News: Tune-in Tonight for the return of The Great American Read on PBS
Tonight tune-in for the return of The Great American Read on PBS on Tuesday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. (check local listings)! I wanted to remind you that the television series The Great American Read returns to PBS on Tuesday, September 11. The series, a competitive and nationwide campaign, explores the power of books and the joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels, as voted on by the public. You can also vote up your favorite novels! Or join in the National Campaign to read the Top 100 books or take the quiz to see how many you have already read!
Nationwide Reading Initiative and Eight-Part PBS Series Will Culminate This Fall in National Vote to Choose “America’s Best Loved Novel”
You can also share your story on how impactful books are in your life. If you know me at all, books are my passion and without them I can’t even imagine what I would do with my brain power. Probably waste away watching tv or something.
My Story
For me I always struggled with reading. I loved it but I was slower than my friends or classmates, which of course discouraged me to read for fun. Mostly because it took me 3xs longer to read my school work than any one else. A few books that stood out for me as a teen were titles like A Wrinkle in Time. When I got to required reading a few that made the biggest impact on my were A Separate Peace (which is sitting on the list in the top 10!), The Outsiders, and The Great Gatsby (all in the top 40)!
To this day these are some of my favorite books. Clearly these days I read mostly Young Adult titles, and my love for these coming of age stories still stem from the books I loved as a teen ager. When I was finished college, where I read mostly nothing but course work or non-fiction, I was burnt out. It was a friend who said to me, I bet you would enjoy reading to help you feel better. She recommended this little book, which she prefaced with the fact that it was about a young magical boy wizard, whom she thinks would help me escape the woes of this world. This was the year 2000 and started my infactuation with Harry Potter and all of the young adult fantasy I could read!
After all this time, I am still infactuated with all thing Harry Potter, and all the YA books!
The Great American Read
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ launched on April 20 with the release of America’s list of 100 favorite novels as chosen by a demographically and statistically representative survey (the full list is available at pbs.org/greatamericanread). A two-hour launch special hosted by Meredith Vieira premiered on PBS stations on May 22. The series will return this fall on Tuesday, September 11 at 8:00 p.m. (check local listings) to continue its search for “America’s Best-Loved Novel.”
The initiative is supported by an extensive multi-platform digital and social media campaign designed to inspire Americans to read, vote and share their personal connections to titles on the top 100 list and beyond over the course of the summer. Since voting began during the two-hour launch episode, avid readers across the country have cast more than two million votes for their favorite books. For more information on how to vote, visit https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/vote/.
As part of the campaign, more than two dozen local public television stations across the country have planned over 125 community engagement activities, including book clubs, author appearances and readings, screening events, book-themed family activities and more. The Library of Congress will host the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 1, and attendees will be able to engage with THE GREAT AMERICAN READ.
Funding for THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is provided by The Anne Ray Foundation and PBS. In addition, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has provided grants, in partnership with PBS, to public media stations across the country to create local content and host screenings and forums to encourage summer reading and participation in the initiative.
About
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is a production of Nutopia for PBS. The program is executive produced by Jane Root, Michael Cascio, Bob Kirsh and Charles Marquardt; co-executive produced by Rebecca Ratliff Cameron; line produced by Rachael Jerahian; and produced by Nilam Agrawal-Desai, Katherine Linton, Kate Chumley, Justine Simonson, Michelle Smawley, Siobhan Lockhart, Annie Wong and Tomek Gross. Bill Gardner, Vice President of Programming and Development, is executive in charge for PBS, and Bethany Latham is project director.
Amplifying the on-air and online series content will be a fully illustrated companion book, The Great American Read: The Book of Books, which will include information about the 100 novels, author profiles, rare images of original manuscripts and more, plus a foreword by THE GREAT AMERICAN READ host Meredith Vieira, to be published by Black Dog & Leventhal on August 21, 2018.
About Nutopia
Nutopia, a leading television production company creating award-winning, premium content on a global scale. Founded in 2008 by Jane Root, former president of Discovery Channel US, controller of BBC2 and co-founder of Wall to Wall TV, Nutopia innovated the “mega doc” model, blending huge-scale history series and high-profile talent from the worlds of documentary and drama. Nutopia has become synonymous with creating high-quality content that stands out from the crowd, working with some of the most prominent global broadcasters including Netflix, CNN, National Geographic, the BBC, PBS and A+E Networks. Critical successes include the Emmy Award-winning series How We Got to Now and Emmy Award-winning series America The Story of Us. Upcoming projects include National Geographic’s 10-hour flagship factual event One Strange Rock, the landmark art-history series Civilizations for BBC and PBS, and Babies for Netflix.
About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 90 million people through television and 30 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
The Great American Read Schedule
“Launch Special” (Premiered Tuesday, May 22, 2018) Watch Now
“Fall Kick-off” (Premieres Tuesday, September 11, 2018 8/7c)
“Who Am I?” (Premieres Tuesday, September 18, 2018 8/7c)
“Heroes” (Premieres Tuesday, September 25, 2018 8/7c)
“Villains and Monsters” (Premieres Tuesday, October 2, 2018 8/7c)
“What We Do For Love” (Premieres Tuesday, October 9, 2018 8/7c)
“Other Worlds” (Premieres Tuesday, October 16, 2018 8/7c)
“Grand Finale” (Premieres Tuesday, October 23, 2018 8/7c)
