Over the summer, we discussed the PBS’ eight-part series, The Great American Read, which explored and celebrated the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey).    Today, we are pleased to share the results of this nationwide survey and study of literature.

In order to obtain the most representative and encompassing list, PBS and the producers worked with the public opinion polling service “YouGov” to conduct a demographically and statistically representative survey asking Americans to name their most-loved novel. Approximately 7,200 people participated.  From that survey, a list was developed that included books from the 1600s to 2016, genres from thrillers to young adult novels, from sci-fi/fantasy and adventure to historical fiction.

And, on October 23, it was announced that, of five finalists, Americans had selected Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird as America’s #1 best-loved novel in The Great American Read.  According to the Great American Read website:

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

To Kill a Mockingbird led The Great American Read voting from the first week, and kept the lead for the entire five months of voting, despite strong competition from the rest of our five finalists. It also topped the list of votes in every state except North Carolina (who went for Outlander) and Wyoming (who preferred Lord of The Rings). Such widespread support from readers across the country make To Kill a Mockingbird a worthy winner of The Great American Read.

Did you watch this series?  Did you vote?  Are you participating in reading the books on the Great American Read list?  If so, come in and let us know!  And, as ever, our hearts and our thanks are with Harper Lee, for giving us a book that brought together nearly all of the country.