The Great American Read

The country’s 100 favorite novels are announced in a two-hour celebration of reading, hosted by Meredith Vieira. Celebrities, authors, and book lovers reveal the novels that have affected their lives. The national vote gets under way, to decide America’s Best-Loved Book.

Meredith Viera returns as The Great American Read hits high gear. After a summer of reading and voting for your favorite novels, see which books celebrities, authors, and other readers across the country are rooting for.

How do the books we love answer the question “Who am I?” We explore first-person narratives and other ways authors tell stories of characters on personal journeys. From navigating the teen years through discovering our “chosen families,” these novels can help us find ourselves at any age.

We examine books on America’s list that feature heroic characters. Celebrities, literary experts, authors, and everyday book lovers discuss why our favorite heroes are complex and relatable, from the everyday hero to the tragic and unlikely or anti-hero.

How do novels featuring our favorite villains and monsters help us understand why people behave badly? We examine the evil characters in our favorite novels, to find out why we go to the dark side. We also meet authors who have created some of our best-loved villains.

How do our favorite novels reflect what we do for love? From classic romance to family dramas, from unrequited passion to unforgettable first love, we take a look at our best-loved books that feature the most important emotion in our lives. And we examine why we are drawn to these stories.

Many novels on America’s list of 100 favorites take us to other worlds. From fantasy to science fiction, historical fiction to stories of spiritual realms, what do these books tell us about our own world? We examine how these novels help us think about real-life and present-day issues.

As the voting for America's Best-Loved Book draws to a close, we reveal surprising and thought-provoking discoveries about our entire summer of reading. We highlight the thrilling achievements of individual readers, community leaders, and outreach programs across the US, as we celebrate the impact of this landmark national public service initiative by PBS.