Who Am I?

MAN: I'M NOT THE SAME PERSON THAT I WAS BEFORE I READ THAT BOOK.

FROM THE VERY FIRST SENTENCE, I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.

I READ THE WHOLE THING, BASICALLY, IN ONE SITTING.

MAN: I THINK A NOVEL IS TERRIFIC FOR THINKING ABOUT WHO WE ARE, BECAUSE THE INSIGHTS WE GLEAN ARE ONES ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, BUT THEY'RE ONES WE CAN APPLY TO OURSELVES.

MEREDITH VIEIRA: WELCOME TO "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

I'M MEREDITH VIEIRA HERE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

THE FIRST-EVER NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT BOOKS IS UNDERWAY.

AND WHILE YOU'VE BEEN READING, SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND VOTING FOR YOUR FAVORITES THESE LAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF DISCOVERIES.

SO MANY OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS ARE ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY.

SO, TONIGHT, WE TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE NOVELS TRENDING IN THE COMPETITION THAT CENTER ON THIS SEARCH FOR SELF.

WHY ARE WE DRAWN TO THEM?

AND HOW MIGHT THESE FICTIONAL STORIES HELP US NAVIGATE OUR OWN REAL-LIFE JOURNEYS?

MAN: WE START ASKING OURSELVES "WHO AM I?"

IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ONLY BECAUSE IT'S POSED TO US SO EARLY.

WOMAN: YOU'RE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO YOU WANT TO BE, AND YOU ALL ARE KIND OF PRETENDING YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT YOU'RE ALL TERRIFIED.

SECOND WOMAN: 'CAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING BACK GOING, "WAS THAT ALL THERE IS?

WAIT, IS THIS WHAT I WANTED?"

THERE'S PROBABLY COMING OF AGE AT ANY AGE.

VIEIRA: FROM GETTING THROUGH THE TEEN YEARS... MAN: PEOPLE WOULD TELL ME, "WELL, JUST BE YOURSELF."

AND I WOULD BE, LIKE, "WHAT THE...WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

VIEIRA: TO SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS.

MAN: IT'S GOT FAMILY, IT'S GOT FATE, IT HAS BASEBALL, IT HAS EVERYTHING THAT WE CARE ABOUT IN OUR SOCIETY.

VIEIRA: WHY DO WE LOVE THESE STORIES ABOUT SELF-DISCOVERY?

MAN: I DIDN'T LIKE THE FAMILY THAT I WAS DEALT, AND SO I ALWAYS LOOKED FOR AN OUTSIDE UNIT.

WOMAN: YOU COULD NOT TELL ME THAT I WAS NOT THE PROTAGONIST-- FRANCIE NOLAN, A WHITE GIRL FROM BROOKLYN, 1920.

VIEIRA: HOW DO AUTHORS DRAW US INTO THESE STORIES IN SUCH A PERSONAL WAY?

WOMAN: I THINK EVERY WRITER WOULD TELL YOU, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THEMSELVES IN EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER, NO MATTER WHO THEY'RE WRITING ABOUT.

MAN: I DIDN'T KNOW TO WHAT DEGREE THINGS WOULD COME OUT OF MY SUBCONSCIOUS AND LAND ON THE PAGE.

SECOND MAN: A WRITER IS ABLE TO MAKE A READER FOCUS ON WHAT THEY THINK IS IMPORTANT, AND A LOT OF TIMES, IT'S THOSE REALLY SMALL AND INTIMATE MOMENTS.

VIEIRA: GET OUT THERE AND READ, AND MAKE SURE YOU VOTE SO YOUR FAVORITE BOOK WINS.

WOMAN: "THE OUTSIDERS."

VOTE FOR IT AS YOUR FAVORITE.

I LOVE "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA."

ALL: VOTE FOR "GHOST"!

MAN: YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO GO READ "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," AND GO VOTE FOR IT.

VOTE FOR THIS BOOK.

IT COULD BE A VERY EMOTIONAL HOUR.

HA HA!

VIEIRA: THIS IS "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

TONIGHT, WE'RE LOOKING AT YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS THAT EXPLORE THE QUESTION "WHO AM I?"

IT'S CLEAR THAT MANY OF THE NOVELS YOU'RE VOTING FOR ARE ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY.

WELL, THAT CERTAINLY SEEMS FITTING, SINCE OUR COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED ON PRINCIPLES OF INDEPENDENCE AND INDIVIDUALITY.

MAN: AMERICA'S AN INDIVIDUALISTIC SOCIETY, AND IT'S UNIQUELY SO.

WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN STORIES OF INDIVIDUALS TRYING TO MAKE THEIR WAY IN THE WORLD, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FIT IN.

I BELIEVE THAT NOVELS HELP US ANSWER THE QUESTION OF WHO WE ARE BECAUSE THERE'S AN UNDERLYING TENSION OF THIS PERSON SORT OF NOT FITTING INTO THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

IT REALLY PUTS US IN THESE NARRATIVES THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN OURS.

VIEIRA: A FULL 2/3RDS OF TONIGHT'S BOOKS USE A WRITING STYLE THAT CAN MAKE READING THEM FEEL ESPECIALLY INTIMATE-- FIRST-PERSON NARRATION.

A FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE IS A STORY TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHARACTER.

WE CAN'T BE ANYONE ELSE BUT WHO WE ARE.

AND A FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE ALLOWS YOU TO BE SOMEONE ELSE.

IT LETS YOU TO WALK IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES.

WE ARE GIVEN ACCESS TO THEIR INTERIOR, TO A PERSON'S MIND IN A WAY WE NEVER HAVE ACCESS TO IN REAL LIFE.

"I," THAT PRONOUN, IS REALLY POWERFUL.

WE'RE ATTRACTED TO IT.

IN READING SOMETHING THAT SAYS "I" DID THIS AND "ME" AND "MINE," FORCES YOU TO SEE THROUGH THE CHARACTER'S EYES.

IT FORCES YOU INTO EMPATHY WITH THAT CHARACTER.

VIEIRA: ONE STORY OF SELF-DISCOVERY WRITTEN IN FIRST-PERSON HAS BEEN LOVED BY READERS OF ALL AGES SINCE IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1951.

AND YOUR VOTES SHOW THAT IT'S STILL A CROWD FAVORITE.

ROTHMAN: THE INVENTION OF THE IDEA OF A YOUNG ADULT, A TEENAGER, THAT'S A THING THAT HAPPENED DURING THE 20TH CENTURY, AND THERE WERE A FEW BOOKS THAT REALLY CAPTURED WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN.

AND "CATCHER IN THE RYE" IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE BOOKS.

IT IS A NOVEL THAT IS SO PROFOUNDLY FASCINATING WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING ABOUT THE IN-BETWEEN SPACES IN BETWEEN CHILDHOOD AND ADULTHOOD.

THE TENSION IN THAT STORY IS UNLIKE ANYTHING THAT I'VE READ BEFORE OR SINCE.

VIEIRA: THE MAIN CHARACTER IN "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE" IS A TEENAGE BOY NAMED HOLDEN CAULFIELD, WHO'S JUST BEEN KICKED OUT OF HIS 4TH BOARDING SCHOOL.

HE KNOWS HIS PARENTS WILL BE FURIOUS.

SO INSTEAD OF GOING HOME, HE CHECKS INTO A HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY, WHERE HE SPENDS A FEW DAYS COMING TO TERMS WITH THE END OF CHILDHOOD AND THE CHALLENGES OF BECOMING AN ADULT.

GREEN: WHEN YOU'RE A TEENAGER, YOU FEEL LIKE AN ADULT.

AND IN A LOT OF WAYS, YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO INTERACT WITH THE WORLD AS AN ADULT.

IT'S SUCH A WEIRD TIME OF LIFE IN THAT WAY, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK HAS MADE SO MUCH GREAT FICTION ABOUT ADOLESCENCE IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

VIEIRA: J.D.

SALINGER, WHOSE CENTENNIAL WE CELEBRATE NEXT YEAR, STARTED WRITING THE NOVEL BEFORE HE WAS DEPLOYED TO FIGHT IN WORLD WAR II.

AND HE CARRIED THE FIRST PAGES IN HIS POCKET AS HE WENT INTO BATTLE.

GREEN: SALINGER SURVIVED MORE COMBAT IN WORLD WAR II THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER AMERICAN WHO MADE IT THROUGH THE WAR.

AND HE CAME HOME, AND HE DIDN'T WRITE A WAR STORY.

HE WROTE THIS STORY... ABOUT A KID WALKING AROUND NEW YORK FOR 2 DAYS.

GILMORE: HOLDEN CAULFIELD PUNCTURES THIS ILLUSION THAT IN POST-WAR AMERICA, EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE.

HE LETS US KNOW THAT, IN FACT, OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT BE LYING TO US.

VIEIRA: HOLDEN'S MESSAGE WAS POPULAR THEN AND NOW.

"THE CATCHER IN THE RYE" HAS SOLD OVER 65 MILLION COPIES TO DATE, AND IT HAD A SURPRISING IMPACT ON ONE YOUNG WOMAN.

WOMAN: I WAS 23 YEARS OLD AND JUST FINISHED MY MASTER'S IN ENGLISH, AND I KIND OF STUMBLED INTO A JOB AT A LITERARY AGENCY, WHICH, IT TURNED OUT, WAS J.D.

SALINGER'S LITERARY AGENCY.

VIEIRA: J.D.

SALINGER WAS A HUGE LITERARY STAR, BUT HE FAMOUSLY RETREATED FROM THE SPOTLIGHT IN 1953.

HE CONTINUED TO WRITE SHORT STORIES AND NOVELLAS, AND THE LITERARY AGENCY WAS ONE OF HIS LINKS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

I ANSWERED SALINGER'S FAN MAIL.

SALINGER GOT LETTERS FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

EVERYONE WROTE TO SALINGER.

VIEIRA: ONE OF THE REASONS "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE" IS SO POPULAR IS THE WAY HOLDEN SPEAKS.

SALINGER DIDN'T JUST WRITE IN FIRST-PERSON, HE ALSO USED TEENAGE SLANG.

BOY, AS CAULFIELD: "IF YOU SAT AROUND THERE LONG ENOUGH "AND HEARD ALL THE PHONIES APPLAUDING AND ALL, YOU GOT TO HATE EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD, I SWEAR YOU DID."

THERE WAS A WHOLE CLASS OF LETTERS THAT WERE WRITTEN IN THE VOICE OF HOLDEN CAULFIELD.

SO, THERE WERE LETTERS THAT WERE, LIKE, "DEAR JERRY, YOU OLD BASTARD," YOU KNOW, "THIS CRUMMY PLACE WHERE I LIVE IS FILLED WITH PHONIES."

HOLDEN CAULFIELD IS NOT THE FIRST TEENAGER OR THE FIRST HUMAN BEING TO CALL PEOPLE A PHONY.

BUT THE WAY HE SAY IT, YOU WOULD SWEAR HE, LIKE, COINED THAT PHRASE, LIKE, "PHONY, PHONY, PHONY," LIKE, HE'S THE AUTHORITY ON WHAT'S REAL.

RAKOFF: IT JUST IS REALLY A MASTERPIECE.

IN THAT SALINGER CREATES THIS VOICE.

"I LIVE IN NEW YORK, AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE LAGOON IN CENTRAL PARK, "DOWN NEAR CENTRAL PARK SOUTH.

"I WAS WONDERING IF IT WOULD BE FROZEN OVER WHEN I GOT HOME, "AND IF IT WAS, WHERE DO THE DUCKS GO?

"I WAS WONDERING WHERE THE DUCKS WENT "WHEN THE LAGOON GOT ALL ICY AND FROZEN OVER.

"I WONDERED IF SOME GUY CAME IN A TRUCK "AND TOOK THEM AWAY TO A ZOO OR SOMETHING OR IF THEY JUST FLEW AWAY."

SO, THIS IDEA OF KIND OF THE DUCKS LEAVING DURING THE WINTER AND WHERE DO THEY GO, I THINK IT HAS TO DO A LITTLE BIT WITH, LIKE, WHERE DOES YOUR INNOCENCE GO AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU KNOW, IN THE WINTER OF YOUR OLD AGE.

THAT'S SO MUCH WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT-- HIS KIND OF...OPENING HIS EYES TO THE WORLD AROUND HIM, YOU KNOW, AND KIND OF CLINGING TO THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDHOOD.

OVER THE COURSE OF MY YEAR THERE, I ENDED UP SPEAKING TO HIM PRETTY REGULARLY, AND HE GAVE ME ADVICE ABOUT BEING A WRITER.

THERE'S PART OF ME THAT WONDERS, LIKE, "DID HE SEE SOMETHING IN ME?"

'CAUSE I'VE MADE A LIVING AS A WRITER FOR ALMOST MY WHOLE LIFE.

SOMETIMES, YOU READ A BOOK AT THE EXACT RIGHT MOMENT.

THE BOOK HAD AN IMPACT ON ME THAT NO OTHER BOOK HAS EVER HAD.

I'M JOANNA RAKOFF.

MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE."

VOTE FOR IT!

MAN: BOOKS HELP US DISCOVER WHO WE ARE AS INDIVIDUALS.

WOMAN: BOOKS HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND MYSELF BECAUSE I CAN FIND MYSELF IN BOOKS NOW.

SECOND WOMAN: I CAN REALLY FEEL THE CHARACTER AND ALMOST BECOME THE CHARACTER.

VIEIRA: THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF NOVELS ON YOUR LIST ABOUT TEENAGE ANGST.

ISRAEL: WHAT MAKES AN AUTHENTIC TEENAGE CHARACTER IS A PERSON WHO OBVIOUSLY CANNOT POSSIBLY KNOW ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT YET THERE'S A CONFIDENCE THERE THAT IS, LIKE, UNMATCHED.

VIEIRA: MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER THE 1959 NOVEL "A SEPARATE PEACE" BY JOHN KNOWLES TO BE A SUCCESSOR TO "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE."

THEY'RE BOTH WRITTEN IN THE FIRST PERSON, THEY'RE BOTH ABOUT A 16-YEAR-OLD BOY, AND THEY BOTH EXPLORE DARK FEELINGS DURING OUR TEEN YEARS.

"A SEPARATE PEACE" IS ALSO TRENDING AS ONE OF YOUR BEST-LOVED NOVELS.

I LOVE "A SEPARATE PEACE."

I REMEMBER THAT WE READ IT IN... HIGH SCHOOL.

HIGH SCHOOL, AS PART OF OUR ENGLISH CLASS.

AND IT IS A NOVEL ABOUT THESE TWO BEST FRIENDS THAT MEET IN BOARDING SCHOOL.

IT'S A STORY OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP.

OF GENE AND FINNY, WHO ARE VERY BEST FRIENDS.

THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE BROTHERS.

THEY'RE ROOMMATES.

IT'S ALSO A NOVEL ABOUT JEALOUSY.

BUSH: FINNY IS THIS HANDSOME, ATHLETIC, LOVED-IN-EVERY-WAY STUDENT.

AND GENE IS THE OPPOSITE.

HE'S QUIETER, AND HE IS EXCELLENT AT SCHOOL AND JEALOUS OF FINNY.

AND THE STORY UNRAVELS AROUND THAT DISBALANCED FRIENDSHIP.

JEALOUSY TAKES OVER, AND IT CHANGES THE COURSE OF BOTH OF THEIR LIVES.

MAN: I REMEMBER READING THAT BOOK THE SAME WAY I REMEMBER KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION AND 9/11.

WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD, I WAS ON THE FRONT PORCH OF A BEACH COTTAGE IN NORTH CAROLINA, READING "A SEPARATE PEACE."

I COULD NOT TEAR MYSELF AWAY FROM THAT NOVEL BECAUSE I WAS CONVINCED THAT THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO BOYS WAS ONE THAT I COULD RELATE TO.

I WAS CONVINCED THAT THEY WERE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, AND IT MATTERED TO ME IN A WAY THAT NOTHING HAD UP TO THAT POINT, AND THEN BROKE MY HEART AT THE END IN A WAY THAT NOTHING HAD.

IT WAS REALLY QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

"OUTSIDE, THERE WAS A RUSTLING EARLY SUMMER MOVEMENT OF THE WIND.

"THE SENIORS, ALLOWED OUT LATER THAN WE WERE, "CAME FAIRLY QUIETLY BACK AS THE BELL SOUNDED 10 STATELY TIMES.

"BOYS AMBLED PAST OUR DOOR TOWARD THE BATHROOM, "AND THERE WAS A PERIOD OF STEADILY POURING SHOWER WATER.

"THEN LIGHTS BEGAN TO SNAP OFF ALL OVER THE SCHOOL.

"WE UNDRESSED, AND I PUT ON SOME PAJAMAS.

BUT PHINEAS, WHO HAD HEARD THEY WERE UNMILITARY, DIDN'T."

I LOVE THAT PASSAGE BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES CAPTURE THE INTIMACY OF A SCHOOL SITUATION AND WHEN IT THROWS IN THE ELEMENT OF ONE BOY IS FIXATED ON THE OTHER.

I THOUGHT THAT FINNY WAS...

PROBABLY KNEW THAT GENE WAS IN LOVE WITH HIM AND WORKED IT TO A CERTAIN DEGREE, BUT THAT WAS JUST MY TAKE ON IT.

I'M SURE EVERYBODY'S GOT ANOTHER ONE.

I'M ARMISTEAD MAUPIN, AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS IS "A SEPARATE PEACE" BY JOHN KNOWLES.

WOMAN: I THINK COMING-OF-AGE STORIES ARE IMPORTANT, ONE-- FOR KIDS LIKE ME BECAUSE IT CAN HELP US IN A WEIRD TRANSITION, BUT ALSO, ADULTS--IT CAN TRANSPORT THEM BACK TO THIS TIME WHERE THEY WERE CONFUSED.

SECOND WOMAN: I LOVE A COMING-OF-AGE STORY BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS GET TO LEARN AND EXPERIENCE THINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

I GET TO LEARN AND SEE THINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH THEIR EYES.

WHAT I FIND REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT WHO I AM IN A BOOK IS WHATEVER THAT CHARACTER'S GOING THROUGH, WHATEVER LENS THAT THEY'RE, LIKE, SEEING THE WORLD FROM.

AND IT SPEAKS ME TO IN THAT WAY, WHERE I'M LIKE, "OH, THIS IS THERAPEUTIC."

VIEIRA: TODAY, THE FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE IS SO COMMON IN FICTION THAT READERS MAY NOT EVEN NOTICE IT.

BUT BOOKS LIKE "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE," "A SEPARATE PEACE," AND 45 MORE OF YOUR 100 FAVORITES OWE A GREAT DEBT TO THE NOVEL THAT REVOLUTIONIZED THIS LITERARY DEVICE BACK IN 1847.

CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S USE OF FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE IN "JANE EYRE" TURNED THE WORLD OF LITERATURE UPSIDE-DOWN.

LITERATURE WOULD NOT BE THE SAME EVER AGAIN AFTER "JANE EYRE."

VIEIRA: THE BOOK WAS INITIALLY ENTITLED "JANE EYRE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY."

AND, IN FACT, MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT ITS AUTHOR, CHARLOTTE BRONTE.

HERITAGE: SHE WAS A QUIET AND RESERVED PERSON.

SHE WAS PAINFULLY AWARE OF HER APPEARANCE.

IN NOVELS, YOU KNOW, PASSIONATE WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THEY WEAR BEAUTIFUL CLOTHING.

AND MEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM VERY QUICKLY, RIGHT?

CHARLOTTE HAD ALL OF THAT PASSION AND INTELLIGENCE AND CONVICTION AND WILL AND NONE OF THE BEAUTY TO GO WITH IT.

AND SHE WAS GONNA LET THE WORLD KNOW.

HA HA HA!

VIEIRA: JANE EYRE IS AN UNLOVED ORPHAN, WHO IS SENT AWAY TO A CHARITY BOARDING SCHOOL.

SHE GETS AN EDUCATION, BUT IS STARVED AND ABUSED IN THE PROCESS.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT JANE IS NOT CONSIDERED BEAUTIFUL, SHE GAINS CONFIDENCE THROUGH HER OWN MORALS AND INTELLIGENCE.

WE FOLLOW JANE AS SHE SEARCHES FOR LOVE AND A PLACE TO CALL HOME WITHOUT COMPROMISING HER SENSE OF SELF.

ROTHMAN: PART OF THE STORY OF "JANE EYRE" IS THAT SHE'S AN ORPHAN AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FAMILY.

YOU KNOW, A FAMILY HELPS YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

FROM THE TIME YOU'RE SMALL, YOUR FAMILY IS TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE, ESSENTIALLY.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT, IT'S-- YOU'RE JUST--YOU'RE WHATEVER'S IN YOUR MIND.

VIEIRA: "JANE EYRE" HAS INSPIRED READERS FOR GENERATIONS, INCLUDING ONE VETERAN HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER AND WRITER.

WOMAN: WHEN I WAS IN 7TH GRADE, I DIDN'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS, BUT I HAD THIS ONE GIRLFRIEND.

SHE SAID, "IF YOU DON'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLUCK YOUR EYEBROWS, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA HAVE A BOYFRIEND."

AND I REMEMBER BEING, LIKE, "OH, MY GOD," BECAUSE I WAS THIS LITTLE, LIKE, BEAR OF A GIRL WITH, LIKE, A UNIBROW AND SUPER HAIRY ARMS AND LEGS.

I WAS IN 8TH GRADE WHEN I FIRST READ THE BOOK.

AND I CAN REMEMBER READING THAT AND SOBBING AND BEING CALLED DOWN TO DINNER, YOU KNOW, COMING DOWN THE STAIRS ALSO READING, YOU KNOW, HOLDING THE RAILING AND THEN WALKING TO THE DINNER TABLE READING THE BOOK AND NOT REALLY WANTING TO TALK TO ANYBODY.

"DO YOU THINK BECAUSE I AM POOR, OBSCURE, PLAIN, AND LITTLE, "I AM SOULLESS AND HEARTLESS?

"YOU THINK WRONG!

I HAVE AS MUCH SOUL AS YOU.

"I AM NO BIRD.

NO NET ENSNARES ME.

"I AM A FREE HUMAN BEING WITH AN INDEPENDENT WILL, WHICH I NOW EXERT TO LEAVE YOU!"

THAT STORY IS ABOUT IS IT OK TO BE INTELLIGENT, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU'RE SMART IF YOU'RE A WOMAN.

AND WHAT ARE THE--WHAT'S THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR THAT?

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY] WHAT'S UP?

VIEIRA: ALINE BROSH MCKENNA KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT UNDERDOG FEMALE CHARACTERS LIKE JANE EYRE.

SHE CO-CREATED THE TV SERIES "CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND."

I'M AFRAID PEOPLE WON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE...THAT, WHICH IS OK, 'CAUSE SHE'S... MCKENNA: FROM A VERY EARLY STAGE AS A WRITER, I WAS INTERESTED IN WRITING ABOUT SORT OF A SINGLE PERSON'S JOURNEY THROUGH THEIR LIFE AND HOW TO BE A GOOD PERSON AND HOW TO FIND YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD.

IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I GRAVITATE TOWARDS THINGS THAT FEEL FIRST-PERSON.

"JANE EYRE," I THINK, WAS THE FIRST SORT OF ADULT LITERARY BOOK THAT I CAN REMEMBER REALLY FEELING LIKE, "OH, I CONNECT TO THIS FEMALE CHARACTER IN A WAY THAT I DON'T REALLY SEE A LOT LIKE THIS."

VIEIRA: "JANE EYRE" HELPED ALINE BROSH MCKENNA LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT HER YOUNGER SELF.

SO, IN 2017, SHE DECIDED TO SHARE THE STORY WITH A NEW AUDIENCE.

MCKENNA: WITH RAMON PEREZ, I WROTE A GRAPHIC NOVEL INSPIRED BY THE EVENTS IN "JANE EYRE."

I ALWAYS LOVED COMIC BOOKS AS A KID.

I WOULD HOPE THAT IF SOMEBODY READ THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, THAT THEY WOULD THEN GET EXCITED AND GO READ THE BOOK, FOR SURE.

I'M HAPPY FOR CHARLOTTE, RIGHT?

DON'T YOU WANT TO TWEET CHARLOTTE AND BE LIKE, "YOU'RE ON THE TOP 100 LIST"?

COME ON!

'CAUSE SHE WROTE IT SO LONG AGO.

MY NAME IS ALINE BROSH MCKENNA.

I HOPE THAT YOU'LL READ "JANE EYRE" AND VOTE FOR IT FOR AMERICA'S FAVORITE BOOK.

WOMAN: MY NAME IS AMELIA, AND "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ" IS HAPPENING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

BE A PART OF "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ" AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

REMEMBER, IN THIS CAMPAIGN, YOU REALLY CAN VOTE EARLY AND VOTE OFTEN.

CHECK OUT ALL 100 BOOKS AT PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

AND WHILE YOU'RE THERE, SEE HOW MANY OF AMERICA'S 100 BEST-LOVED NOVELS YOU'VE READ AND TELL US YOUR FAVORITES.

THE FIRST PLACE WE ASK OURSELVES QUESTIONS LIKE "WHO AM I?"

AND "WHAT DO I BELIEVE?"

IS OFTEN WITHIN OUR OWN FAMILIES, AND THAT DEEPLY PERSONAL SEARCH IS REFLECTED IN A NUMBER OF BOOKS YOU'RE VOTING FOR.

WOMAN: I THINK THAT THE NOVEL IS SUCH A GOOD FIT FOR FAMILIES, BECAUSE EVERY FAMILY IS A STORY.

EVERY FAMILY HAS A NARRATIVE THEY TELL ABOUT THEMSELVES, THAT OTHER PEOPLE TELL ABOUT THEM.

AND WITHIN THAT, EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY HAS A SEPARATE NARRATIVE.

WHETHER IT BE A BROKEN HOME OR INCOMPLETE HOME, I THINK HAVING SOMETHING MISSING SETS A SENSE OF URGENCY.

IT SETS THE NARRATOR, THE PROTAGONIST ON THE QUEST.

THE DRAMA, THE INTERESTING STUFF HAPPENS IN THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES.

IT HAPPENS IN THE BROKENNESS.

IF YOU WANT TO FORCE SYMPATHY IMMEDIATELY, YOU TAKE A PARENT AWAY FROM THEM.

I THINK FAMILIES HELP US UNDERSTAND THE WORLD.

THEY UNDERSTAND WE'RE NOT ALONE, BUT SOMETIMES WE CAN FEEL ALONE IN THEM.

AND IN BOOKS LIKE "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," YOU SEE THE WAY THAT ATTICUS FINCH PROVIDES A MODEL FOR SCOUT.

VIEIRA: "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AMERICAN NOVELS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, AND IT'S ALSO ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES.

1930S SMALL-TOWN ALABAMA.

SCOUT'S FATHER ATTICUS IS A LAWYER WHO TAKES ON THE CASE OF TOM ROBINSON, A BLACK MAN ACCUSED OF RAPING A WHITE WOMAN.

ATTICUS IS A WIDOWER AND DOES THE BEST HE CAN TO RAISE SCOUT AND HER BROTHER JEM BY HIMSELF IN A COMMUNITY THAT REVEALS ITSELF TO BE INTOLERANT.

ATTICUS FINCH IS SUCH A STRONG PRESENCE, IT'S EASY TO FORGET, LIKE, THERE'S NOT A MOTHER CHARACTER.

THAT SENSE OF ABSENCE IS ALWAYS PLAYING THROUGHOUT THE PAGE.

THEIR FAMILY WAS ALREADY MARKED AS SOMEHOW DIFFERENT WITH THE LOSS OF THE MOTHER, AND THEN YOU HAVE SCOUT GROWING UP, WHO'S SORT OF WANDERING AROUND IN HER JEANS AND BAREFOOT.

AND YOU SEE THEM COMING INTO CONFLICT WITH THE TOWN.

WE'VE SEEN THE SEEDS OF THEM ALREADY BEING...

INDIVIDUAL ENOUGH, ICONOCLASTIC ENOUGH, BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE THEMSELVES.

VIEIRA: HARPER LEE'S HOMETOWN OF MONROEVILLE, ALABAMA, WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE BOOK'S FICTIONAL SETTING OF MAYCOMB.

MANY LOCALS FEEL A DEEP CONNECTION TO THE BOOK AND TO SCOUT'S JOURNEY.

WOMAN: WHEN YOU SEE THE WORLD THROUGH SCOUT'S EYES, YOU SEE A WORLD FULL OF POSSIBILITY AND FULL OF ADVENTURE AND POTENTIAL.

AND EVEN THOUGH THE BOOK ONLY TAKES PLACE WITHIN A COUPLE OF BLOCKS, THE WORLD IS ENDLESS FOR HER.

SHE SEES WONDER IN EVERYTHING, AND HER IMAGINATION IS JUST AFIRE WITH EVERYTHING THAT SHE WITNESSES.

VIEIRA: LIKE MANY OF YOUR OTHER FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT SELF-DISCOVERY, THIS STORY IS TOLD IN THE FIRST PERSON.

MAN: I LIKE THE WAY HARPER LEE TELLS THE STORY THROUGH THIS INQUISITIVE LITTLE GIRL NAMED SCOUT ABOUT ALL OF THESE RACIAL AND SOCIAL AND CULTURAL INJUSTICES IN THE SOUTH AND HOW SHE SEES THESE THINGS GOING ON, BUT SHE STILL HAS HER INNOCENCE, AND SHE ASKS HER DAD WHY THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING, AND HE TRIES TO EXPLAIN IT TO HER IN WAYS THAT SHE CAN UNDERSTAND.

USING A CHILD AS A WAY TO LOOK AT THE VERY COMPLICATED RACIAL ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE SOUTH AT THAT TIME IS LIKE A WAY TO MAKE IT SAFER TO TALK ABOUT.

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL IS BASED ON REAL EVENTS THAT HARPER LEE REMEMBERED FROM HER CHILDHOOD.

ALTHOUGH "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" LOOKS AT LARGER THEMES, HARPER LEE PRESENTS THEM ON A SMALL STAGE, WHICH MAKES THEM MORE PERSONAL TO SCOUT AND TO US AS READERS.

LUCAS: I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY COMPLICATED FOR SCOUT.

I THINK THAT SHE HAS TO WADE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEIGHBORS, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK THAT THEY ARE.

LINAM: THIS STORY IS EVERYONE'S STORY.

THERE'S SOMETHING AMERICAN HAPPENING HERE AND THAT WE ALL NEED TO SEE THIS.

VIEIRA: THE PUBLISHERS INITIALLY ESTIMATED "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" WOULD SELL A FEW THOUSAND COPIES, BUT THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG.

IT WAS AN INSTANT BEST-SELLER WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1960.

AND LIKE 8 OTHERS ON YOUR LIST OF 100 FAVORITES, IT WON THE PULITZER PRIZE.

THE BOOK HAS SOLD MORE THAN 40 MILLION COPIES, AND IT'S BEEN TRANSLATED INTO MORE THAN 40 LANGUAGES.

READING ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF ATTICUS' LINE... MAN: "'FIRST OF ALL,' HE SAID, "'IF YOU CAN LEARN A SIMPLE TRICK, SCOUT, "'YOU'LL GET ALONG A LOT BETTER WITH ALL KINDS OF FOLKS.

"'YOU NEVER REALLY UNDERSTAND A PERSON UNTIL YOU CONSIDER THINGS FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW.'"

WOMAN: "'SIR?'"

MAN: "'UNTIL YOU CLIMB INTO HIS SKIN AND WALK AROUND IN IT.'"

LINAM: WHEN YOU READ A BOOK, LIKE "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD," OR LIKE ANY OF THE OTHER GREAT AMERICAN CLASSICS, YOU HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EMBRACE OTHER IDEAS THAT MAYBE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO BEFORE.

EVERYONE SHOULD READ "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."

EVERYONE SHOULD VOTE FOR "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN FROM "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."

SEHGAL: YOU KNOW, LITERATURE TENDS TO HAPPEN AT MOMENTS OF CRISES.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE'S A REASON WHY SO MANY BOOKS FEATURE ORPHANS.

YOU'RE TAKING AWAY THAT PROTECTION FOR THE CHARACTER, AND SUDDENLY, LIFE CAN COME ROARING IN AND DANGER CAN COME ROARING IN.

VIEIRA: THE CHALLENGING PERSONAL JOURNEY OF AN ORPHAN GIRL IN NAZI GERMANY IS THE FOCUS OF "THE BOOK THIEF," WHICH IS AMONG YOUR FAVORITES.

HAGER: I LOVED "THE BOOK THIEF" BY MARKUS ZUSAK.

I HAD NEVER READ SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL AND DARK AND COMPLICATED.

VIEIRA: IN THIS COMING-OF-AGE STORY, 9-YEAR-OLD LIESEL MEMINGER IS SENT TO LIVE WITH FOSTER PARENTS NEAR MUNICH IN 1939.

HER NEW FATHER HELPS HER LEARN TO READ AND WRITE.

AND AS THE HORRORS OF WAR UNFOLD AROUND HER, LIESEL FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL BY HARNESSING HER NEWFOUND POWER OF WORDS.

HAGER: I WAS AN ENGLISH TEACHER IN BALTIMORE.

THE FACT THAT MY STUDENTS COULD RELATE WITH LIESEL, WHO IS DESPERATE FOR LEARNING HOW TO READ AND TO WRITE AND WHO GOES THROUGHOUT THIS DARK WORLD STEALING BOOKS, JUST TO BRING A LITTLE LIGHT TO HER CIRCUMSTANCES AND THEN STARTS TO SHARE THEM WITH HER NEIGHBORS-- SHE SEES A FUTURE WHEN, AS READERS, WE KNOW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT THERE PROBABLY ISN'T A FUTURE FOR HER.

THERE'S ALSO A GREATER LESSON ABOUT MORTALITY AND THAT DEATH IS COMING FOR ALL OF US.

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE.

VIEIRA: WHEN LIESEL IS 11, HER FOSTER PARENTS AGREE TO HIDE A YOUNG JEWISH MAN NAMED MAX.

HAGER: THERE IS THIS SCENE WHERE MAX WRITES HIS STORY FOR LIESEL.

AND I REMEMBER JUST CRYING TEARS THAT WERE ALMOST EMBARRASSING BECAUSE IT WAS--THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE AND THEN ALSO SHARING OUR OWN STORIES, HOW EMPOWERING THAT CAN BE.

VIEIRA: DEATH IS A CONSTANT PRESENCE THROUGHOUT LIESEL'S JOURNEY AND IS, IN FACT, THE NOVEL'S NARRATOR.

IT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK BECAUSE THE CHARACTER OF DEATH IS SO BRILLIANTLY RENDERED.

YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT DEATH THINKS ABOUT DEATH'S WORK... MAN: "I WANTED TO TELL THE BOOK THIEF MANY THINGS, "ABOUT BEAUTY AND BRUTALITY.

BUT WHAT COULD I TELL HER ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT SHE DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW?"

OH, I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH.

IT IS A NOVEL TO ME THAT ARGUES THAT HOPE IS THE CORRECT RESPONSE TO THE HUMAN CONDITION, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS TERRIBLE, TREMENDOUS LOSS.

I'M JENNA BUSH HAGER, AND I LOVE THE BOOK "THE BOOK THIEF."

IT WILL EMPOWER YOU TO READ AND APPRECIATE READING AND WRITING, AND I RECOMMEND EVERYBODY GO OUT AND VOTE FOR IT.

PEEPLES: I THINK WE'RE ATTRACTED TO THOSE KINDS OF STORIES BECAUSE THEY'RE STORIES ABOUT POSSIBILITIES.

AND POSSIBILITIES... THAT'S HUGE.

THAT MEANS WE'VE GOT A CHANCE.

VIEIRA: THE POSSIBILITY OF A BETTER LIFE IS AT THE HEART OF THIS NEXT BOOK ON YOUR LIST.

PUBLISHED IN 1943, "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN" BY BETTY SMITH TELLS THE STORY OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL IRISH-AMERICAN FAMILY.

AND A YOUNG DAUGHTER WHO ALSO DISCOVERS THE POWER OF WORDS.

I FIRST READ "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN" WHEN I WAS PROBABLY 10 OR 11 YEARS OLD, AND IT'S ABOUT AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN 1912, LIVING IN WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN.

VIEIRA: FRANCIE NOLAN LIVES IN POVERTY WITH HER UNRELIABLE, ALCOHOLIC FATHER AND HARDENED HARD-WORKING MOTHER.

THE CONFLICT AT HOME INTENSIFIES FRANCIE'S DAILY STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE AND FIND HAPPINESS.

GRAHAM: I WAS FASCINATED BY THE THEMES OF FAMILY AND SORT OF YOU GET THE FAMILY YOU'RE BORN INTO.

ONE OF HER FEW COMFORTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FOOD AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE MONEY FOR CLOTHES, IS SHE GOES TO THE LIBRARY, AND SHE DECIDES SHE'S GOING TO READ EVERY BOOK IN THE LIBRARY IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

FRANCIE DESCRIBES THE DAY SHE REALIZES SHE CAN READ.

"FOR QUITE A WHILE, FRANCIE HAD BEEN SPELLING OUT LETTERS, "SOUNDING THEM, AND THEN PUTTING THE SOUNDS TOGETHER TO MEAN A WORD, "BUT ONE DAY, SHE LOOKED AT A PAGE, "AND THE WORD 'MOUSE' HAD INSTANTANEOUS MEANING.

"SHE LOOKED AT THE WORD, AND THE PICTURE OF A GRAY MOUSE "SCAMPERED THROUGH HER MIND.

"SHE LOOKED FURTHER, AND WHEN SHE SAW 'HORSE,' "SHE HEARD HIM PAWING THE GROUND AND SAW THE SUN GLINT ON HIS GLOSSY COAT.

"THE WORD 'RUNNING' HIT HER SUDDENLY "AND SHE BREATHED HARD AS THOUGH RUNNING HERSELF.

"THE BARRIER BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL SOUND OF EACH LETTER "AND THE WHOLE MEANING OF THE WORD WAS REMOVED "AND THE PRINTED WORD MEANT A THING AT ONE QUICK GLANCE.

"SHE READ A FEW PAGES RAPIDLY "AND ALMOST BECAME ILL WITH EXCITEMENT.

SHE WANTED TO SHOUT IT OUT.

SHE COULD READ!

SHE COULD READ!"

WOMAN: "FROM THAT TIME ON, THE WORLD WAS HERS FOR READING.

"SHE WOULD NEVER BE LONELY AGAIN, "NEVER MISS THE LACK OF INTIMATE FRIENDS.

BOOKS BECAME HER FRIENDS, AND THERE WAS ONE FOR EVERY MOOD."

I DID NOT ALWAYS LOVE TO READ.

IT WASN'T UNTIL MY MOM INTRODUCED ME TO HER FAVORITE BOOK THAT I WAS LIKE, "OH...BOOKS?"

IT WAS FOR PUNISHMENT.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID, BUT SHE'S LIKE, "YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE MORE."

SO SHE GAVE ME THE BOOK, AND I LOOKED AT IT LIKE, IT'S THIS FAT BOOK-- YOU KNOW, REALLY INTIMIDATING.

I'M LIKE, "WHAT IN THE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IS THIS?"

BUT THEN I STARTED READING IT, AND I WAS JUST ENGULFED IN THE STORY.

AND YOU COULD NOT TELL ME THAT I WAS NOT THE PROTAGONIST-- YOU KNOW, FRANCIE NOLAN, A WHITE GIRL FROM BROOKLYN, 1920.

AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I SAW MYSELF, YOU KNOW, IN A BOOK.

VIEIRA: "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN" MADE NOELLE SANTOS A READER.

NOW SHE'S SHARING THAT LOVE WITH HER COMMUNITY.

SANTOS: THERE'S 1.4 MILLION PEOPLE AND 10 COLLEGES IN THE BRONX, AND WE DON'T HAVE A BOOKSTORE.

THE MOMENT OF OPPORTUNITY JUST HIT ME.

THIS IS MY STORE!

WELCOME TO THE LIT BAR.

SANTOS: THE LIT BAR IS A COMBINATION BOOKSTORE/WINE BAR.

THIS IS THE DREAM!

I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE MY PATH IN LIFE.

I NEVER SET FOOT IN AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE UNTIL I ACTUALLY STARTED THIS PROJECT.

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THIS WAS A POSSIBILITY FOR ME.

ON THIS WALL, IT'S GONNA BE YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE, WHICH MY BOOK CLUB OF ADULT WOMEN LOVE TO READ.

SO, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MULTI-CULTURAL AND SPANISH-ENGLISH TITLES--YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITY HERE.

READING OTHER PEOPLE'S STORIES, IT ALLOWS YOU TO NAVIGATE LIFE WITH THEM, AND YOU LEARN THEIR LIFE LESSONS.

IT'S JUST THIS WINDOW TO-- YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF OR YOU CAN SEE THE OPPOSITE FROM YOURSELF, OR YOU COULD JUST BE ENTERTAINED AND ENLIGHTENED.

MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN."

I'M A TOTAL SELL-OUT, 'CAUSE I'M FROM THE BRONX, AND MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN"!

HA HA HA!

MAN: BOOKS ARE MY LIFE.

I THINK IT OPENS THE WORLD TO YOU.

IT'S JUST REALLY FUN TO READ.

BE A PART OF "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ" AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

WE NEED YOU TO VOTE AND VOTE OFTEN.

IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO DECIDE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

HEAD OVER TO OUR WEBSITE FOR LOTS MORE ON PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ" EVENTS.

A NOVEL, TO ME, FEELS SO MUCH SUPERIOR TO A SELF-HELP BOOK BECAUSE IT'S NOT DOING THE WORK FOR YOU.

IT'S TEACHING YOU HOW TO DO THE WORK.

AND I KNOW THAT A SELF-HELP BOOK PROBABLY SAYS, "I'M TEACHING YOU HOW TO DO THE WORK," EXCEPT THAT, LIKE, NOVELS IGNITE YOUR IMAGINATION.

I THINK A NOVEL IS BETTER AT THINKING ABOUT WHO WE ARE BECAUSE THE INSIGHTS WE GLEAN ARE ONES ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, BUT THEY'RE ONES WE CAN APPLY TO OURSELVES AS A KIND OF GUIDE FOR OUR OWN LIVES.

TO ME, NOTHING BEATS THAT.

VIEIRA: NOVELS CAN TEACH US VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS, WHETHER IT'S ACCEPTING YOUR FAMILY AS THEY ARE, LIKE IN "A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN" OR THE MESSAGE THAT BEAUTY ISN'T EVERYTHING FROM "JANE EYRE."

SO, WHILE SELF-HELP BOOKS MAY BE MILLION-SELLERS, FICTION MAY OFFER THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR PERSONAL GROWTH, AND THAT GOES FOR BOTH READERS AND WRITERS.

ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE STORIES OF A CHARACTER LEARNING TO ACCEPT LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS IS JOHN IRVING'S 1989 NOVEL "A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY."

MAN: I WAITED MORE THAN A DECADE AFTER THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR BEFORE WRITING THE VIETNAM NOVEL I WANTED TO WRITE BECAUSE I WANTED TO LET ENOUGH TIME GO BY...

SO THAT I UNDERSTOOD THE DIFFERENCE...

BETWEEN WHAT MADE ME ANGRY AT THE TIME AND WHAT, AFTER A DECADE, STILL MADE ME ANGRY.

IN THE PREMISE OF "OWEN MEANY" OVER TIME, BECAME THE IDEA THAT WHAT WOULD HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME IN MY LIFE, WHO WOULD I HAVE TO KNOW, WHAT WOULD MAKE ME HAVE FAITH, BECAUSE I DON'T.

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL USES HUMOR AND HEARTBREAK TO EXPLORE QUESTIONS OF FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP.

SET IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, IT CENTERS AROUND 2 BOYS-- JOHNNY WHEELWRIGHT, WHO IS SUDDENLY ORPHANED, AND HIS QUIRKY BEST FRIEND OWEN MEANY.

MAN: "A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY" IS LIKE A GREAT, JUST FULLY AMERICAN STORY.

I MEAN, IT'S GOT FAMILY.

IT'S GOT FAITH.

IT HAS BASEBALL.

IT HAS WAR AND HEROISM.

IT HAS SEX AND VIOLENCE AND MYSTERY.

IT HAS EVERYTHING WE CARE ABOUT IN OUR SOCIETY.

VIEIRA: PASTOR TIM SUTTLE LOVES "A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY'S" MESSAGE AS WELL AS ITS WRITING STYLE.

SUTTLE: ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE BOOK IS EVERY TIME OWEN SPEAKS, IT'S WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS.

THIS EMPHATIC WAY OF REINFORCING FOR THE READER, "THIS VOICE IS HAPPENING TWO OCTAVES HIGHER THAN YOU THINK IT IS AT ALL TIMES."

"WE WERE SENIORS AT GRAVESEND ACADEMY IN FEBRUARY OF 1962; "WE WATCHED A LOT OF TV AT 80 FRONT STREET.

"PRESIDENT KENNEDY SAID THAT U.S. ADVISERS IN VIETNAM WOULD RETURN FIRE IF FIRED UPON."

"I HOPE WE'RE ADVISING THE RIGHT GUYS," OWEN MEANY SAID.

IT'S A BOOK ABOUT HOW FAITH IS AN INESCAPABLE PART OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS, AS IN FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER, AND WHAT IT COSTS US WHEN WE BREAK THAT FAITH.

I THINK YOU SHOULD READ "OWEN MEANY" BECAUSE IT'LL MAKE YOU A BETTER HUMAN BEING.

WOMAN: LITERATURE IS A FORM OF ART, AND IT'S A MEANS OF UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER.

A REALLY GOOD BOOK IS GOING TO EXPOSE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

IT'S NOT GOING TO REINFORCE WHAT YOU THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW.

NOVELS HELP US FIGURE OUT WHO WE ARE AS INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE IT GIVES US A COMPARISON TO THE WORLD WE ALREADY KNOW.

VIEIRA: 67 YEARS BEFORE JOHN IRVING WROTE "A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY," HERMANN HESSE WROTE "SIDDHARTHA," AFTER BREAKING WITH HIS FAMILY OVER THEIR DIFFERING POLITICAL AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS.

SET IN INDIA DURING THE TIME OF THE GAUTAMA BUDDHA, THE NOVEL TELLS THE STORY OF A YOUNG MAN'S SEARCH FOR TRUE ENLIGHTENMENT.

PEEPLES: I THINK THIS BOOK IS THE ANTIDOTE TO... A LOT OF THINGS THAT DRIVE US IN THIS CONSUMERIST CULTURE THAT KEEPS US PERPETUALLY DISSATISFIED.

THIS BOOK SPEAKS TO THAT FUNDAMENTAL DISSATISFACTION, BECAUSE THAT'S-- SIDDHARTHA IS US.

VIEIRA: THE TITLE CHARACTER SIDDHARTHA IS A MEMBER OF THE HIGH CASTE.

HE AND HIS FRIEND GOVINDA THROW OFF THE TRAPPINGS OF MATERIAL WEALTH AND SET OUT ON A QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT.

SIDDHARTHA ULTIMATELY FINDS THE ANSWERS TO HIS QUESTIONS INSIDE HIS OWN MIND.

ISRAEL: I THINK THAT SO MANY OF THESE SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH SORT OF ROAMING AROUND THE WORLD TO FIND OUT THAT THE ANSWER WAS, LIKE, BACK AT YOUR HOUSE.

RIGHT?

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S LIKE YOU DID NOT REALIZE IT WAS AT YOUR HOUSE TILL YOU LEFT.

FROM THE TIME THAT I PICKED UP "SIDDHARTHA" PROBABLY 15 YEARS AGO, I'M NOT THE SAME PERSON THAT I WAS BEFORE I READ THAT BOOK.

AND I'M NOT AS CONSUMED BY OTHER PEOPLE OR THEIR THOUGHTS OF ME, AND I'M NOT AS MEAN OR AS INCONSIDERATE AS I WAS BEFORE I READ "SIDDHARTHA."

HEY, LISTEN, I LOVE NICE THINGS.

I GREW UP WITHOUT NICE THINGS.

BUT THEN YOU REALIZE THAT... THAT'S NOT THE ANSWER.

AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL BOOK TO READ BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU THE ANSWER.

I THINK THAT THE NOVEL GIVES US, YOU KNOW, ALL KINDS OF VOCABULARIES AND SCRIPTS FOR WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PERSON IN THE WORLD, FOR WHAT IT MEANS TO WANT THINGS.

THE BOOK "SIDDHARTHA" WAS ALMOST LIKE A... AS A CHECKPOINT OF LIFE THAT I SAID, "HEY, I DID THAT RIGHT.

I'M DOING THAT RIGHT.

I'M LEARNING THIS.

I'M NOT SURE I GET THAT YET."

"SIDDHARTHA LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM THE SAMANAS.

"HE LEARNED ALONG THE WAYS OF LOSING THE SELF.

"HE TRAVELED ALONG THE PATH OF SELF-DENIAL THROUGH PAIN, THROUGH VOLUNTARY SUFFERING AND CONQUERING OF PAIN."

BEING ABLE TO CHANGE YOURSELF WITHOUT LOOKING FOR OTHERS TO CHANGE YOU.

THAT'S--THAT'S WHAT A BOOK WILL DO.

LIKE, THAT'S WHAT THIS DID.

YOU SHOULD READ, FOR ONE-- AND IT'S NOT A BIG BOOK-- AND IT'S A POWERFUL BOOK, SO VOTE FOR THIS BOOK.

I'M ROS-- I'M TONIA.

HA HA!

AT THE SAME TIME?

I'M TONIA-- I'M ROSA.

PLEASE JOIN-- ALL RIGHT.

HA HA HA!

TAKE 10!

HA HA HA!

YOU KNOW WHAT, WHEN THEY DO THE BLOOPERS, YOU'RE GONNA DOMINATE.

I'M TONIA.

I'M ROSA.

TOGETHER: PLEASE JOIN "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

VIEIRA: AMERICA'S BOOKSHELF IS FULL OF BOOKS ABOUT SELF-DISCOVERY.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHERS THAT EXPLORE THE QUESTION "WHO AM I?"

WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM, WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL?

YOU CAN VOTE FOR AS MANY DIFFERENT TITLES AS YOU LIKE, ONCE PER DAY PER BOOK, VIA TEXT MESSAGE, TOLL-FREE CALL FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND, OF COURSE, AT PBS.ORG., WHERE YOU CAN FIND OUT ALL THE WAYS TO BE A PART OF THE "GREAT AMERICAN READ."

AS WE'RE DISCOVERING, NOVELS HELP US UNDERSTAND OURSELVES IN MULTIPLE WAYS, AS INDIVIDUALS AND WITHIN A FAMILY DYNAMIC.

AND ONCE WE BEGIN TO KNOW WHO WE ARE, WE OFTEN SEEK OUT AN IDENTITY GROUP OUTSIDE OUR OWN FAMILIES, ONE THAT BETTER ALIGNS WITH OUR CORE VALUES.

SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS ARE ABOUT A NEW PLACE TO FEEL AT HOME WITH OUR CHOSEN FAMILIES.

ROTHMAN: A LOT OF WHAT THESE BOOKS ARE DOING IS THEY'RE TURNING SOMETHING THAT IS JUST INHERITED BY YOU, SOMETHING THAT'S JUST, LIKE, GIVEN TO YOU-- YOU JUST HAVE THE FAMILY THAT YOU HAVE-- THEY TURN IT INTO A QUESTION.

WHAT KIND OF FAMILY DO YOU WANT TO HAVE?

I THINK WE'RE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR FAMILY, BUT YOU ALSO FIND YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF.

CHOSEN FAMILIES, JUST BY THE NATURE OF THE ADJECTIVE, "I CHOOSE WHO I WANT NEAR ME.

"I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE BORN WHERE I WAS BORN, TO WHO I WAS BORN TO, AND IN THE TIME I WAS," BUT A CHOSEN FAMILY SAYS, "OK, I GET TO DECIDE "WHO IS IN MY INNER CIRCLE.

I GET TO DECIDE WHO I CARE ENOUGH TO TRUST."

VIEIRA: ONE TITLE ON YOUR LIST OF FAVORITES IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS KIND OF SEARCH.

THE BREAKOUT HIT FROM THE 1970S ABOUT LOVE IN ITS MANY FORMS, "TALES OF THE CITY" BY ARMISTEAD MAUPIN, WEAVES MULTIPLE STORYLINES TOGETHER, AS CHARACTERS CREATE THEIR CHOSEN FAMILIES.

AND IT'S IN THE RUNNING TO BE YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

I DON'T MIND CALLING "TALES OF THE CITY" GROUNDBREAKING, BECAUSE I KNEW IT WAS.

I FELT IT EVERY DAY.

VIEIRA: "TALES OF THE CITY" AND ITS SEQUELS FOLLOW MARY ANN SINGLETON, THE BRIGHT-EYED MIDWESTERN GIRL WHO'S NEW IN TOWN, AND THE DIVERSE GROUP OF TENANTS AT 28 BARBARY LANE, AS THEY SEARCH FOR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE IN 1970S SAN FRANCISCO.

MAUPIN: UP UNTIL THAT POINT, GAY WAS PRETTY MUCH A BIG SECRET.

WE ALL KNEW THAT EVERYBODY WAS HERE LOOKING FOR LOVE IN SAN FRANCISCO, BUT YOU DIDN'T READ ABOUT IT IN THE NEWSPAPER VERY MUCH, AND NOBODY WAS TELLING THAT STORY.

NOBODY.

YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO.

VIEIRA: IN 1974, ARMISTEAD MAUPIN WAS A YOUNG JOURNALIST WHEN HE WROTE A FICTIONAL STORY ABOUT THE DATING SCENE IN THE BAY AREA.

IT CAUGHT THE EYE OF AN EDITOR AT THE "SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE," WHO ASKED HIM TO CONTINUE THE STORY IN SERIAL FORM PUBLISHING 5 DAYS A WEEK.

MAUPIN: IT WAS HORRIFYING, EXHILARATING, AND I DIDN'T KNOW TO WHAT DEGREE THINGS WOULD COME OUT OF MY SUBCONSCIOUS AND LAND ON THE PAGE.

WOMAN: "MARY ANN WAS SHAKEN UNTIL SHE NOTICED THAT THE LANDLADY WAS SMILING.

"'YOU'LL GET USED TO MY BABBLING,'" SAID MRS. MADRIGAL.

"'ALL THE OTHERS HAVE.'"

"SHE WALKED TO THE WINDOW, WHERE THE WIND MADE HER KIMONO FLUTTER "LIKE BRILLIANT PLUMAGE.

"'THE FURNITURE IS INCLUDED.

WHAT DO YOU SAY, DEAR?'"

"MARY ANN SAID YES.

"'GOOD.

YOU'RE ONE OF US, THEN.

WELCOME TO 28 BARBARY LANE.'"

HEY, TODD.

HOW YOU DOING?

MAUPIN: I MADE UP THE TERM "LOGICAL FAMILY," MEANING "THE FAMILY THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU," THE ONE THAT YOU BUILD FOR YOURSELF, IF YOU'RE AN ADULT.

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DEFINED BY BLOOD.

AND I THINK THAT'S A MESSAGE THAT GAY PEOPLE HAVE FIGURED OUT, AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T GAY ARE FIGURING IT OUT.

YOU PICK YOUR FRIENDS, AND THEY BECOME YOUR FAMILY.

MAN: WHAT I RELATED TO WAS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST LIVING THEIR LIVES AND THEY WERE WHO THEY WERE OPENLY.

THEY HAD EACH OTHER'S BACKS, AND, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THEY WENT THROUGH, THEY WENT THROUGH TOGETHER.

AND JUST COMING OUT, I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF THAT YET.

I DIDN'T HAVE MY QUEER FAMILY YET, SO IT WAS GOOD TO, LIKE, REALLY FEEL THAT THAT COULD HAPPEN.

ALL RIGHT, VOTE FOR "TALES OF THE CITY" BECAUSE ARMISTEAD MAUPIN IS A TERRIFIC WRITER, VERY VIVID CHARACTERS.

IT'LL TAKE YOU PLACES YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD GO TO.

SO, READ IT!

YOUNG: THIS NOTION THAT YOU GO OUT AND FIND YOUR FAMILY, YOU FIND WHERE YOU BELONG, IS AN AMERICAN ONE.

AND I THINK YOU SEE IT IN OUR FICTION.

YOU SEE IT IN "THE OUTSIDERS," AND I THINK YOU SEE IT IN AMERICAN LIFE.

VIEIRA: SET IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA, "THE OUTSIDERS" BY S.E.

HINTON EXPLORES THE BLENDING OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHOSEN FAMILIES.

AND IT'S A POPULAR CHOICE FOR YOUR BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

MAN: "THE OUTSIDERS," TO ME, IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUILDING YOUR OWN FAMILY, FINDING YOUR PEOPLE.

THAT WAS A CHALLENGE FOR ME.

I DIDN'T LIKE THE FAMILY THAT I WAS DEALT.

I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I WAS FROM A DIFFERENT FAMILY, AND SO I ALWAYS LOOKED FOR AN OUTSIDE UNIT.

"THE OUTSIDERS" IS A BOOK VERY MUCH ABOUT THAT SENSE OF ACCEPTANCE AND BELONGING AND THAT IS POWERFUL MEDICINE WHEN YOU ARE A TEENAGER.

O'CONNOR: THE BOOK'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE GREASERS VERSUS THE SOCHYZ, THE HAVES VERSUS THE HAVE NOTS.

WELL, I GREW UP IN A GREASER NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT'S WHAT INSPIRED ME TO START WRITING IT, WHEN A FRIEND OF MINE GOT BEATEN UP ON HIS WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.

VIEIRA: RELEASED IN 1967, "THE OUTSIDERS" IS OFTEN CREDITED WITH HELPING TO LAUNCH THE YOUNG-ADULT GENRE IN PUBLISHING.

HINTON: THERE WASN'T ANYTHING BEING WRITTEN THAT DEALT REALISTICALLY WITH TEENAGE LIFE, AND I HALFWAY WROTE IT TO READ IT.

VIEIRA: THE STORY FOLLOWS 3 ORPHAN BROTHERS AND THEIR GANG OF POOR MISFIT GREASERS DURING A VIOLENT ENCOUNTER WITH THEIR RIVALS, THE UPPER-CLASS SOCHYZ.

BOY: "YOU TAKE UP FOR YOUR BUDDIES, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.

"WHEN YOU'RE A GANG, YOU STICK UP FOR THE MEMBERS.

"IF YOU DON'T STICK UP FOR THEM, STICK TOGETHER, MAKE LIKE BROTHERS, "IT ISN'T A GANG ANYMORE.

IT'S A PACK.

A SNARLING, DISTRUSTFUL, BICKERING PACK."

SO, YOU DEPEND ON YOUR PEER GROUP TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR FAMILY.

AND I DON'T THINK YOU'RE AS EVER AS LOYAL TO YOUR FRIENDS AS YOU ARE WHEN YOU'RE A TEENAGER.

FOR ME, THE TAKEAWAY FROM THE BOOK IS IS THAT YOU FIND YOUR PEOPLE, YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE, LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS FAIR, LIFE ISN'T ALWAYS WHAT YOU THINK IT'S GONNA BE, BUT IT'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

HI.

MY NAME IS DANNY BOY O'CONNOR, AND I SUGGEST YOU PICK "THE OUTSIDERS."

IT'S THE BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN BY A KID, FOR A KID, ABOUT KIDS.

TRUST ME, YOU'LL LOVE IT.

"THE OUTSIDERS."

PEEPLES: SOCIAL REJECTION SHOWS UP IN THE BRAIN THE SAME WAY AS PHYSICAL PAIN DOES.

SO, ANY EXPERIENCES OF ACCEPTANCE AND BELONGING THAT WE FIND, IT'S DEEPLY POWERFUL.

IT'S DEEPLY HEALING.

AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK THESE BOOKS SPEAK TO.

VIEIRA: THE MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOK ON YOUR LIST OF 100 FAVORITES IS "GHOST" BY JASON REYNOLDS.

THE NOVEL HIT BOOKSTORE SHELVES IN 2016, AND IT'S ONE OF YOUR BEST-LOVED STORIES ABOUT FINDING A CHOSEN FAMILY.

JASON REYNOLDS HAS TAKEN THE LITERARY WORLD BY STORM.

THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR HAS PUBLISHED 12 BOOKS IN 9 YEARS.

IN "GHOST," REYNOLDS DRAWS ON HIS OWN EXPERIENCE TO TELL THE STORY OF A TEENAGE BOY FINDING HIS WAY.

REYNOLDS: Y'ALL GOOD?

EVERYBODY ALL RIGHT?

STUDENTS: YEAH!

A'IGHT.

SO, EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM, WHETHER WE CALL OURSELVES GOOD OR WHETHER OTHER PEOPLE CALL US GOOD OR CALL US BAD, WE DO THE BEST WE CAN.

BUT THE ENVIRONMENT SOMETIMES TEACHES US THINGS, AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE BEING TAUGHT.

REYNOLDS: "GHOST" IS ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO EXPERIENCES A MOMENT OF TRAUMA EARLY IN HIS LIFE.

[GUNSHOT] THAT TRAUMA SPARKS AN UNKNOWN ABILITY TO RUN, AND HE DISCOVERS THAT THERE'S A SPECIAL PLACE YOU CAN PUT AN ABILITY LIKE THAT, AND THAT IS ON THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD TRACK TEAM.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] HE LIVES IN AN APARTMENT WITH HIS MOM.

IT'S A PART OF TOWN THAT SOME WOULD SAY IS A TOUGHER PART OF TOWN, BUT IT'S HIS HOME.

CASTLE IS WHAT SOME WOULD CONSIDER A KNUCKLEHEAD, BUT HE'S THE BEST OF THE KNUCKLEHEADS.

WE ALL KNOW THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO-- THEY'VE ALWAYS GOT SOMETHING TO SAY.

THEY DON'T MEAN ANY HARM, BUT THEY HAVEN'T FOUND THE PLACE TO PUT SOME OF THIS ENERGY.

VIEIRA: CASTLE CRENSHAW, ALSO KNOWN AS "GHOST," FINDS A GROUP OF PEERS WHO BECOME LIKE SIBLINGS AND A COACH WHO STANDS IN AS A FATHER FIGURE.

REYNOLDS: HE GETS TO ADD FAMILY MEMBERS WHEN HE JOINS THE TRACK TEAM.

AND THE BEAUTY OF THAT IS THAT EVERYONE ON HIS TEAM IS SO DIFFERENT.

THEY'RE NOT FROM HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

THEY HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, BUT WHAT THEY UNDERSTAND IS WHAT IT MEANS TO RUN.

HE GETS TO LOOK THEM IN THEIR FACES, AND HE GETS TO BE UNASHAMED OF WHO HE IS, AND THEY GET TO BE UNASHAMED OF WHO THEY ARE.

AND IT IS IN THAT INTIMACY THAT THEIR FAMILY IS TRULY FORMED.

LUCAS: HE FINDS A THING TO DO THAT REALLY ALLOWS HIM TO FEEL LIKE HE'S A PART OF THE WORLD, LIKE HE'S CARED FOR, LIKE, THERE IS A PLACE WHERE HE BELONGS.

AND ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, RIGHT, LIKE THAT HAPPENS TO LOTS OF US, WHERE WE FEEL ADRIFT IN SOME WAY, AND THEN SOME KIND OF WAY, WE FIND A PLACE THAT BELONGS TO US AND THAT WE BELONG TO.

GIRL: "GHOST" WAS REALLY POWERFUL BECAUSE IT JUST TEACHES YOU THAT YOU NEED PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT YOU, AND PEOPLE WHO DON'T SUPPORT YOU, YOU NEED TO LET THEM GO, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BUILD UP YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AND NOT BRING YOURSELF DOWN JUST TO FIT IN WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

REYNOLDS: LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO "BE" WHEN YOU GET OLDER?

I'VE KNOWN THIS SINCE I WAS IN 4TH GRADE, BUT I WANT TO BE A CEO OF A LARGE COMPANY.

WHAT?

HA HA HA!

I WASN'T EXPECTING YOU TO SAY THAT, BUT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

ALL RIGHT, SO, THEN LET ME ASK YOU.

HERE'S--HERE'S A TRICK QUESTION.

SO, IF YOU WANT TO BE THAT IN 10 YEARS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO BE TODAY?

TODAY, I GUESS I HAVE TO BE A LEADER.

OH!

YOU ARE SOMETHING.

I LIKE THAT.

REYNOLDS: MY INTENDED AUDIENCE, HONESTLY, IS ALWAYS GONNA BE YOUNG PEOPLE, RIGHT, YOUNG PEOPLE WHO READ MY BOOKS.

BUT I WROTE THE BOOKS WITH THEM IN MIND, BUT I WRITE THE BOOKS FOR EVERYONE TO READ.

VIEIRA: LIKE J.D.

SALINGER, JASON REYNOLDS WRITES IN THE AUTHENTIC VOICES OF HIS CHARACTERS.

REYNOLDS: "'THE TROUBLE IS, YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM YOURSELF.'

"COACH SNATCHED THE TOWEL FROM HIS SHOULDER, "FOLDED IT INTO A PERFECT SQUARE, "AND SET IT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN US.

'UNFORTUNATELY,' HE SAID, 'AIN'T NOBODY THAT FAST.'"

REYNOLDS: IF I CAN WRITE A BOOK IN MY NATURAL VOICE, AND SOMEBODY READS THAT, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SEES THEIR VOICE...

UPHELD, AS A PIECE OF CAPITAL "L" LITERATURE, THERE'S POWER THERE IN MERE REPRESENTATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED.

WHEN YOU SEE BOOKS THAT ACTUALLY TALK LIKE WE TALK, THAT, YOU KNOW, ELEVATE THE LANGUAGE THAT WE USE EVERY DAY AND THE PEOPLE WHO USE EVERYDAY LANGUAGE AND ARE NOT PRACTICING THEIR GRAMMAR AND THEIR MANNERS, YOU KNOW, THEN WE SEE, LIKE A REALLY REAL SLICE OF THE WORLD.

I FEEL SAFE AROUND MY FRIENDS.

I FEEL SAFE AROUND MY BROTHERS.

IF I'M WEAK, I KNOW THEY'RE NOT GONNA TEASE ME OR CLOWN ME.

THEY'RE GONNA SAY, "YO.

I LOVE YOU.

GET IT OUT.

DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO."

RIGHT?

AND THAT'S WHAT BROTHERHOOD IS.

LIKE, IF Y'ALL AIN'T GOT THAT IN YOUR LIFE, Y'ALL AIN'T GOT NO BROTHERS.

RIGHT?

[FINGER SNAPPING AND CHEERING] ALL: VOTE FOR "GHOST"!

IT'S THE BEST.

I THINK ALL BOOKS ARE ASKING "WHO AM I?"

BUT ALSO, I THINK, MORE AND MORE, BOOKS ARE ASKING "WHO ARE WE?"

THAT QUESTION OF "WHO AM I?"

IT'S--THE BEAUTY OF THE QUESTION IS, IT CHANGES, AND WE NEVER GET AWAY FROM IT.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHY WE KEEP LOVING THESE BOOKS, NO MATTER HOW OLD WE GET BECAUSE THAT QUESTION NEVER GETS OLD.

WHEN I SEE THIS LIST OF BOOKS, I JUST SEE, LIKE, A CACOPHONY OF VOICES.

I SEE, LIKE, A CHORUS, LIKE ALL SINGING-- DIFFERENT REGISTERS, DIFFERENT PITCHES, BUT WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THEM ALL TOGETHER, THEY MAKE--THERE'S A HARMONY, AND IT'S THESE QUESTIONS AND INTERROGATIONS ABOUT "HOW DO I COME TO UNDERSTAND WHO I AM, UM...

IN THE WORLD THAT I LIVE IN?"

WE SEE NOW HOW OUR FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT COMING OF AGE AND SELF-DISCOVERY HELP US ON OUR OWN PERSONAL JOURNEYS.

THEY MAKE US FEEL WE'RE NOT ALONE.

THEY GIVE US SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN, AND THEY CAN BE A GUIDE TO LIFE.

THE NEXT STEP ON YOUR PERSONAL JOURNEY IS TO GET INVOLVED.

HEAD OVER TO PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TONIGHT'S BOOKS AND ALL 100 TITLES ON YOUR LIST.

THEN, KEEP READING, SHARING WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND, MOST OF ALL, VOTING.

AND STAY WITH US THROUGH THE GRAND FINALE WHEN WE FIND OUT THE COUNTRY'S BEST-LOVED BOOK ON "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

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