What's the Deal with The Great American Read on PBS?

You know we love reading and television around here (#thatsnormal, amirite?), so when we heard about The Great American Read on PBS we were intrigued. A show about books? Our two favorite things?! YAS HUNNY. How did I not know I needed this in my life? But then I read the description and…I’m bewildered. Let’s talk about it.

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The Great American Idealized Read

If you haven’t heard about The Great American Read yet, here’s a quick rundown. It’s an eight-part series that will delve into why we love to read, what makes it important, and what we love to read. It’s hosted by Meredith Viera and will include interviews with authors, celebrities, “notable Americans,” and book lovers, with the final goal of picking America’s favorite book. PBS compiled America’s 100 favorite reads through a survey, and here are the results:

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If you want to see how many you’ve read, take the quiz here. My score is 17/100, which is pretty mortifying for someone who’s only hobby is reading and reviewing books…please still trust me, internet!

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Let’s break down this list.

Ok cool, Harry Potter made it…Outlander, Gone Girl, Twilight, The Lovely Bones, The Help…cool, cool, cool. I enjoyed all those books. But The Grapes of Wrath? The Catcher in the Rye? Clearly, this show should be renamed The Great American Books I Had to Read in High School. I’d love to know who they polled because they’re a little out of touch. If there’s someone out there who’s reread The Grapes of Wrath 15 times because they just love that ending so much, I don’t think I want to be friends with them. Not to say that it isn’t an important book in American culture and that it shouldn’t be read, but to me, the top 100 books in America should be books we love and revisit because we can’t help it, not books that were required reading the summer of Sophomore year. I want to see the books you always recommend to anyone who asks or you force your mom to read because you just need anyone to talk about it with.

That’s not to say a lot of the books on this list aren’t those kinds of feel-good books, but I want to see more. There’s barely any romance, and the romance that is on the list frankly doesn’t deserve to be there. Looking at you Fifty Shades of Grey. I think they missed an opportunity here to compile of list of reads that would get people excited about reading again. Because I have to tell you, I really don’t know that many people who love to read. When you have the option of television, movies, video games, and all these other screens that so easily grab your attention, reading falls by the wayside. And that’s such a bummer because there are some amazing stories out there that need to be shared.

The Books They Missed

You can bet your butt that if That’s Normal wrote this list, it’d be a lot different. And because our opinions are the most important (duh), I’ve made some modifications to their list. Here are the books they forgot.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Sadly, we hear a version of this story on the news most nights, but maybe if this became required reading that could change.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. One of those books you’d recommend to anyone you know. Be prepared to cry, though.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. You knew this was going to be on this list. We couldn’t shut up about it for a good year. I would recommend this over Fifty Shades every minute.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I mean, the guy won a Nobel prize (not specifically for this book, but still)! This is a rare science fiction book that stands the test of time and makes you start to question your whole existence. But in a good way-ish…?
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. You know, just the YA fantasy book where every character is a person of color and was written by a 24-year-old Harvard genius who seems well-rounded. Definitely not a huge impact on American culture…
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I wish there had been a book like this when I was in high school. And the movie was pure goodness.
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. Love in the age of texting, mental health and sexual abuse awareness, and one of the most gorgeous covers ever all in one book? Well worth the read. Read this article about Mary’s inspiration and tell me you didn’t tear up.
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. Had to add in something historical for a bit of variety. Ok, historical romance, but still. World War II is just as important a character as either of the leads.
Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Ugh, this book! It’s raw, heartbreaking, but overarchingly hopeful. It’s the grieving process put into words, and it’s beautiful.

So when you head to the library, bypass Crime and Punishment and Siddhartha (unless those are your two most favorite books in the world; you might be on the wrong website…), and pick up Me Before You or The Bronze Horseman. I can guarantee you’ll be hit in all the feels.

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Ok, but why do we need “America’s Best-Loved Book”?

The thing that really gets my goat about this show is that it doesn’t need to exist. Why do we need to pick the one book to rule them all? Didn’t we learn how badly that goes in The Lord of the Rings (which made the list, thankfully)?! It completely ignores the fact that while we all might love to read, we love to read different things for different reasons. Nothing makes me happier than witches/wizards/faeries/immortal beings doing fantasy shit and having sex. I can’t say the same for my best friend, my mom, my boyfriend, or my grandma.

There are thousands upon thousands of books for a reason! Reading is not one size fits all, and there’s no reason it needs to be. Just because you call it America’s best-loved book doesn’t mean it is. A poll of 7,200 people represents a tiny, tiny fraction of Connecticut, my home state, one of the smallest, let alone the entire US.

I plan on watching the show because my curiosity has been peaked. And maybe that was their goal all along – to get people bewildered enough that they tune in. It’s working.