‘The Great American Read’ returns
Join in with Meredith Vieira, James Patterson.
Join USA TODAY for a Facebook live chat with Meredith Vieira and author James Patterson about the PBS series “The Great American Read,” which invites viewers to vote on their favorite novel among 100 finalists.
#BookmarkThis is a series of video chats with best-selling authors, and fans can submit questions during the chat and in advance.
Vieira hosts the eight-part PBS series, which kicked off May 22 and returns after a summer hiatus for new themed episodes (“Heroes,” “Villains & Monsters”) on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT/ PDT. (Times may vary.)
Patterson, who collaborated with former President Bill Clinton on this summer’s best-selling thriller “The President Is Missing,” is a “Great American Read” nominee for his popular Alex Cross mysteries.
America’s Best Loved Novel will be revealed in a live finale Oct. 23, after votes are tallied.
Book lovers have a veritable library to choose from, with titles from the lowbrow to the highbrow, from classics to contemporary.
Young-adult favorites are represent- ed, from “Harry Potter” to “The Hunger Games.”
Literary staples such as “Pride and Prejudice,” “Heart of Darkness” and “Great Expectations” are on the list.
Beloved American authors from F. Scott Fitzgerald (“The Great Gatsby”) to Harper Lee (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) to John Steinbeck (“The Grapes of Wrath”) made the cut.
And the list is ethnically diverse, with entries such as “The Intuitionist” by Colson Whitehead and “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker.
Popular titles including E.L. James’ megaselling erotic series “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” books and “The Shack” by William P. Young prove that PBS is eagerly tapping into what mainstream America is reading.
The 100 nominated books were chosen through a demographically diverse national survey by YouGov of 7,200 Americans asked to name their favorite novels.
Series – such as Patterson’s Alex Cross books, “Harry Potter,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and more – are counted as single entries.
Patterson, whose new thriller “Target: Alex Cross” will be released in November, is one of many authors and celebrities interviewed on the series.
Who gets Patterson’s his vote? “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The public can vote at pbs.org/great american-read, and on Facebook and Instagram using #GreatReadPBS.
How to join the chat
Join the Facebook Live chat Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on the USA TODAY Life Facebook page.
To learn more or to submit questions, visit VieiraPattersonChat.usatoday.com.