I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO GROW UP IN THAT REALITY, AND I DIDN'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE SHOULD HAVE TO, EITHER.

VIEIRA: THE PRESSURE WORKED.

A FEDERAL JUDGE STRUCK DOWN THE LAW AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

GALLEGOS: IT IS IMPORTANT THAT FOLKS HAVE ACCESS TO BOOKS LIKE "BLESS ME, ULTIMA" BECAUSE WE NEED TO SEE OURSELVES IN LITERATURE SO THAT WE FEEL EMPOWERED.

OUR STORIES AS YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR, AS CHICANOS, AS FOLKS IN NEW MEXICO, MATTER.

EVERYBODY SHOULD READ "BLESS ME, ULTIMA" BY RUDOLFO ANAYA.

IT PAINTS A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF LIFE IN NEW MEXICO, SO VOTE FOR THIS BOOK.

VIEIRA: RUDOLFO ANAYA JOINS STEPHEN KING, J.K. ROWLING, ERNEST HEMINGWAY, AND MORE THAN 20 OTHER AUTHORS ON YOUR LIST IN A UNIQUE LITERARY CLUB.

EACH OF THEM HAS HAD AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR WORKS BANNED OR CHALLENGED.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BANNED BOOKS THAT MADE YOUR LIST AND STAY UP TO DATE ON THIS NATIONWIDE CONVERSATION, GO TO OUR WEBSITE, PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

OF ALL THE MANY KINDS OF NOVELS YOU PICKED IN YOUR TOP 100, STORIES ABOUT LOVE UNITE US ALL.

SO DON'T MISS OUR THEMED EPISODE "WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE" LATER THIS FALL.

WE END THIS EVENING WITH A LOVE STORY THAT CAPTURED THE SOUL OF THE COUNTRY AT A PARTICULAR GLITTERING MOMENT, IN A TIME OF HIGH HOPES AND FANTASTIC DREAMS.

PRINTED IN 1925, THE BOOK WENT ON TO BECOME AN AMERICAN CLASSIC.

IT'S F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S "THE GREAT GATSBY."

MARTIN: I THINK THERE ARE CERTAIN BOOKS THAT YOU NEED TO READ AT THE RIGHT TIME IN YOUR LIFE.

I READ "THE GREAT GATSBY" IN MY EARLY TWENTIES WHEN I WAS JUST COMING OFF THE SAD ENDING OF THE FIRST GREAT LOVE OF MY LIFE.

AND I READ THIS BOOK AND IT SPOKE TO ME SO POWERFULLY BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT.

GATSBY'S PURSUIT OF--OF DAISY AND HIS YEARNING FOR HER AND THE FACT THAT HE REMAKES HIS ENTIRE LIFE AND HE REMAKES HIS PERSONALITY TO TRY TO WIN HER AFTER HE HAS LOST HER.

VIEIRA: IN THE NOVEL, A MIDWESTERNER LIVING IN NEW YORK AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ROARING TWENTIES FALLS IN WITH A GLAMOROUS SET OF SOCIALITES, INCLUDING THE MYSTERIOUS JAY GATSBY, A NEWLY MINTED MILLIONAIRE DESPERATE TO WIN THE LOVE OF A YOUNG MARRIED WOMAN.

MARTIN: FOR GATSBY, IT WAS A--A BITTERSWEET JOURNEY AND A DOOMED PURSUIT, WHICH IS A BIT OF WISDOM THERE.

IT'S AN AMAZING BOOK.

FITZGERALD WAS AN INCREDIBLE STYLIST, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ALWAYS LINGERED WITH ME OVER THE YEARS IS THE IMAGE HE CAME UP WITH OF THE GREEN LIGHT AT THE END OF DAISY'S DOCK THAT GATSBY STARES AT AS A SYMBOL FOR THIS DESIRE THAT ALL OF US HAVE FOR SOMETHING THAT'S LOST OR SOMETHING THAT'S BEYOND OUR REACH BUT YET, THERE IT IS, THERE IT IS.

"GATSBY BELIEVED IN THE GREEN LIGHT, "THE ORGASTIC FUTURE THAT YEAR BY YEAR "RECEDES BEFORE US.

"IT ELUDED US THEN, BUT THAT'S NO MATTER-- "TOMORROW WE WILL RUN FASTER, "STRETCH OUT OUR ARMS FURTHER... "AND ONE FINE MORNING-- SO WE BEAT ON, "BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT, BORNE BACK CEASELESSLY INTO THE PAST."

I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A BETTER ENDING IN ALL OF ENGLISH LITERATURE.

I CAN'T READ THOSE WORDS WITHOUT HAVING A SHIVER.

VIEIRA: SO WHICH NOVEL WILL BE NUMBER ONE?

IT'S ALL UP TO YOU.

THE NEXT STEP IS TO GET INVOLVED.

HEAD OVER TO PBS.ORG/ GREATAMERICANREAD AND CHECK OUT ALL 100 BOOKS.

READ, SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, AND MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES.

REMEMBER, IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.