The Great American Read
I FINALLY watched PBS's Great American Read encouraging anyone to vote for 1 of 100 books as the "Great American Read." With the amount that I was reacting negatively to what was on TV you would have thought that I was watching a beloved character die on TV or couples breaking up. (I tend to scream and swear at both situations)
I have some VERY strong opinions about the books that are being represented. As someone who reads a lot I often think that qualifiers need to be added in terms of choosing a "favorite." I want to know favorite in what genre and by what author. Sometimes even my mood will make a difference as to what kind of book that I think is "great." For example if I am in the mood to read something more serious I will read a Pulitzer Prize winning book or some other kind of literary fiction. And if I am really stressed out I prefer fiction that is more escapist, like romance or fantasy.
What really made me react were the books that I did not think should be considered a GREAT book. Gone Girl, The DaVinci Code, Ready Player One and Eye of the World were books that I legitimately enjoyed reading but do not deem them great enough to be on a list like this.
Moby Dick was on the list. I have never made it through that book and have yet to meet someone who has admitted to actually reading that whale of a novel in full.
This Present Darkness and Left Behind are on the list. I read those books back when I was trying to fit into the church. While the stories have intriguing plot lines the overarching message that Christianity is the only TRUE perspective is very problematic. And the way conservative Christians interpret these books scares me more than the stories themselves. I know I can't stand anyone who admits to liking anything by Ayn Rand because I find objectivism to be unethical and problematic.
There are the books that made this list that I did not think were written well enough to be considered a great read. I've often felt like I am in a minority for being critical about the writing in 50 Shades of Grey but not being moralistically against the story. Hunger Games was one of the rare books where I actually found the movies to be superior to the books.
There are the books that I enjoyed as a teenager but it just did not vibe with me as an adult. For some reason I just do not like Pride and Prejudice or as much of Jane Austen at this point in life as I did when I was younger. This begs the question for me if I ever really liked her or if I felt like as a serious female reader that she was the type of author I was supposed to like. Gone With the Wind is a book that I am committed to rereading in full sometime in the near future because I want to read through all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. I remember finding it romantic as a teenager. However having read a lot of African American literature I had a really hard time getting past the racism in the novel in my last attempt of reading Gone With the Wind.
I read Twilight and Harry Potter as an adult. I found the books enjoyable to read but not remarkable enough to be considered great books. I never obsessed over either of those series. While I do find JK Rowling to be a superior writer to Stephanie Meyer I do not think that Harry Potter is actually remarkable enough to be the Great American Read. I think that there are better children's books and better fantasy books out there.
I hold strong opinions about this project. I think that it is a project worth following for my interests. However one thing that struck me is that a lot of the people on the TV show who were endorsing the different books with the phrase "this book changed my life." I realized the books that I would say were life changers for me were not included in this list. If I had to choose a novel that rocked my world it would have to be Mists of Avalon. Honestly I have a list of non-fictional books that were life changing for me but this Great American Read is about novels.
This list pits Anne of Green Gables, The Color Purple, Frankenstein,Lord of the Rings , Great Gatsby and Jane Eyre against each other. And I love each of these books for completely different reasons. I would consider Lord of the Rings an ultimate fantasy favorite, Frankenstein a really good meditation on the role that science can play in our world, Great Gatsby a tale of struggle to find status and acceptance, Anne of Green Gables an all time childhood favorite and Jane Eyre was the first adult classic novel I loved. I love each of these books for completely different reasons.
There are also books I read and enjoyed when I was younger that I really wonder if I would consider them to be quality literature rereading it as an adult. I haven't read Outlander or Rebecca since high school. I remember really loving those books as a teenager but would they still hold up as a potential favorite if re-read them as an adult?
Of course the list touches on some books that I haven't read yet but am looking forward to reading like Lonesome Dove and The Martian. Now that these are books that are on many people's radar screen I will be more likely to read them this summer.
I think that it is a project worth following. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the people on the TV show who were endorsing the different books was "this book changed my life." I realized the book that I would say were life changers for me were not included in this list. If I had to choose a novel that rocked my world it would have to be Mists of Avalon. The representation of feminism and Christian colonialism really was eye opening for me. It helped me develop a world view that was inclusive to a diversity of perspectives and realizing the downsides to Christianity. I also have a list of non-fictional books that were life changing for me but this Great American Read is about novels.
My initial reaction was that The Color Purple should be the Great American Read, but I will acknowledge that I read a lot of Alice Walker in a very confusing point of my life and I did take a course in African American literature in my undergraduate degree and loved it.
But the more critically I thought about the GREAT American read I think it would have to be a children's book. This is why: While learning disabilities and the achievement gap are things that prevent people from reading at an appropriate age level that if they are reading assigned books in school and exploring books for fun those are going to be the most universal books that will be read. Once we get to college we start focusing in on the books that we need to read for our chosen major. After college our jobs, our interests and the communities that we identify with define the types of books and the amount of books that we are reading.
With that rubric Harry Potter could very well be the Great American Read, however, I would cringe if that turned out to be the case. Fortunately with this campaign I can vote every day. So this gives me a chance to make sure that my favorites are voted for often!
I have some VERY strong opinions about the books that are being represented. As someone who reads a lot I often think that qualifiers need to be added in terms of choosing a "favorite." I want to know favorite in what genre and by what author. Sometimes even my mood will make a difference as to what kind of book that I think is "great." For example if I am in the mood to read something more serious I will read a Pulitzer Prize winning book or some other kind of literary fiction. And if I am really stressed out I prefer fiction that is more escapist, like romance or fantasy.
What really made me react were the books that I did not think should be considered a GREAT book. Gone Girl, The DaVinci Code, Ready Player One and Eye of the World were books that I legitimately enjoyed reading but do not deem them great enough to be on a list like this.
Moby Dick was on the list. I have never made it through that book and have yet to meet someone who has admitted to actually reading that whale of a novel in full.
This Present Darkness and Left Behind are on the list. I read those books back when I was trying to fit into the church. While the stories have intriguing plot lines the overarching message that Christianity is the only TRUE perspective is very problematic. And the way conservative Christians interpret these books scares me more than the stories themselves. I know I can't stand anyone who admits to liking anything by Ayn Rand because I find objectivism to be unethical and problematic.
There are the books that made this list that I did not think were written well enough to be considered a great read. I've often felt like I am in a minority for being critical about the writing in 50 Shades of Grey but not being moralistically against the story. Hunger Games was one of the rare books where I actually found the movies to be superior to the books.
There are the books that I enjoyed as a teenager but it just did not vibe with me as an adult. For some reason I just do not like Pride and Prejudice or as much of Jane Austen at this point in life as I did when I was younger. This begs the question for me if I ever really liked her or if I felt like as a serious female reader that she was the type of author I was supposed to like. Gone With the Wind is a book that I am committed to rereading in full sometime in the near future because I want to read through all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. I remember finding it romantic as a teenager. However having read a lot of African American literature I had a really hard time getting past the racism in the novel in my last attempt of reading Gone With the Wind.
I read Twilight and Harry Potter as an adult. I found the books enjoyable to read but not remarkable enough to be considered great books. I never obsessed over either of those series. While I do find JK Rowling to be a superior writer to Stephanie Meyer I do not think that Harry Potter is actually remarkable enough to be the Great American Read. I think that there are better children's books and better fantasy books out there.
I hold strong opinions about this project. I think that it is a project worth following for my interests. However one thing that struck me is that a lot of the people on the TV show who were endorsing the different books with the phrase "this book changed my life." I realized the books that I would say were life changers for me were not included in this list. If I had to choose a novel that rocked my world it would have to be Mists of Avalon. Honestly I have a list of non-fictional books that were life changing for me but this Great American Read is about novels.
This list pits Anne of Green Gables, The Color Purple, Frankenstein,Lord of the Rings , Great Gatsby and Jane Eyre against each other. And I love each of these books for completely different reasons. I would consider Lord of the Rings an ultimate fantasy favorite, Frankenstein a really good meditation on the role that science can play in our world, Great Gatsby a tale of struggle to find status and acceptance, Anne of Green Gables an all time childhood favorite and Jane Eyre was the first adult classic novel I loved. I love each of these books for completely different reasons.
There are also books I read and enjoyed when I was younger that I really wonder if I would consider them to be quality literature rereading it as an adult. I haven't read Outlander or Rebecca since high school. I remember really loving those books as a teenager but would they still hold up as a potential favorite if re-read them as an adult?
Of course the list touches on some books that I haven't read yet but am looking forward to reading like Lonesome Dove and The Martian. Now that these are books that are on many people's radar screen I will be more likely to read them this summer.
I think that it is a project worth following. One thing that struck me is that a lot of the people on the TV show who were endorsing the different books was "this book changed my life." I realized the book that I would say were life changers for me were not included in this list. If I had to choose a novel that rocked my world it would have to be Mists of Avalon. The representation of feminism and Christian colonialism really was eye opening for me. It helped me develop a world view that was inclusive to a diversity of perspectives and realizing the downsides to Christianity. I also have a list of non-fictional books that were life changing for me but this Great American Read is about novels.
My initial reaction was that The Color Purple should be the Great American Read, but I will acknowledge that I read a lot of Alice Walker in a very confusing point of my life and I did take a course in African American literature in my undergraduate degree and loved it.
But the more critically I thought about the GREAT American read I think it would have to be a children's book. This is why: While learning disabilities and the achievement gap are things that prevent people from reading at an appropriate age level that if they are reading assigned books in school and exploring books for fun those are going to be the most universal books that will be read. Once we get to college we start focusing in on the books that we need to read for our chosen major. After college our jobs, our interests and the communities that we identify with define the types of books and the amount of books that we are reading.
With that rubric Harry Potter could very well be the Great American Read, however, I would cringe if that turned out to be the case. Fortunately with this campaign I can vote every day. So this gives me a chance to make sure that my favorites are voted for often!
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