Congratulating the winners of The Great American Read

Earlier this year, PBS launched The Great American Read, a literary event that gave readers across the country the chance to vote for their favorite novel of all time. Whether it was online, on the phone or by text, people voted in large numbers and the official rankings were announced this past Monday.

From a list of one hundred titles that ranged from classics to contemporary, the top five finalists were mostly twentieth century fare,with one notable exception. In the interest of brevity,(check out the full results tally here) I'll just discuss a few of the top five in detail in this post.

Full disclosure; I have read four out of the five books that made it to the top and enjoyed them all in different ways. The one series that I haven't read(unless The Hobbit counts) is simply due to time and being well satisfied with the film adaptations, a true rarity indeed:

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: We might as well start with the book that was number one and Harper Lee's pivotal tale of a young girl learning the realities of life in the American South during the 1930s has proven to be a timeless classic for readers today.

It's not surprising in both a good and sad way that TKAM was number one on this list since the first day of voting, it's position never wavering. I first read it only a few years ago and the beauty of the prose is powerful. Plus, Harper Lee had a strong sense of characterization that makes such fictional folk as Scout, Atticus,Tom and Boo Radley as vividly real as our own friends and neighbors.

The sad part comes from the issues of racial prejudice and injustice within the story, issues that are still with us,especially these days. Some continue to find that examination of those topics here to be controversial, causing the book to be placed on banned book list time and time again.

 It would be nice if some of those censors would actually read the novel and see just how socially relevant it is and how young and old alike could benefit from a conversation about those issues using the book as a platform for further understanding.  TKAM does at least give us hope that things may be better for the next generation, a message well told and taken to heart:

OUTLANDER: Diana Gabaldon's popular series of genre mashing novels(time travel, historical fiction, romance) came in at number two. However, I have no doubt that fans of both the books and the cable TV show based upon them will see this saga as number one in their hearts.

While the small screen adaptation has drawn in more fans and readers(my mother and I love the Starz series, it's one of "our" shows), the true love for these stories in either format comes from the characters, particularly the feisty Claire Randall Fraser, a woman who knows her own mind no matter what century she's in.

I've read the first two books in the series(all of them are lusciously long page turners) and holding off on the rest of them for the moment in order to avoid spoilers. Not easy to do but at the moment, that will work for me.

While Gabaldon does embrace more than one genre in her tales of Claire and her Highlander soul mate Jamie, I do think that the fantasy elements of the long ranging story are part of what made Outlander land in the top five, along with the Harry Potter series (No.3) and The Lord of the Rings (No.5). People turn to fantasy fiction in troubled times and more often than not, those flights of fancy have proven to be solid ground for many of us to steady our weary souls upon:

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: Jane Austen's most beloved book was given the fourth place on the GAR top five and rightly so.

While many of my fellow Austenites would have preferred to see P&P occupy a much higher ranking on the list, to my mind, it is far better to have this truly delightful novel be included among the upper five than not at all.

Pride and Prejudice does have the distinction of being the only novel in the top five that has lasted with readers for over two centuries now. It is amazing how many different editions have been published(enough to get a book of it's own!) as well as various media adaptations ranging from plays to feature films and made for TV miniseries have kept this sharp witted romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy feel as fresh as if it were released just yesterday.

It's a testament to the power of Austen's writing that P&P is still a viable fictional framework for each new generation to make their own while allowing the main points of the original story to still be felt. Whether it's a Bollywood inspired musical, a Nora Ephron romcom or an award winning web series, Pride and Prejudice has more stamina than any battery powered bunny could ever hope to possess:

The Great American Read was a wonderful event and the best part about this was the chance to discover and/or rediscover such literary wonders in our midst. I know that plenty of book lovers of all ages and backgrounds were able to find common ground, thanks to this great excuse to discuss our joy of reading.

With any luck, some of this good feeling can extend beyond the pages of a book but we shall see. For now, a hearty congratulations to all of the nominated books is in order and three cheers for the real winners, all of us who took the time to read and share with friends, old and new: