MAN: IMAGINE A VOYAGE TO ANOTHER LAND, PEOPLE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN.

THEY LOOK DIFFERENT.

THEY BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY.

THEY SMELL DIFFERENTLY.

WOMAN: THERE'S NO PLEASURE GREATER THAN PLUNGING INTO A BOOK, BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM YOUR LIFE, AND GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE ON A WONDERFUL JOURNEY.

IT ENRICHES YOUR LIFE.

MAN: THE POWER STORIES MAKE US ALL SPACE AND TIME TRAVELERS, AND IT TAKES US INSTANTLY-- PSCHOO!

I'M GONE.

I'M THERE.

THAT'S GREAT.

IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

IT'S EXCITING.

IT'S A MIRACLE.

VIEIRA: HI, EVERYONE.

WELCOME TO "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

I'M MEREDITH VIEIRA.

WE'VE BEEN ASKING PEOPLE LIKE YOU ALL ACROSS THE USA WHAT'S YOUR BEST-LOVED BOOK?

AND YOU'VE BEEN LETTING YOUR VOICES BE HEARD BY VOTING AND SHARING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND AT PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

MAN: BOOKS OPEN THE WORLD TO YOU.

IT OPENS UP IDEAS THAT YOU HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF.

MAN: I THINK I'M DRAWN TO SCIENCE FICTION BECAUSE IT KIND OF GIVES A MAP FOR THE FUTURE, AND, OF COURSE, WE ALL HOPE THERE'S ALIENS OUT THERE.

VIEIRA: WELL, ONE THING WE CAN TELL YOU FROM YOUR VOTES, AMERICANS LOVE BOOKS THAT TRANSPORT US... TO THE FUTURE... MAN: IMAGINATION AND BELIEF AND A FUTURE THAT'S BETTER THAN YOUR PRESENT IS A FORM OF FREEING YOURSELF.

VIEIRA: TO THE PAST... PEEPLES: THIS MYTHIC WEST-- IT'S JUST FREIGHTED WITH POSSIBILITY.

TO PARALLEL UNIVERSES... LUCAS: FANTASY CAN GIVE US THE TOOLS TO EXPLORE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON RIGHT HERE IN OUR BACKYARDS IN WAYS THAT WE CAN'T HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT.

VIEIRA: TO OTHER WORLDS.

WOMAN: PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ESCAPE FICTION, AS THOUGH THIS IS A BAD WORD, BUT I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT'S WRONG.

BEING ABLE TO PULL SOMEONE OUT OF THEIR DAILY LIFE AND TRANSPORT THEM COMPLETELY INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD, THAT'S MAGIC.

VIEIRA: JOURNEY WITH US TONIGHT, AS WE EXPLORE YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS THAT TAKE US TO ANOTHER TIME AND ANOTHER PLACE.

WHY DO THEY CAPTIVATE US?

MAN: THEY TELL US STORIES ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, BUT IT DOES IT IN A FANTASTIC FAKE SPACE KIND OF WAY.

THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY THAT THE CHARACTERS FACED THESE MAGICAL OR EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES AS THOUGH THEY WERE COMPLETELY NORMAL THAT HAD A CERTAIN FAMILIARITY FOR ME.

VIEIRA: WHICH NOVEL TRANSPORTS YOU THE MOST?

"LONESOME DOVE" IS AN AMAZING, UNFORGETTABLE BOOK.

MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "READY PLAYER ONE."

YOU SHOULD READ IT AND YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR IT.

I'M VOTING FOR "NARNIA."

IT'S A SERIES OF BOOKS THAT STARTED ME ON MY PASSION FOR SCIENCE FICTION.

MAN: VOTE FOR "THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY."

IT IS A GREAT RELEASE FROM THE CRAZY WORLD WE LIVE IN.

LIFE IS REALLY ABOUT STORYTELLING.

WE'RE ALL MAKING THOSE STORIES AS WE GO ALONG IN OUR JOURNEY.

VIEIRA: MANY OF THE NOVELS YOU'VE CHOSEN TAKE US TO OTHER ERAS AND FARAWAY LANDS.

SO, WHAT IS IT ABOUT EXPLORING THESE STRANGE AND EXOTIC REALMS THAT FASCINATES US?

AND WHAT DO THESE OTHER WORLDS REVEAL ABOUT OUR OWN?

MAN: SOMETIMES TO SEE OUR WORLD BETTER, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO LEAVE IT OR AT LEAST PRETEND TO.

AND THROUGH THAT INDIRECT VIEW OF OUR WORLD, THROUGH THE LENS OF ANOTHER SPACE, WE ARE ABLE TO KIND OF SAY THINGS ABOUT OUR OWN WORLD THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SAY SO DIRECTLY.

LUCAS: WE ARE INFINITELY CURIOUS.

WHAT IS SPACE LIKE?

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BE?

AND TO BE ABLE TO SATISFY THAT CURIOSITY, THERE'S NO PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO THAT, BUT THERE IS A CREATIVE ONE, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS READING ABOUT PLACES THAT WE CAN'T GET TO.

MAN: YOU'RE READING HOW PEOPLE INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND YOU SAY, "WAIT A MINUTE.

MY FAMILY IS DOING THAT" OR "MY RELIGION IS DOING THIS."

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE STORYTELLING BECOMES A MIRROR TO YOUR OWN LIFE AND TO YOUR OWN SOCIETY.

VIEIRA: WE START OUR JOURNEY WITH A TRIP TO FANTASTICAL WORLDS AND PARALLEL UNIVERSES, WHERE YOU OPEN YOUR WARDROBE AND ENTER A REALM WHERE LIONS CAN SPEAK, OR YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF TRANSPORTED TO A LAND OF LILLIPUTIANS OR YAHOOS.

BUT WHAT DO THE PLACES IN OUR FAVORITE FANTASY NOVELS TELL US ABOUT THE REAL WORLD?

HOW DO WE SEE OURSELVES IN THESE AUTHORS' IMAGINATIONS?

PEEPLES: THAT WORD "MAGIC"-- THAT, TO ME, IS THE HOOK, IS THE REASON PEOPLE READ FANTASY, BECAUSE WE DON'T GET A LOT OF MAGIC IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE.

DOING THE LAUNDRY AND WASHING DISHES-- NOT A LOT OF MAGIC.

SO, I WANT TO READ A REALLY GOOD FANTASY WHERE MAGIC HAPPENS.

WOMAN: I THINK SO FUNDAMENTAL TO THE FANTASY NOVEL IS THE SENSE THAT YOU MAY BE GOING INTO A MIRACULOUS WORLD THAT IS SO ALIEN TO YOUR OWN.

EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE WANDERING THROUGH THIS UNRECOGNIZABLE WORLD, THE ISSUES ARE RECOGNIZABLE AS CAN BE.

VIEIRA: THE PERFECT STARTING POINT FOR OUR EXPLORATION OF FANTASTICAL WORLDS IS ONE OF THE BEST-LOVED IMAGINARY PLACES IN LITERATURE--MIDDLE EARTH, HOME TO J.R.R.

TOLKIEN'S EPIC "THE LORD OF THE RINGS."

MAN: FANTASY AFTER TOLKIEN IS PROFOUNDLY DIFFERENT FROM EVERYTHING BEFORE TOLKIEN.

THERE ARE MANY WRITERS WHO, LIKE MYSELF, WHO LOVE TOLKIEN AND ARE VERY AWARE THAT WE'RE WORKING IN HIS SHADOW.

HIS INFLUENCE ON THE LITERATURE OF THE FANTASTIC CANNOT BE OVERSTATED.

VIEIRA: PUBLISHED BEGINNING IN 1954, "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" TRILOGY DESCRIBES THE HEROIC STRUGGLE OF A BAND OF MEN, HOBBITS, AN ELF, AND A DWARF.

LED BY A WIZARD NAMED GANDALF, THEY EMBARK ON A JOURNEY TO DESTROY A POWERFUL RING IN THE FIRES OF MOUNT DOOM IN ORDER TO SAVE MIDDLE EARTH FROM EVIL.

MARTIN: TO HAVE A REALLY CLASSIC, LASTING EPIC FANTASY, I THINK YOU NEED NOT ONLY GREAT CHARACTERS AND A GREAT STORY, YOU NEED A GREAT SETTING THAT IS HOME TO ALL OF THIS AND THAT SEEMS AS REAL AND AS VIVID AS ANY PLACE IN THE REAL WORLD.

WHEN I THINK OF "LORD OF THE RINGS" AND THE DETAILED WORLDS AND TOLKIEN'S MAPS, I THINK OF SOMEONE WHO IS VERY OBSESSIVE.

HONESTLY, LIKE THE RIVERS AND THE VALLEYS AND THE LANGUAGE... MARTIN: HE WAS A LINGUIST, FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND HE LOVED CREATING LANGUAGES.

SO, IN SOME WAYS, ALL OF HIS FICTION WAS WRITTEN TO GIVE A FICTIONAL BACKGROUND FOR THESE LANGUAGES THAT HE LOVED CREATING.

TOLKIEN APPROACHED THIS THING AS IF HE WAS WRITING HISTORY.

HE HAD GENEALOGIES THAT WENT BACK, NOT ONLY HUNDREDS, BUT THOUSANDS OF YEARS-- THE RISE AND FALL OF KINGDOMS.

ENTIRE STORIES IN A FOOTNOTE THAT GROUNDED THIS IN REALITY SO MUCH.

ARANA: YOU ARE MOVING AMONG CREATURES YOU CAN'T IDENTIFY, BUT YOU ARE CONFRONTING QUESTIONS THAT ARE VERY MUCH A PART OF YOUR WORLD.

WHO'S GOING TO BE ON YOUR SIDE?

WHO'S NOT GONNA BE ON YOUR SIDE?

THAT NOTION OF GOOD NEIGHBORLINESS-- IT'S ALL THERE IN "LORD OF THE RINGS."

TO ME, THE HEART OF THAT STORY IS THE CIRCLE, NOT OF THE RING, BUT OF THAT FELLOWSHIP THAT COMES TOGETHER TO STOP A DARK AND DANGEROUS FORCE AND PUTS ASIDE, TO SOME EXTENT, THEIR DIFFERENCES AND FINDS PURPOSE IN CONNECTING TO SOMETHING GREATER THAN THEMSELVES.

INGLIS: "THE WORLD IS INDEED FULL OF PERIL, "AND IN IT, THERE ARE MANY DARK PLACES, "BUT STILL THERE IS MUCH THAT IS FAIR, "AND THOUGH IN ALL LANDS LOVE IS NOW MINGLED WITH GRIEF, IT GROWS PERHAPS THE GREATER."

VIEIRA: UNITING AGAINST A COMMON ENEMY IS SOMETHING TOLKIEN KNEW WELL.

IN FACT, HE STARTED WRITING ABOUT MIDDLE EARTH WHILE FIGHTING IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

PEEPLES: WORLD WAR I, HISTORICALLY, WAS SUCH A TERRIBLE WAR, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE LOST.

TOLKIEN WROTE THAT HE LOST ALL OF HIS CLOSE FRIENDS.

AND WHY A FRIENDSHIP IS AT THE HEART OF THAT STORY AND THE IDEA OF FRIENDS HELPING EACH OTHER AND SOME OF THOSE FRIENDS DON'T MAKE IT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE LIVED THROUGH.

YOUNG: IN A LOT OF THESE BOOKS, HE'S WORKING OUT THOSE THINGS THROUGH THIS OTHER WORLD.

IT'S A LOT EASIER TO THINK ABOUT A BATTLE IN MIDDLE EARTH THAN IT IS ABOUT SOME OF THE ACTUAL HORRORS THAT FACE US.

VIEIRA: CLEARLY, THE THEMES IN "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" RESONATE DEEPLY WITH READERS.

THE SERIES HAS SOLD AN ESTIMATED 150 MILLION COPIES.

WOMAN: "LORD OF THE RINGS" WAS THE FIRST FANTASY BOOK THAT REALLY GOT ME INVESTED IN ANOTHER WORLD.

I LOVE TOLKIEN'S WRITING STYLE, HOW...HOW BIG HIS WORLD IS.

TOGETHER: PLEASE VOTE FOR "LORD OF THE RINGS" AS AMERICA'S FAVORITE BOOK!

VIEIRA: J.R.R.

TOLKIEN'S FRIEND AND CONTEMPORARY C.S.

LEWIS WROTE HIS OWN RESPONSE TO WAR-- "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA."

AND THIS CLASSIC SAGA IS ALSO GETTING YOUR VOTES FOR AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

PEEPLES: C.S.

LEWIS AND J.R.R.

TOLKIEN WERE BOTH OXFORD DONS.

THEY WERE DRAWN TO THESE STORIES THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SORT OF RELEGATED OR LOOKED DOWN ON AS KIDS' STORIES, FAIRY STORIES.

THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY WERE CHILDREN'S STORIES AT ALL, BUT THAT THEY WERE DEEPLY MYTHIC AND IN A WAY OF GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF LOOKING AT GOOD AND EVIL.

VIEIRA: "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA" SERIES IS COMPRISED OF 7 BOOKS, WHICH WERE PUBLISHED OVER 6 YEARS BEGINNING IN 1950.

IT FOLLOWS A GROUP OF CHILDREN WHO ARE EVACUATED TO THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE DURING WORLD WAR II.

THE BOOKS TELL OF THEIR ADVENTURES IN THE IMAGINARY KINGDOM OF NARNIA, GUIDED BY A TALKING LION NAMED ASLAN, AS THEY FIGHT THE WHITE WITCH AND RESTORE THE THRONE TO ITS RIGHTFUL LINE.

WOMAN: NARNIA WAS THIS PLACE WHERE, YOU KNOW, I COULD GO ON THIS GREAT ADVENTURE.

I COULD NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE, NARNIA.

I COULD NEVER TALK TO A LION, BUT IN THIS BOOK, I COULD DO ALL THAT.

IT SEEMED QUITE POSSIBLE AT THE TIME THAT I WAS READING IT.

I THINK MY FAVORITE SCENE IS IN THE FIRST BOOK, "THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW," AND THEY MEET THIS EVIL QUEEN AND HER WORLD'S DYING, SO SHE DECIDES SHE'S GONNA TAKE OVER THIS OTHER WORLD.

YOU COULD FEEL THE FEAR FROM THE CHILDREN, LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH.

WE HAVE TO STOP THIS EVIL LADY."

I FELT VERY CONNECTED TO THAT, BECAUSE ALSO IT WAS THE CATALYST OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN IN THESE NEXT 7 BOOKS.

WOMAN: "'GO, THEN, FOOLS,' CALLED THE WITCH.

"'THINK OF ME, BOY, WHEN YOU LIE OLD AND WEAK AND DYING, "'AND REMEMBER HOW YOU THREW AWAY THE CHANCE OF ENDLESS YOUTH!

IT WON'T BE OFFERED YOU AGAIN.'"

YOUNG: I THINK WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT "CHRONICLES OF NARNIA" IS IT TAPS SO MANY DIFFERENT MYTHOLOGIES.

IT'S CHRISTIAN, IT'S PAGAN, IT'S THINKING ABOUT THE GREEKS, BUT IT'S ALSO THINKING ABOUT SORT OF CONTEMPORARY LIFE.

PEEPLES: WHAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT C.S.

LEWIS IS HE WAS A LATE-IN-LIFE CHRISTIAN.

HE TAKES CHRISTIAN IDEAS AND THEMES AND PACKAGES THEM IN A WAY THAT IS VERY INCLUSIVE TO PEOPLE.

WILLIAMS: HI.

THIS IS VENUS WILLIAMS, AND I HAVE READ "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA" BY C.S.

LEWIS, AND IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS BECAUSE OF THE ADVENTURES THAT YOU GO ON AND ALSO BECAUSE IT DOESN'T END WITH ONE STORY.

THERE'S 7 STORIES, AND YOU CAN GO RIGHT ON THAT ADVENTURE WITH EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK.

VIEIRA: SOME OF THE FANTASY NOVELS WE LOVE REFLECT SOCIETY IN A MORE TONGUE-IN-CHEEK WAY, LIKE THE PERENNIAL FAVORITE "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" BY JONATHAN SWIFT.

PUBLISHED IN 1726, IT REMAINS ONE OF LITERATURE'S MOST FAMOUS AND BELOVED SATIRES.

MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF ALL TIME HAS GOT TO BE "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" BY JONATHAN SWIFT.

AND I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THE THEMES AND SATIRE AND DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING THAT JONATHAN SWIFT HAD IN WHAT WE ARE AS HUMANS AND HOW WE INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER.

VIEIRA: TOLD IN 4 PARTS, "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" DESCRIBES THE MISADVENTURES OF LEMUEL GULLIVER, WHO UNINTENTIONALLY FINDS HIMSELF IN PLACES INHABITED BY STRANGE PEOPLE AND BEASTS OF DIFFERENT SHAPES, BEHAVIORS, AND PHILOSOPHIES.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED ON THE PAGES OF "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" WAS A TAPESTRY OF SOCIAL COMMENTARY.

THEN WHEN THE STORY'S OVER, YOU SAY, "WAIT A MINUTE, THEY JUST NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT US."

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, A DEEP LESSON GETS CONVEYED WITHOUT THE HEAVY-HANDEDNESS OF SOMEBODY SAYING, "YOU SIT DOWN AND LET ME TEACH YOU A LESSON."

IT HAPPENS.

IT OOZES OUT FROM THE HANDIWORK OF THE STORY.

[THUNDER] VIEIRA: EACH OF GULLIVER'S ENCOUNTERS FORCES HIM TO THINK OF HIS OWN PLACE IN THE WORLD.

IN ONE VOYAGE, HE FINDS HIMSELF IN A LAND OF GIANTS.

PIERCE: "SCARED AND CONFOUNDED AS I WAS, "I COULD NOT FORBEAR GOING ON WITH THESE REFLECTIONS, "WHEN ONE OF THE REAPERS, APPROACHING WITHIN TEN YARDS "OF THE RIDGE WHERE I LAY, MADE ME APPREHEND THAT "WITH THE NEXT STEP I SHOULD BE SQUASHED TO DEATH UNDER HIS FOOT, OR CUT IN TWO WITH HIS REAPING HOOK."

YOUNG: I THINK WHAT'S FASCINATING ABOUT "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" IS HOW QUICKLY SWIFT HAS ADOPTED THE NOVEL FORM, WHICH IS JUST REALLY COMING INTO BEING TO MAKE FUN OF IT AND HOW QUICKLY-- SWIFTLY, YOU MIGHT SAY-- JONATHAN SWIFT'S ABLE TO MAKE FUN OF THE GENRE AND MAKE FUN OF NOT JUST TRAVELOGUES BUT ALSO THE WAY THAT WE RECEIVE NOVELS AND THINK ABOUT THEM.

TYSON: IN ONE OF GULLIVER'S VOYAGES, HE VISITS A LAND THAT HAS PRACTICING SCIENTISTS.

AND HE DESCRIBES THIS EFFORT OF SCIENTISTS WHO TAKE MARBLE, AND HE'S SAYING, "THESE SCIENTISTS WANTED TO TAKE THE MARBLE "AND TURN IT INTO A SUBSTANCE THAT WOULD BE AS SOFT AS PILLOWS."

THEY'D SAY, "WOW, THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA."

AND THEN, "NO!

THAT'S NOT AN INTERESTING IDEA.

"THAT'S JUST A STUPID IDEA.

"YOU HAVE FEATHERS.

YOU ALREADY HAVE THINGS THAT MAKE PERFECTLY GOOD PILLOWS."

SO, THIS WAS CLEVER PARODY OF WHAT EITHER SCIENCE LOOKS LIKE TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON OR WHAT SCIENCE ACTUALLY IS AS PRACTICED BY PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY'RE SCIENTISTS BUT IN FACT WHO ARE NOT.

I'M NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, AND MY FAVORITE NOVEL IS "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS," NOT ONLY IN CHILDHOOD BUT IN ADULTHOOD AND LIKELY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

VIEIRA: IS THERE A NOVEL THAT'S HAD A LASTING IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US AT PBS.ORG, AND WHILE YOU'RE THERE, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE.

AN EVERYMAN ON A FANTASTICAL JOURNEY IS AT THE CORE OF ANOTHER FAVORITE NOVEL OF YOURS-- "THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY," PUBLISHED IN 1979.

LIKE SWIFT, AUTHOR DOUGLAS ADAMS TAKES A SARDONIC VIEW OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, BUT WITH AN EVEN MORE COMEDIC TWIST.

THROUGH HIS HAPLESS PROTAGONIST ARTHUR DENT, ADAMS TAKES ON BUREAUCRACY AND CLOSED-MINDEDNESS.

PEEPLES: "GULLIVER'S TRAVELS" AND "HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY" ARE 2 BOOKS IN A LONG LINE OF BEAUTIFUL SATIRE AND JOIN THAT WHOLE HOST OF PEOPLE THAT MAKE US LAUGH AT NOT ONLY OURSELVES BUT LAUGH AT PEOPLE IN POWER.

MAN: IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE STORY OF ARTHUR DENT, THE ENGLISH EVERYMAN.

HE'S KIND OF THE GUY THAT, LIKE, THINGS JUST NEVER REALLY GO WELL FOR HIM.

HIS HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE BULLDOZED, BUT THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT HIS PLANET GOT BULLDOZED INSTEAD.

FRY: "'THIS IS PROSTETNIC VOGON JELTZ "'OF THE GALACTIC HYPERSPACE PLANNING COUNCIL.

"THE VOICE CONTINUED.

"'AS YOU WILL NO DOUBT BE AWARE, "'THE PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE OUTLYING REGIONS OF THE GALAXY "'REQUIRE THE BUILDING OF A HYPERSPATIAL EXPRESS ROUTE "'THROUGH YOUR STAR SYSTEM, AND REGRETTABLY YOUR PLANET "'IS ONE OF THOSE SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION.

"'THE PROCESS WILL TAKE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN TWO OF YOUR EARTH MINUTES.

THANK YOU.'"

KLUWE: ARTHUR DENT'S BEST FRIEND FORD PREFECT, WHO'S PRETTY MUCH HIS ONLY FRIEND, IS ALSO AN ALIEN WHO SOMEHOW HITCHHIKES A RIDE FOR THEM ON A PASSING SPACESHIP TO GET THEM AWAY FROM THE EXPLODING PLANET, AND HE DOES THIS BECAUSE HE'S A TRAVEL WRITER FOR "THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY," WHICH TELLS YOU WHERE TO GO IN THE GALAXY IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.

IT'S JUST AN AWKWARD, WEIRD BOOK, BUT I LOVE THAT IT IS.

AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF A CHARACTER, FORD PREFECT, NAMED FOR A CAR BECAUSE HE ASSUMED THEY WERE THE DOMINANT LIFE FORM ON EARTH.

IT'S AN ABSURDIST, POST-MODERNIST, LIKE, HYPER-CREATIVE, NOT STRICTLY LOGICAL, LINEAR WAY TO CREATE A STORY WORLD.

KLUWE: AND ARTHUR GOES OUT AND INTO SPACE WITH FORD PREFECT, THEN THERE'S THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN.

IT'S THE IDEA THAT, "I'M IN THIS TOTALLY NEW ENVIRONMENT.

I HAVE NO REFERENCE POINTS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND ME."

THE POINT OF THE BOOK IS WHAT IS ARTHUR DENT'S REACTION TO ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING TO HIM, AND THEY'RE VERY HUMAN THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING TO HIM.

VIEIRA: "THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE" WAS AN INSTANT HIT WHEN IT CAME OUT IN 1979 AND HELPED POPULARIZE THE PHRASE "DON'T PANIC!"

TAKE THE WORDS ON THE FRONT OF "THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE" TO HEART AND DON'T PANIC.

THINK ABOUT IT.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT, AS HUMAN BEINGS, THAT'S ONE OF OUR GREATEST SURVIVAL TRAITS IS THAT ADAPTABILITY, SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.

I'M CHRIS KLUWE.

YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR "HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY," BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, I WILL SHOW UP TO YOUR HOUSE AND RECITE VOGON POETRY AT YOU UNTIL YOU PROBABLY WANT TO JUMP OUT OF AN AIRLOCK.

VIEIRA: REMEMBER TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL-- ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND PINTEREST.

TAG YOUR FRIENDS, WHO LOVE READING AS MUCH AS YOU DO OR TAG YOUR BOOK CLUB MEMBERS WITH #GREATREADPBS.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO SCIENCE FICTION AND SORT OF DYSTOPIAN TEXTS-- IMAGINING THE WORLDS THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE OURS AND WHAT THESE POTENTIAL FUTURES COULD BE.

WOMAN: EVERYONE SHOULD READ SCIENCE FICTION AS A GENRE.

THERE MAY BE JET PACKS AND SPACESHIPS, BUT AT THE CORE OF THEM IT'S SPECULATIVE FICTION ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.

MAN: SCIENCE FICTION--IT ASKS VERY EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS.

WHO WE WANT TO BE, WHERE WE WILL BE.

THE FUTURE HAS ALWAYS KIND OF EXCITED THE HUMAN RACE.

MANY OF THE BOOKS YOU'RE VOTING FOR REFLECT AMERICANS' FASCINATION WITH THE FUTURE.

WHY DO WE LOVE SPECULATIVE AND SCIENCE-FICTION STORIES?

WHEN I WAS A KID, I READ A LOT OF SCIENCE FICTION.

I THINK IT REALLY TOOK ME OUT OF MY LIFE IN A POWERFUL, POSITIVE WAY.

AND IT BROUGHT ME BACK IN A WAY THAT HAD ME THINK ABOUT THE IMAGINATION AND THINK ABOUT NEW WORLDS AS A WAY OF THINKING ABOUT MY OWN.

VIEIRA: ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WORKS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND ONE LOVED BY READERS NATIONWIDE IS ISAAC ASIMOV'S "FOUNDATION," WHICH IS SET MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE FUTURE.

"FOUNDATION" IS TAKING US SO FAR OUTSIDE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF TIME THAT IT'S REALLY JUST AN EXERCISE IN IMAGINATION.

AND TO EVEN THINK THAT THE UNIVERSE COULD LAST AS LONG AS ASIMOV IMAGINES IT IS REALLY FANTASTIC.

"HARI SELDON REMAINED UNMOVED.

HE WAITED FOR THE BABBLE TO EVAPORATE."

MY NAME'S SCOTT BRICK.

I'M A PROFESSIONAL AUDIO BOOK NARRATOR.

"I REFER, GENTLEMEN, TO THE DEVELOPING DECLINE AND FALL OF THE GALACTIC EMPIRE."

"FOUNDATION" STARTS WITH A MAN NAMED HARI SELDON, WHO LOOKS AT OUR FUTURE--THIS IS SET 15,000 YEARS FROM NOW-- AND HE REALIZES THAT THERE'S A SECOND DARK AGES APPROACHING.

VIEIRA: SELDON USES HIS INVENTION OF PSYCHOHISTORY, A BLEND OF MATH AND CROWD PSYCHOLOGY, TO DETERMINE THAT THE GALACTIC EMPIRE IS NEAR COLLAPSE.

HE SETS UP THE FOUNDATION IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF HUMANITY SO THAT CIVILIZATION CAN BE RESTARTED AFTER THE DARK AGE.

"COPIES WILL EXIST IN EVERY MAJOR LIBRARY IN THE GALAXY."

BRICK: I PICKED UP "FOUNDATION" FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1982.

I WAS STILL IN COLLEGE.

I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN.

I JUST DEVOURED IT WITHIN DAYS.

FAST-FORWARD A FEW DECADES, I STARTED RECORDING AUDIO BOOKS, AND I WAS APPROACHED AND ASKED "WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN RECORDING THE 'FOUNDATION' TRILOGY?"

I THOUGHT, "SERIOUSLY?

YOU'RE GONNA PAY ME TO RE-READ THE 'FOUNDATION' SERIES?

OK!"

IT WAS LIKE--IT WAS LIKE COMING HOME AGAIN.

"WE ARE AT A DELICATE MOMENT IN HISTORY.

"THE HUGE ONRUSHING MASS OF EVENTS MUST BE DEFLECTED "JUST A LITTLE, --JUST A LITTLE-- "IT CANNOT BE MUCH, "BUT IT MAY BE ENOUGH TO REMOVE TWENTY-NINE THOUSAND YEARS OF MISERY FROM HUMAN HISTORY."

ASIMOV'S FICTION WAS INHERENTLY HUMAN.

"FOUNDATION" IS NOT A STORY ABOUT SPACE BATTLES.

IT'S NOT ABOUT LASERS.

IT'S NOT ABOUT ROBOTS.

IT'S ABOUT HOW WE CAN GROW AND EVOLVE IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS TO WHAT WE'RE LIVING IN NOW, JUST MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED.

WHEN ASIMOV STARTED WRITING THE STORIES THAT MADE UP "FOUNDATION," IT WAS LATE 1940, EARLY 1941.

AND HE LOOKED AROUND.

I MEAN, HE SAW THE WORLD WAS A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE.

[EXPLOSION] I THINK ASIMOV WAS TRYING TO SAY THAT THE TIMES MAY BE DARK, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO ACT THAT WAY.

AND IF ENOUGH OF US ACT AS INDIVIDUALS IN A WAY THAT WILL BENEFIT ONE ANOTHER, BENEFIT SOCIETY, THAT ULTIMATELY WE CAN DERAIL WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN IMPENDING, IMPOSSIBLE-TO-AVOID FUTURE.

I'M SCOTT BRICK, AND I THINK YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR "FOUNDATION."

IT'S BRILLIANT.

VIEIRA: ALONGSIDE ASIMOV'S "FOUNDATION," FRANK HERBERT'S "DUNE," PUBLISHED IN 1965, STANDS AS A PILLAR OF SCIENCE FICTION.

AND YOUR VOTES SHOW IT'S STILL A HIT TODAY.

AS A JOURNALIST, HERBERT CAME UPON THE GREAT SAND DUNES OF THE OREGON COAST AND WAS AWED BY THE POWER IN THE WAVES OF SAND.

THE BOOK IT INSPIRED, "DUNE," WAS INITIALLY REJECTED BY MORE THAN 20 PUBLISHERS, BUT IT HAS GONE ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING SCI-FI NOVELS OF ALL TIME.

"DUNE" REMAINS THIS MASSIVE SCI-FI TOUCHSTONE THE SAME WAY THAT "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING" REMAINS THIS MASSIVE FANTASY TOUCHSTONE BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE GENRE TO TELL A VERY RELATABLE HERO'S JOURNEY.

"DUNE" TELLS THE STORY OF PAUL ATREIDES.

HE HAS BEEN SENT TO A DESERT PLANET CALLED ARRAKIS.

AND ARRAKIS IS THE SOURCE OF A SPICE CALLED MELANGE, WHICH IS INTEGRAL FOR SPACE TRAVEL AMONG GREAT DISTANCES.

THERE IS A BATTLE BETWEEN THE ATREIDES AND THE HARKONNENS, WHO ARE THE VILLAINS IN THE BOOK.

I SEE "DUNE" AS A GIGANTIC POLITICAL POWER SAGA.

I SEE IT AS THEMES OF CIVILIZED PEOPLE VERSUS SAVAGES.

ALSO, IT'S ABOUT RELIGION.

"DUNE" IS A BIG RELIGION TALE IN THIS, LIKE, MESSIAH-LIKE CULT THAT GROWS UP AROUND PAUL ATREIDES, AND THAT'S SUPER-HUMAN.

VANCE: "WHEN RELIGION AND POLITICS TRAVEL IN THE SAME CART, "THE RIDERS BELIEVE NOTHING CAN STAND IN THEIR WAY.

"THEIR MOVEMENT BECOMES HEADLONG-- "FASTER AND FASTER AND FASTER.

"THEY PUT ASIDE ALL THOUGHT OF OBSTACLES "AND FORGET THAT A PRECIPICE DOES NOT SHOW ITSELF TO A MAN IN A BLIND RUSH UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE."

WHEATON: THERE IS MYSTICISM AND THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PHILOSOPHY, AND IT'S ALL SORT OF PRESENTED UNDERNEATH AN UMBRELLA OF ENVIRONMENTALISM THAT IS NOT HEAVY-HANDED AT ALL.

LUCAS: "DUNE" IS ALSO JUST A FANTASTIC TRIP.

IT'S JUST A GREAT MASTERWORK OF SCIENCE-FICTION FANTASY.

BUT THEN YOU HAVE, ALSO, A VERY REAL THING, WHICH IS, "WHAT DOES A WORLD WITHOUT WATER LOOK LIKE THAT HAS HUMANS ON IT?"

VIEIRA: WHILE THE SAGA FOCUSES ON THE FIGHT OVER THE SPICE MELANGE, IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE VERY REAL ISSUE OF THE NEED FOR WATER.

SPICE IS THE MAIN RESOURCE, BUT WATER IS WHAT THE LIFE WAS ALL ABOUT.

VIEIRA: TOM DUKE WAS SO INSPIRED BY THE MESSAGE OF "DUNE," THAT HE DECIDED TO MOVE TO THE DESERTS OF TAOS, NEW MEXICO, TO LIVE IN A HOUSE CALLED AN EARTHSHIP.

DUKE: THEY'RE SELF- SUSTAINING HOMES MADE OUT OF RECYCLED MATERIALS.

WE HARVEST WATER FROM THE RAIN.

WE TAKE THE SUN INTO THE HOUSE TO HEAT AND COOL.

WE RECYCLE THE WATER, KIND OF LIKE THE FREMEN.

THE FREMEN ARE THE DESERT PEOPLE.

WATER IS THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IN THEIR WORLD.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE FREMEN CONSERVING WATER AND BEING ON A PLANET THAT CHALLENGES YOU AND DEVELOPS YOU INTO A STRONGER TYPE BEING BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

VIEIRA: THE FREMEN ARE FULLY ADAPTED TO DESERT LIVING ON ARRAKIS AND TAKE PAUL ATREIDES UNDER THEIR WING, TEACHING HIM HOW TO LIVE IN THE HARSH CLIMATE.

PAUL REALIZES THAT THE FREMEN ARE THE KEY TO CONTROLLING THE SPICE, AND THEN CONTROLLING THE SPICE IS THE WAY TO CONTROL THE UNIVERSE.

NOW, THE SPICE WAS ALSO, SOME PEOPLE SAY, A PARALLEL TOWARDS OIL AND HOW WE VALUE OIL.

I THINK THAT WAS A BIG PART OF HIM WRITING THAT BOOK AND WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT.

IT WAS THE POTENTIAL OF PLANETS AND THEN THE POTENTIAL OF PEOPLE.

I'M TOM DUKE, AND I WANT YOU TO VOTE FOR "DUNE."

THIS IS A BOOK THAT'S EXTREMELY RELEVANT TO THE FUTURE, AND LET'S GET THIS PLANET UNDER CONTROL.

VIEIRA: A FUTURE WHERE PLANET EARTH IS OUT OF CONTROL IS THE SETTING OF ANOTHER OF YOUR SCI-FI FAVORITES.

BUT IN THIS BOOK, THE POPULATION IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE HARSH REALITIES OF THEIR BLEAK WORLD.

IT'S THE 2011 BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL ABOUT VIRTUAL REALITY-- "READY PLAYER ONE."

"READY PLAYER ONE" BY ERNEST CLINE IS SET IN A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE, WHERE THE WORLD IS SO BAD AND POVERTY IS SO TERRIBLE THAT ALL OF ITS CITIZENS SPEND MOST OF THEIR WAKING HOURS IN A VIRTUAL REALITY WORLD CALLED THE OASIS.

WHEATON: "I WAS A PAINFULLY SHY, AWKWARD KID, "WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND ALMOST NO SOCIAL SKILLS-- "A SIDE EFFECT OF SPENDING MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD "INSIDE THE OASIS.

"ONLINE, I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM TALKING TO PEOPLE OR MAKING FRIENDS.

"BUT IN THE REAL WORLD, INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE-- "ESPECIALLY KIDS MY OWN AGE-- MADE ME A NERVOUS WRECK."

THE PRIMARY NARRATIVE IS ABOUT THIS KID WADE, WHO IS PLAYING A GAME THAT WAS PUT INTO THE OASIS BY ITS FOUNDER AND CREATOR.

AND WHOEVER WINS THE QUEST, SORT OF PULLS THE SWORD OUT OF THE STONE AND BECOMES THE KING OF THE WORLD.

MAN: I WAS ACTUALLY MOST FASCINATED BY THE CHARACTER OF HALLIDAY HIMSELF, THE MAN WHO CREATED THE OASIS AND ALSO SET UP THE TREASURE HUNT.

HIS LEGACY WAS NOT ONLY THE WORLD HE LEFT BEHIND BUT THIS FANTASTICAL ADVENTURE THAT HE SET EVERYBODY IN HUMANITY ON.

VIEIRA: NICHOLAS HORBACZEWSKI IS THE CEO OF THE DRONE RACING LEAGUE, A NEW SPORT THAT OFFERS ITS PARTICIPANTS AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE MUCH LIKE IN "READY PLAYER ONE."

HORBACZEWSKI: THERE IS SOMETHING UNIVERSAL AROUND THAT URGE TO CREATE THESE VIRTUAL WORLDS, TO IMMERSE PEOPLE IN THEM, AND TO GIVE THEM THESE UNIQUE EXPERIENCES.

AND THAT WAS THE PART ABOUT HALLIDAY'S CHARACTER THAT REALLY RESONATED WITH ME.

WHOOO!

THERE ARE A LOT OF PARALLELS BETWEEN DRONE RACING AS SPORT AND THE BOOK "READY PLAYER ONE."

ONE OF THEM IS OBVIOUSLY THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN THE VIRTUAL AND THE REAL.

OUR PILOTS FLY THE DRONE, AND THEY PUT ON A PAIR OF GOGGLES.

AND WHAT THEY SEE IS WHAT THE DRONE SEES.

SO, FOR THEM, IT'S A COMPLETELY IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE.

AND I THINK THAT'S VERY REMINISCENT OF THE OASIS.

WHEN YOU CRACK OPEN THAT BOOK, YOUR MIND GETS SENT ON THIS INCREDIBLE VOYAGE.

AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY WILD THAT A PAPER BOOK CAN GIVE YOU THAT SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE MOST ADVANCED VIRTUAL REALITY GOGGLES WE HAVE TODAY.

MY NAME IS NICHOLAS HORBACZEWSKI.

PLEASE VOTE FOR "READY PLAYER ONE" SO YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE BLURRY LINE BETWEEN THE DIGITAL AND THE REAL.

MELVIN: IN EARLY DAYS, WHEN PEOPLE WERE WRITING SCIENCE FICTION, LIKE JULES VERNE, AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF AUTHORS THAT WERE GETTING PEOPLE INSPIRED ABOUT LOOKING UP AND SEEING THESE OTHER WORLDS AND HOW WE COULD ACTUALLY GET THERE, THAT FUELED THE CURIOSITY FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO TAKE THAT IMAGINE PLACE AND TURN IT INTO A REALITY.

VIEIRA: IN THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT "THE MARTIAN," FIRST-TIME AUTHOR ANDY WEIR TRANSPORTED MILLIONS OF READERS TO THE RED PLANET.

THE STORY FOLLOWS ASTRONAUT AND BOTANIST MARK WATNEY, WHO BECOMES STRANDED ON MARS.

WATNEY STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE ON HIS INGENUITY, WHILE BACK ON EARTH, AMERICA AND CHINA FORGE AN UNLIKELY ALLIANCE IN AN EFFORT TO BRING HIM HOME.

MELVIN: I WAS JUST SO FASCINATED BY THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT ANDY PUT INTO THE BOOK ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE SCIENCE AND HOW THOSE THINGS WERE POSSIBLE.

VIEIRA: "THE MARTIAN" FIRST HIT BOOKSTORE SHELVES IN 2014, BUT BY THEN, IT HAD ALREADY FOUND A RABID FAN BASE.

ANDY WEIR HAD POSTED THE CHAPTERS ON HIS BLOG AND SELF-PUBLISHED THE BOOK IN 2011.

MELVIN: IN READING "THE MARTIAN," I FELT LIKE I WAS TRANSPORTED TO THAT RED SOIL AND SEEING THESE SOLS TICKING BY AS MARK COUNTED OFF HOW MANY DAYS HE HAD LEFT OF A FOOD SUPPLY.

AND IT WAS JUST SUCH A POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND HOW WE AS A PEOPLE CAN OVERCOME THESE INCREDIBLE OBSTACLES.

"EVERY HUMAN BEING HAS A BASIC INSTINCT "TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT.

"IF A HIKER GETS LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS, "PEOPLE WILL COORDINATE A SEARCH.

"IF A TRAIN CRASHES, PEOPLE WILL LINE UP TO GIVE BLOOD.

"IF AN EARTHQUAKE LEVELS A CITY, PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL SEND EMERGENCY SUPPLIES."

I THINK "THE MARTIAN" CAN TRANSPORT ANY EVERYDAY AMERICAN THAT HASN'T WORN A BLUE FLIGHT SUIT AND GONE TO SPACE BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A RICH AND POWERFUL STORY.

I'M ASTRONAUT LELAND MELVIN.

IF YOU'RE A CURIOUS PERSON AND IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND OUR CIVILIZATION, YOU SHOULD READ "THE MARTIAN"... AND VOTE FOR IT.

GILMORE: ALTHOUGH THE PROTAGONIST OF SOME SCIENCE-FICTION STORY MIGHT FIND HIMSELF IN A WORLD THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNLIKE OUR OWN, WE CAN SEE THE VIRTUES AS SOMEWHAT MIRRORING OUR OWN, AND THERE'S SOMETHING QUITE COMFORTING ABOUT THAT.

IT GIVES US A PICTURE OF OURSELVES AS BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE IN ANY ENVIRONMENT.

VIEIRA: A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SURVIVAL IS PRESENTED IN AYN RAND'S PROVOCATIVE NOVEL "ATLAS SHRUGGED."

RAND'S 1957 MASTERWORK EXTOLS THE VIRTUES OF INDIVIDUALISM AND REASON, AS THE MEANS OF LIVING THE TRUEST LIFE.

I FIRST PICKED UP "ATLAS SHRUGGED" IN 1980, AND NEW YORK CITY WAS A MESS.

SO, AS I READ THE BOOK, AND I'D HEAR THE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE TRAIN DELAYS, I WOULD THINK, "WOW, I'M LIVING IN THE WORLD OF 'ATLAS SHRUGGED.'"

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL'S PROTAGONIST, DAGNY TAGGART, IS A RAILROAD EXECUTIVE LIVING IN A DYSTOPIAN NEAR FUTURE, WHERE GOVERNMENT REGULATION IS STRANGLING INDUSTRY.

TAGGART MEETS A CHARACTER NAMED JOHN GALT, WHO IS CONVINCING BUSINESS TYCOONS TO GO ON STRIKE IN AN EFFORT TO BRING DOWN THE ECONOMY AND THE GOVERNMENT AND TO DEPRIVE SOCIETY OF THEIR INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY.

BEGLEY: AYN RAND HERSELF SAID "'ATLAS SHRUGGED' TAKES PLACE THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW," SO, IT'S NOT THE CURRENT CULTURE THAT WE'RE IN.

IT'S A FUTURISTIC CULTURE WHERE SOCIETY'S COLLAPSING, WHERE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE LUXURIES IN LIFE GOODS ARE HARDER TO COME BY, TRANSPORTATION IS MORE DIFFICULT.

INVENTIONS ARE SQUELCHED.

WE SEE A SERIES OF DISASTERS RANGING FROM SMALL TO LARGE, AND PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE STARTS PLUMMETING SIGNIFICANTLY.

BEGLEY: AND "ATLAS" ANSWERS THE QUESTION WHY THAT HAPPENS.

BIONDI: IT MADE ME THINK REALLY HARD ABOUT WHAT DID I BELIEVE.

WAS I LIVING WELL, AND HOW COULD I LIVE DIFFERENTLY?

AYN RAND'S WRITING STYLE INTEGRATES BOTH VERY DETAILED, FAST-PACED PLOT ACTION WITH SUBSTANTIAL PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS-- HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

WHAT HAPPENED?

WHY DID IT HAPPEN?

BRICK: "DO NOT LET THE HERO IN YOUR SOUL PERISH, "IN LONELY FRUSTRATION FOR THE LIFE YOU DESERVED, "BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REACH.

"CHECK YOUR ROAD AND THE NATURE OF YOUR BATTLE.

"THE WORLD YOU DESIRED CAN BE WON, "IT EXISTS, IT IS REAL, IT IS POSSIBLE, IT'S YOURS."

VIEIRA: AYN RAND'S PHILOSOPHY OF RATIONAL SELF-INTEREST WAS FUELED BY WITNESSING THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, WHICH PULLED HER PROSPEROUS FAMILY DOWN INTO POVERTY AND THE BRINK OF STARVATION.

AFTER THAT, SHE BECAME STRIDENTLY ANTI-COMMUNIST, AND HER BELIEF OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INDIVIDUAL ABOVE ALL ELSE IS AT THE HEART OF HER WRITING.

IDEAS MATTER.

YEAH.

THIS NOVEL ILLUSTRATES BETTER THAN ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE I'VE EVER READ.

I'M ROBERT BEGLEY.

I'M CARRIE ANN BIONDI.

PLEASE VOTE FOR "ATLAS SHRUGGED" AS THE BEST NOVEL TO READ.

BECAUSE IDEAS MATTER.

WELL, NOW'S THE TIME FOR YOU TO REALLY GET INVOLVED.

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

FIND OUT ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN PARTICIPATE AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

AND MOST IMPORTANT, WE NEED YOU TO VOTE.

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

THE GREAT AMERICAN READ IS HAPPENING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

GET READING, AMERICA, AND VOTE.

YOU CAN'T LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE PAST.

PERHAPS THAT'S WHY SO MANY READERS LOVE TO BE TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME.

WHAT DO THE HISTORICAL NOVELS YOU'VE CHOSEN TELL US ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE'VE COME FROM?

I THINK HISTORICAL FICTION IS LIKE SCI-FI IN REVERSE.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE BACK IN THE PAST THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANT TO LIVE THEN, BUT ALSO GETTING US TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE NOW.

GILMORE: WHAT I FIND COMPELLING ABOUT MANY OF THESE REPRESENTATIONS OF HISTORY IN NOVELS IS THAT IT TURNS OUT THEY PRESENT HUMAN BEINGS AS PRETTY MUCH ALWAYS THE SAME WHEREVER THEY FIND THEMSELVES.

[CATTLE LOWING] VIEIRA: AMONG YOUR FAVORITE FICTION THAT BRINGS THE PAST ALIVE IS LARRY MCMURTRY'S 1985 PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING NOVEL "LONESOME DOVE."

SET IN THE 1870S, IT CENTERS ON TWO COWBOYS, GUS MCCRAE AND WOODROW CALL, AS THEY LEAD A LONG-HAUL CATTLE DRIVE ACROSS THE FRONTIER, FROM TEXAS TO MONTANA.

"LONESOME DOVE" IS PARTICULARLY...AMERICAN.

IT HAS A LOVE OF THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT OF WHAT IT IS TO BE AN AMERICAN IN TERMS OF THE PIONEER SPIRIT AND HOW MUCH THERE WAS TO OVERCOME IN THE INFANCY OF OUR COUNTRY.

VIEIRA: AUTHOR MCMURTRY RESEARCHED HISTORICAL RECORDS IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY DEPICT THE DANGERS AND CHALLENGES OF LIFE ON THE RANGE.

HE CREATED A VIVID IMAGE OF THE PIONEER WEST THAT MODERN-DAY READERS CAN CONNECT TO.

THE THING THAT MCMURTRY WAS TAPPING INTO IS THAT IDEA OF THE WEST.

THE COWBOY OPERATES WITHIN THAT AS SOMEBODY WHO IS LIKE THE QUINTESSENTIAL AMERICAN, LIKE MCMURTRY'S UNCLES.

THAT'S WHERE HE GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK-- THE STORIES THAT HIS UNCLES TOLD ABOUT DOING TRAIL DRIVES.

MAN: PEOPLE LIKE READING ABOUT A WORLD 150 YEARS AGO.

TO SEE EXACTLY THAT WORLD DEPICTED PIQUES THEIR INTEREST.

THEY JUST KIND OF LIKE TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT BACK THEN, HOW THEY DID, WHAT THEY HAD BACK THEN.

I LIVE A SIMILAR LIFESTYLE AS THAT BOOK DEPICTS, AND YOU GET TO READ THAT AND RELATE TO IT.

VIEIRA: JOHN ELICK IS A LAWYER AND RANCHER IN CHAPEL HILL, TEXAS.

ELICK: I'D GROWN UP RIDIN' HORSES AND KIND OF COWBOY WORK.

SO I'VE ALWAYS LOVED THIS KIND OF LIFESTYLE... RANCHIN' AND WORKIN' WITH CATTLE.

HEYAH!

"LONESOME DOVE" FAIRLY ACCURATELY DEPICTS THE CATTLE DRIVE.

IN THAT BOOK, THAT WAS SEVERAL THOUSAND HEAD.

WHEN YOU GOT A HERD OF SEVERAL THOUSAND COWS, AND YOU GOT ABOUT 12 TO 15 MEN, THEIR JOB IS TO STAY WITH THAT HERD ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT, EVERY DAY FOR ROUGHLY 4 MONTHS.

YOU'RE MAKIN' AROUND 12 TO 15 MILES A DAY.

THEY'RE LIVING OUTDOORS, NO MATTER WHAT THE WEATHER IS.

THEY'RE THERE.

IT'S HARD WORK.

IT'S MANY TIMES DANGEROUS WORK, AND SO I CAN RELATE TO THAT.

MAN: "THERE WAS NO AVOIDING THE BRUSH ENTIRELY, "BUT DEETS HAD FOUND A ROUTE THAT TOOK THEM SLIGHTLY DOWNRIVER, "AROUND THE WORST OF THE THICKETS.

"AS THEY GOT CLOSE TO THE RIVER, "THEY BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER SWARMS OF MOSQUITOES, "WHICH ATTACKED HORSES AND MEN ALIKE, "SETTLING ON THEM SO THICKLY THAT THEY COULD BE WIPED OFF LIKE STAINS."

[CATTLE LOWING] PEEPLES: FOR ME, "LONESOME DOVE" IS A WAY OF EXPLAINING WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE THAT HISTORY.

WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE COWBOYS?

AND I THINK IT'S 'CAUSE THE TEXAS COWBOYS OF THE 1880S AREN'T A LOT DIFFERENT THAN COWBOYS THAT WE STILL HAVE THAT WORK RANCHES.

ELICK: WE'RE STILL THE RESULT OF THAT HISTORY.

WOODROW AND GUS ARE REPRESENTING OUR FOREFATHERS' EFFORTS TO BRING CIVILIZATION TO TEXAS.

[CATTLE LOWING] I'M JOHN ELICK, AND THIS IS "LONESOME DOVE."

AND I HOPE YOU'LL READ IT, AND IF YOU DO, I KNOW YOU'LL LOVE IT AND LEARN FROM IT.

I HOPE YOU'LL VOTE FOR IT, JUST LIKE I HAVE.

PEEPLES: TO WRITE HISTORICAL FICTION, YOU GOT TO READ A LOT OF STUFF TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET IT RIGHT.

I THINK THE COOL THING IS IS THAT YOU CAN MAKE A STORY OUT OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A VERY DRY DOCUMENT, OUT OF A GROUP OF LETTERS.

YOU CAN CREATE AN EPIC IF YOU LISTEN CLOSELY ENOUGH.

WOMAN: I CHOSE HISTORICAL FICTION BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY, BECAUSE I WAS A RESEARCH PROFESSOR.

I KNEW MY WAY AROUND A LIBRARY.

SEEMS EASIER TO LOOK THINGS UP THAN TO MAKE THEM UP.

AND IF I TURN OUT TO HAVE NO IMAGINATION, I CAN STEAL THINGS FROM THE HISTORICAL RECORD.

VIEIRA: AUTHOR DIANA GABALDON WAS A SCIENTIST WITH A PH.D.

WHEN SHE DECIDED TO TRY HER HAND AT WRITING A NOVEL.

THE RESULT, "OUTLANDER," WAS PUBLISHED IN 1991.

IT SPAWNED A SUCCESSFUL SERIES THAT HAS SOLD OVER 28 MILLION COPIES, AND IT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS THAT HELPED READERS TRAVEL TO ANOTHER TIME.

GABALDON: THEY SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK, "IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHERE YOU SET IT.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS PICK A POINT, GET STARTED."

SO, I SAID, "FINE.

SCOTLAND, 18TH CENTURY."

AND THAT'S WHERE I BEGAN, KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT SCOTLAND OR THE 18TH CENTURY, HAVING NO PLOT, NO OUTLINE, AND NO CHARACTERS-- NOTHING BUT THE RATHER VAGUE IMAGES CONJURED UP BY THE NOTION OF A MAN IN A KILT.

VIEIRA: "OUTLANDER" IS A HISTORICAL FANTASY ABOUT A WORLD WAR II NURSE NAMED CLAIRE RANDALL, WHO IS MAGICALLY TRANSPORTED TO 18TH-CENTURY SCOTLAND.

THERE, SHE ENCOUNTERS SCOTTISH WARRIOR JAMIE FRASER.

THE GENRE-BENDING SERIES MIXES HISTORICAL FICTION WITH ROMANCE, MYSTERY, ADVENTURE, AND SCIENCE FICTION.

NATURALLY, THESE PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WILDLY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR OWN LIFE, SOMETHING VERY ADVENTUROUS.

BUT WHAT YOU DO IS YOU PROVIDE THIS SENSE OF IDENTIFICATION WITH THE SMALL RITUALS OF DAILY LIFE.

IF YOU CAN CREATE THE SENSE OF ABSOLUTE BELIEF IN JUST THE DETAILS OF DAILY LIFE, THEN WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE BELIEVE IN TIME TRAVEL, THEY'LL GO RIGHT OFF THE CLIFF AFTER YOU.

PORTER: "BY THE TIME I HAD FINISHED, "MY FINGERS WERE STICKY AND PUNGENT WITH JUICE, "MY STOMACH WAS COMFORTABLY FULL, "AND THE INSIDE OF MY MOUTH FELT AS THOUGH IT HAD BEEN SANDPAPERED, "FROM THE TARTLY ACID TASTE OF THE BERRIES.

STILL, I COULDN'T RESIST REACHING FOR JUST ONE MORE."

[PEOPLE TALKING INDISTINCTLY] WOMAN: SHE DOES HER HOMEWORK.

SHE KNOWS THE HISTORY BACKGROUND.

SO YOU'RE ESCAPING, BUT YOU'RE LEARNING, AND YOU EXPERIENCE SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

I KEEP AN EMERGENCY "OUTLANDER" BOOK IN MY TRUNK.

HA!

JUST IN CASE SOMEBODY DOES WANT IT, I'LL GIVE IT TO THEM.

MY NAME IS KAREN, AND PLEASE, PLEASE, YOU MUST VOTE FOR "OUTLANDER" AS THE NUMBER-ONE NOVEL, AND PLEASE READ IT.

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

VIEIRA: AMERICA'S BOOKSHELF IS FULL OF STORIES THAT TAKE US TO OTHER WORLDS.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE TITLES AND MORE ON OUR WEBSITE PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE, YOU CAN TRACK WHICH BOOKS YOU'VE READ FROM THE LIST OF 100, FILL OUT THE SCORECARD, AND SHARE THE RESULTS WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

ALL OF THE BOOKS WE'VE EXAMINED SO FAR HAVE TAKEN US TO PLACES OUTSIDE OUR OWN EXPERIENCES, BUT THESE FINAL NOVELS TRANSPORT US TO WORLDS BEYOND WHERE THE DEAD DON'T REALLY DIE, WHERE SUPERNATURAL EVENTS ARE COMMONPLACE, OR WHERE WE ARE ABLE TO COMMUNE WITH A HIGHER BEING.

WHY ARE WE DRAWN TO THESE STORIES SET IN MYSTICAL AND SPIRITUAL REALMS?

WE ARE AS OBSESSED WITH WHERE WE CAME FROM AS WHERE WE'RE GOING.

AND SO IT'S VERY NATURAL TO GET INVESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT AND TO NEED TO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN THE LIFE WE'RE AWARE OF.

ARANA: I THINK THE NOVEL OF SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT, THAT RAZOR'S EDGE STORY, TRAVELING THAT FINE LINE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN, IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL TWIG TO AS READERS.

IT'S VERY MUCH A PART OF THE AMERICAN LITERARY JOURNEY.

VIEIRA: HAVING YOUR BELIEF TESTED IS A CENTRAL THEME IN WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG'S NOVEL "THE SHACK," A SELF-PUBLISHED SENSATION THAT CAME OUT IN 2007.

YOUNG ORIGINALLY PRINTED JUST 15 OF THE BOOKS AS CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

IT HAS GONE ON TO SELL MORE THAN 23 MILLION COPIES.

"THE SHACK" IS REALLY A STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO'S BEEN DEEPLY WOUNDED.

HE TAKES THE CHILDREN ON A TRIP IN THE MOUNTAINS.

AND THE YOUNGEST ONE, MISSY, IS SOMEHOW...TAKEN.

AND THEN LATER, THEY DISCOVER THAT SHE'S BEEN MURDERED, AND HIS WHOLE WORLD IN ONE INSTANT JUST FALLS APART.

AND HE QUESTIONS "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?"

VIEIRA: MACK STRUGGLES WITH GUILT AND GRIEF IN THE AFTERMATH OF HIS DAUGHTER'S DEATH.

AND THEN ONE DAY, HE MYSTERIOUSLY RECEIVES A LETTER DIRECTING HIM TO VISIT AN ABANDONED SHACK IN THE WOODS.

WHILE HE IS THERE, MACK IS SUDDENLY TRANSPORTED INTO A WORLD OF WARMTH AND LIGHT, WHERE HE ENCOUNTERS 3 STRANGERS WHO HELP HIM FIND RENEWED FAITH AND BEGIN HEALING.

HIS WHOLE LIFE CHANGED.

SOMETHING OPENED UP FOR THEM, AND IT WAS A VISIT TO HEAVEN.

IN THE BOOK, WE LEARN THAT BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.

"THE SHACK" IS A STORY ABOUT FORGIVENESS, AND WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER TO HAVE FORGIVENESS IN OUR LIVES.

VIEIRA: MELONY MCGANT AND HER FRIENDS GATHER TO DISCUSS THE THEMES IN THE NOVEL.

THE FORGIVENESS PART... YEAH, THAT WAS STRONG.

WAS THE HARDEST FOR HIM.

IT IS HARD...

BUT THAT'S THE CENTRAL ONE.

BUT I THINK IT'S A STORY FOR SOMEONE, WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELIEVE IN GOD.

MAN: OH, YES-- 'CAUSE LOTS OF PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD.

IT'S JUST A GREAT STORY, AND IT'S ABOUT FORGIVENESS, IT'S ABOUT HEALING, AND IT'S ABOUT HOW ALL OF US ARE ONE ON THIS PLANET.

WOMAN: YES.

MCGANT: MACK DIDN'T ONLY HAVE TO FORGIVE HIMSELF, HE HAD TO LEARN TO FORGIVE GOD, BECAUSE HE WAS ANGRY AT GOD.

WHY HAD GOD ALLOWED THIS TERRIBLE THING TO HAPPEN TO ONE WHO WAS SO INNOCENT?

MUELLER: "EVERY TIME YOU FORGIVE, THE UNIVERSE CHANGES.

"EVERY TIME YOU REACH OUT AND TOUCH A HEART OR A LIFE, "THE WORLD CHANGES; "WITH EVERY KINDNESS AND SERVICE, SEEN OR UNSEEN, MY PURPOSES ARE ACCOMPLISHED AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN."

PEEPLES: TO ME, THAT'S ONE OF THE HUGE POWERS OF THAT BOOK, THE THEME OF REDEMPTION.

REDEMPTION'S POSSIBLE, AND I CAN ACTUALLY BE A GOOD PERSON AGAIN, OR I CAN BE SEEN AS AND I CAN BE ACCEPTABLE AND ACCEPTED.

MCGANT: IT'S A RIVETING STORY ABOUT HOPE, ABOUT FORGIVENESS, ABOUT SADNESS, ABOUT TEARS, OF LOVE, AND GOOD POSSIBILITY.

VOTE FOR "THE SHACK."

LUCAS: THE QUESTION OF WHY WE ARE HERE, HOW WE GOT HERE, AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO US WHEN WE ARE GONE, NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, NO MATTER IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF FAITH OR YOU ARE A PERSON WHO IS NOT, BELIEVE IN ANYTHING-- THAT'S LIKE JUST ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUNDLY HUMAN QUESTIONS.

VIEIRA: THE FINAL BOOK IN TONIGHT'S JOURNEY TAKES ALL OF THESE EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS AND WEAVES THEM INTO AN ALLEGORICAL TALE OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS-- "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE."

THE 1967 NOVEL BY NOBEL PRIZE WINNER GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ IS A GROUNDBREAKING WORK OF LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE.

MAN: MY BEST-LOVED BOOK OF ALL TIME WOULD HAVE TO BE "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE."

WHEN I READ "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE" FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT REALLY FELT LIKE I WAS READING BOTH A HISTORY BOOK AND, UH...

IT WAS A FANTASY BOOK MIXED WITH A HISTORY BOOK.

I WAS REALLY AWESTRUCK.

I READ "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE" FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ENGLISH, AND THE SECOND TIME I READ, IT WAS IN SPANISH.

IT IS THE MOST WILDLY IMAGINATIVE BOOK THAT I'VE EVER READ.

VIEIRA: THE NOVEL CHRONICLES THE RISE AND FALL OF A MYTHICAL TOWN CALLED MACONDO AND THE MULTIPLE GENERATIONS OF THE BUENDIA FAMILY WHO HELPED CREATE IT.

THE STORY IS TOLD IN FLASHBACKS AND FLASHFORWARDS THAT FUSE THE FANTASTICAL WITH THE EVERYDAY.

THE TOWN AND THE BUENDIAS SURVIVE WARS, FORBIDDEN LOVE AFFAIRS, AND THE INVASION OF FOREIGNERS AND INDUSTRIALIZATION.

GOMPF: I THINK, AT ITS SIMPLEST LEVEL, THE NOVEL IS THE STORY OF ONE FAMILY OVER GENERATIONS.

YOU SEE HOW MACONDO CHANGES FROM THIS REMOTE BLIP ON THE MAP INTO A TOWN, AND LATER A RAILWAY IS CONSTRUCTED THAT CONNECTS THEM TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

YOU SEE THE GRINGOS ARRIVE--HA HA!-- AND THE FORMATION OF THE BANANA REPUBLICS.

ARANA: LATIN AMERICANS HAVE LIVED WITH SUCH HARSH HISTORY-- THE KIND OF BLOOD LUST, THE REVOLUTIONS, THE KILLINGS, THE CULTURE SHOCK--ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED.

IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY THAT, IN THEMSELVES, SEEMS SO OUTLANDISH THAT THEY'RE MAGICAL IN THEMSELVES.

IT'S NOT SO MUCH A LITERARY DEVICE AS A SORT OF UNDERSTANDING THAT, "OK, FANTASTICAL THINGS EXPLAIN TERRIBLE REALITIES."

GOMPF: UNLIKE TRADITIONAL FANTASY, WHERE YOU'RE BUILDING A WORLD THAT IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM OUR REAL WORLD, WITH A COMPLETELY SEPARATE SET OF RULES, MAGICAL REALISM IS SET IN OUR WORLD, BUT IN IT, THESE FANTASTICAL EVENTS HAPPEN.

AND THEY'RE TAKEN SORT OF AT FACE VALUE.

AND I THINK IT IS THIS COLLAPSING OF THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN WHAT'S REAL AND WHAT'S MAGIC.

LEE: "A TRICKLE OF BLOOD CAME OUT UNDER THE DOOR, "CROSSED THE LIVING ROOM, WENT OUT INTO THE STREET, "CONTINUED ON IN A STRAIGHT LINE ACROSS THE UNEVEN TERRACES, "WENT DOWN STEPS AND CLIMBED OVER CURBS, "PASSED ALONG THE STREET OF THE TURKS, "TURNED A CORNER TO THE RIGHT AND ANOTHER TO THE LEFT, "MADE A RIGHT ANGLE AT THE BUENDIA HOUSE, WENT IN UNDER THE CLOSED DOOR, CROSSED THROUGH THE PARLOR..." ARANA: THE SENTENCES ARE LONG, THE PARAGRAPHS ARE LONG.

YOU DON'T CARE.

YOU'RE JUST IMMERSED.

THE STORY HAS YOU SO HYPNOTIZED THAT YOU CAN'T BREATHE.

GOMPF: I THINK THE WORLD OF THE NOVEL HELPED ME PROVIDE THIS LENS WITH WHICH TO UNDERSTAND A DIFFERENT REALITY AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MANY TRUTHS.

MY NAME IS ANDREA GOMPF, AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU TO VOTE FOR "ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE."

THIS IS A NOVEL THAT WILL ROCK YOUR SOCKS OFF.

YOU'LL HAVE DRAMA, YOU'LL HAVE LAUGHTER, YOU'LL HAVE WAR, YOU'LL HAVE LOVE.

IT'S TRULY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

THURSTON: I THINK WE'RE DRAWN TO EXPLORE THESE OTHER WORLDS THROUGH LITERATURE IN PART TO TAKE A BREAK.

I THINK REALITY AND WHAT WE KNOW CAN GET EXHAUSTING, CAN GET FRUSTRATING, CAN FEEL LIMITED, AND SO IT'S NICE TO HAVE KIND OF RECESS FROM THAT COURSE LOAD.

THEY DESCRIBE A WORLD THAT SEEMS POSSIBLE, THAT SEEMS ENOUGH LIKE OURS THAT IT GIVES US THE HOPE THAT IF GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE STORY, THEN IT'S POSSIBLE THAT GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN HERE IN REALITY.

LUCAS: OTHER WORLDS GIVE US LESSONS.

WE ONLY GET THE ONE LIFE IN THE ONE PLACE THAT WE LIVE, AND IT'S NOT WITHOUT BOUNDARIES.

SO BEING ABLE TO KNOW MORE OF THE WORLD, TO KNOW MORE OF HISTORY, TO KNOW MORE OF THE FUTURE, YOU KNOW, AS WE IMAGINE IT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, LIKE, PRETTY EXCITING.

IT MAKES OUR WORLDS BIGGER, AND IT MAKES OUR IMAGINATIONS BIGGER.

THE MANY WORLDS WE'VE EXPLORED TONIGHT GIVE US A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR OWN WORLD AND OF OURSELVES.

NO MATTER THE SETTING, WE ARE ALL STILL UNITED BY OUR COMMON HUMANITY.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

GO TO PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD AND CHECK OUT ALL 100 OF THE BOOKS ON THE LIST.

READ, SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND BE SURE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES.

THE GRAND FINALE IS COMING UP SOON, AND IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

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