The Great American Read: A Reflection

This past Wednesday, the WVIA teamed up with Bloomsburg University to offer a preview of one of the upcoming episodes of The Great American Read, an eight-part series focused on seeing what kinds of books Americans love and are moved by.  We got to see the entire preview of the "Heroes" episode, which featured books such as:

• Catch-22 
• A Confederacy of Dunces
• The Hunger Games
• Charlotte's Web 
• Don Quixote
• 1984 
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
• The Help
• The Giver
• The Invisible Man
• The Alex Cross series
• The Hunt for Red October

One of the fantastic parts of this series is the way we confront not just what books we love, but why.  Speakers from all walks of life spoke up to affirm the ways we love heroes for what they mean to us.  Most often a favorite book is not based solely on great prose or technical skills; it's all about how something resonated at a certain part of your life, when you needed a relatable or inspirational figure.  Don't we all want a friend as devoted and loving as we see in Charlotte's Web?  Don't we look at figures like Winston Smith in 1984 or Katniss in The Hunger Games and feel how doing what we know is right might make a difference, no matter how slight?  American heroes are relatable, even if they seem unlikely or tragic in some ways.  

After the preview, several of our professors - Dr. Entzminger, Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Francis, and Dr. Decker - held a brief panel to discuss the emotional impact of these books and ask what other students would have voted for (and why!).

The "Heroes" episode will officially air on Tuesday, September 25th.  Other episodes include: "Who Am I," "Villains & Monsters," "Other Worlds," and "What We Do for Love."  

Interested in seeing more episodes or voting for your favorite book?  You can check out the official website for The Great American Read here.  

Vote for your favorite - you can vote every day, once a day.  Let's find out what books are our favorites!