# The Great American Read - How many for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2018, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248 "2018-06-01T11:38:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/21 "2018-06-02T05:18:07Z")
51 that I remember well, and a few more that I think I read for school (like Moby Dick) but don’t recall with any detail. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/22 "2018-06-02T05:22:32Z")
I’ve read 60 of these, abandoned a handful of others, and read some of them so long ago that I’ve forgotten their basic plots. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/23 "2018-06-02T08:47:10Z")
I read most of these (at least the ones that were released by the 1990s) by the 8th/9th grade and then pretty much stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/24 "2018-06-02T10:06:12Z")
Man, The Great American Read has a LOT of British novels in it for some reason. And some of them I’d challenge on that basis. All love for Narnia but those seven books are REALLY British. Also, Ready Player One? That invalidates the entire exercise right there. It’s not a terrible book - I enjoyed it - but to consider it a Great American Read is foolish. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/25 "2018-06-02T10:44:40Z")
I skimmed and counted 47, but maybe seven or eight authors I’ve read a different book of theirs. A handful of favorites but a lot of these books are real crap, too. Some I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole, some I read as a kid (when I turned nothing down) and feel rather soiled remembering the experience. Stuff I would re-read in there includes Tolkien, Tolstoy, Austen, Heller, Atwood, a few others. Very few I haven’t read that I want to – Cervantes is one. Where’s Mark Twain, I wonder? Did I miss him? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/26 "2018-06-02T13:36:32Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Man, The Great American Read has a LOT of British novels in it for some reason. And some of them I’d challenge on that basis. > > All love for Narnia but those seven books are REALLY British. I can only assume they’re “books that Americans read,” not “American books.” Obviously there are quite a few non-American books on the list. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/27 "2018-06-02T14:44:19Z")
I’ve read 43. My favorites, that I cherish and re-read are: Jane Eyre Moby Dick Rebecca The Martian Most of the others I think are great books. The only ones I really didn’t like were Catch-22 and The Alchemist. 1. 1984 2. A Separate Peace 3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 4. Tom Sawyer 5. Alice in Wonderland 6. And Then There Were None 7. Atlas Shrugged 8. The Call of the Wild 9. Catch-22 10. The Catcher in the Rye 11. Charlotte’s Web 12. The Chronicles of Narnia 13. The Color Purple 14. Crime and Punishment 15. Don Quixote 16. Gone Girl 17. The Grapes of Wrath 18. The Great Gatsby 19. Gulliver’s Travels 20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 21. Heart of Darkness 22. Invisible Man 23. Jane Eyre 24. Little Women 25. Memoirs of a Geisha 26. Moby Dick 27. One Hundred Years of Solitude 28. The Picture of Dorian Gray 29. The Pillars of the Earth 30. Pride and Prejudice 31. Rebecca 32, Siddhartha 32. The Sun Also Rises 33. Tales of the City 34. The Alchemist 35. The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 36. The Joy Luck Club 37. The Little Prince 38. The Lord of the Rings 39. The Martian 40. To Kill a Mockingbird 41. War and Peace 42. Wuthering Heights ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/28 "2018-06-02T14:45:21Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Where’s Mark Twain, I wonder? Did I miss him? Tom Sawyer is on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/29 "2018-06-02T19:23:54Z")
1. My favorites were “A Prayer for Owen Meany”, “The Stand” and “The Joy Luck Club”. There are a few I started but didn’t finish e.g. Twilight. I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about but couldn’t get into it. I didn’t even try with 50 Shades, I heard it was excruciatingly poorly written. I am not a book snob, I like a lot of popular stuff. Not romances, but as examples from the list, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon really know what they’re doing, in addition to of course the aforementioned King. Pretty weird list but lots of great reads on there. It has given me some ideas for some books to add to my list. ---
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/30 "2018-06-02T19:30:35Z")
all fiction. don’t read fiction. read six in high school English though. I usually read about two or three books a week but only two works of fiction since 1976. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/31 "2018-06-02T21:09:13Z")
List not available in my country ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/32 "2018-06-02T22:22:25Z")
I’ve read 23 of the list, counting Harry Potter and Narnia as a series like they did. I’d vote for: Dune 1984 The Giver ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/33 "2018-06-02T22:56:59Z")
37 So far I’ve just voted once, for my all-time favorite among those mentioned, _Anne of Green Gables_. Of the books I’ve read as an adult, I’d choose _The Martian_. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/34 "2018-06-03T00:50:13Z")
1. Interestingly, some of the ones I’ve read are the garbage-est. (Looking at you, _Left Behind_.) It’s a weird-ass list, but I guess it’s supposed to be America’s “most beloved” books. Couldn’t find out how that was determined. Was really happy and shocked to see \*The Intuitionist \*on the list. A great book, but weird, and I didn’t think it was well-known, let alone beloved. Good for you, America. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/35 "2018-06-03T00:51:19Z")
The fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is on the list makes me question the contest. I’ve read slightly over half the books on the list. There are a number of great books that are missing. My vote goes to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which I think a lot of people could use to read now to discover the values expressed in it (IMO, keep in mind). It’s a fabulous read and one I try to repeat every few years. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/36 "2018-06-03T01:07:09Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > It’s a weird-ass list, but I guess it’s supposed to be America’s “most beloved” books. Couldn’t find out how that was determined. > [@carnut](#): > > The fact that Fifty Shades of Grey is on the list makes me question the contest. [There’s a link that explains how the 100 books were chosen.](http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/about/show/) > [@](#): > > 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. Some of the books on the list (including _Fifty Shades_) strike me as the kind of books that lots of people have read even though they don’t normally read novels, so that a lot of people are going to choose them as “most-loved novel” almost by default. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/37 "2018-06-03T01:53:14Z")
“Sorry, voting is not available in your region” And consequently, the list is hidden. Bah. Humbug. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/38 "2018-06-03T02:31:22Z")
I have to agree with the numerous comments about the strangeness of that list. I remember Dan Brown being cited somewhere for comically inept writing, and the supporting evidence was a selection of passages from _The Da Vinci Code_ (which I haven’t read, but judging from the quoted excerpts, I have to agree). _Fifty Shades of Grey_ doesn’t even require a comment. I had a quick look at the selection criteria and the major factor appears to have been a popularity poll, which kind of explains a lot. From a quick glance at the list I think I’ve read about a dozen of them. Like some other posters here, I mostly read non-fiction. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/39 "2018-06-05T04:18:30Z")
I’ve read 62 and given up on 3. There’s a lot of treacle on that list. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248/40 "2018-06-05T16:45:47Z")
Treacle - I guess I don’t read enough because I had to look that one up. Also, I used to take some sort of pride in saying that I never read fiction but that was way back in high school. College forced me into reading fiction and I’m glad it did. I’d say my reading is evenly split fiction/non-fiction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-american-read-how-many-for-you/815248.md?page=3)