LUCAS: LOVE IS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, SO I THINK READING ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOVES AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY PRESENT, YOU KNOW, IS ONE OF THE GREAT HUMAN QUESTIONS.

I LOVE A GOOD LOVE STORY.

I THINK EVERYBODY WANTS IT, AND IF YOU DON'T WANT IT, YOU'RE TRYING TO GET IT, AND IF YOU HAVE IT, YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP IT.

EVERY BOOK ON THIS LIST IS ABOUT LOVE AND DEATH AND FINDING LOVE THAT TRANSCENDS THAT.

I MEAN, WHO'S NOT GOING TO LOVE A LOVE STORY?

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

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

WELL, WITH OUR GRAND FINALE COMING UP, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR THE NOVELS YOU MOST LOVE, AND LOVE IS ACTUALLY OUR FOCUS THIS WEEK.

MANY OF THE BOOKS YOU'VE CHOSEN EXPLORE THE LENGTHS WE GO TO IN THE NAME OF LOVE.

WHO WINS?

WHO LOSES?

WHO LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

WHO IS DOOMED TO DESPAIR AND LONELINESS?

WHAT WOULD WE DO FOR THE SAKE OF OUR NEAREST AND DEAREST?

SEHGAL: THE NOVEL IS SUCH A GOOD FIT FOR FAMILIES BECAUSE EVERY FAMILY IS A STORY.

FAMILY LOVE CAN COME IN SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS.

VIEIRA: WHY DO CLASSIC TALES OF ROMANCE STILL THRILL US?

MAN: LOVE STORIES OFFER US A CHANCE TO FEEL THAT FEELING OF FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN.

AND BEING IN LOVE IS WONDERFUL, BUT FALLING IN LOVE, MAN, IT'S JUST MAGIC.

EVERYTHING FEELS MORE INTENSE, AND IT'S EXHILARATING AND IT'S UNCHARTED TERRITORY.

VIEIRA: AND HOW DO NOVELS HELP US NAVIGATE OUR OWN RELATIONSHIPS?

THE PROCESS OF LEARNING WHO SOMEBODY REALLY IS, AND I THINK ALL OF THAT IS VERY ROMANTIC.

IT'S FINDING WHO YOU TRULY CONNECT TO IN YOUR HEART.

THURSTON: I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT STORIES THAT FIND TWO PEOPLE WHO BECOME DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND SOMEHOW STILL MAINTAIN THAT LOVE.

THAT'S VERY EVOLVED.

THAT'S REALLY COOL.

VIEIRA: WHAT DO THESE STORIES TELL US ABOUT THE ROLE OF LOVE IN OUR OWN LIVES?

WE WANT TO SEE THAT THINGS LAST.

WE WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T JUST THROW LOVE AWAY.

AS HUMAN BEINGS, AS READERS, WE WANT SOMETHING TO BE THAT IMPORTANT THAT YOU WOULD STICK WITH IT FOREVER.

VIEIRA: WHICH OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS, LIKE TRUE LOVE, WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME?

WOMAN: I'M VOTING FOR "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES," AND YOU SHOULD, TOO.

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL READ "CALL OF THE WILD."

MY VOTE--"LITTLE WOMEN."

I LOVE THE BOOK "AMERICANAH."

"LOOKING FOR ALASKA"-- NUMBER-ONE VOTE.

PLEASE READ "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE."

IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER.

[LAUGHS] [HOWLS] VIEIRA: THIS IS "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

TONIGHT WE EXAMINE THE NOVELS CURRENTLY TRENDING IN THE COMPETITION THAT REFLECT THE MOST IMPORTANT EMOTION IN OUR LIVES--LOVE, IN ALL ITS MANY FORMS.

FROM THE PLATONIC TO THE PHYSICAL, FROM THE INNOCENCE OF PUPPY LOVE TO OBSESSION AND DESTRUCTIVE PASSION, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR BETWEEN THE COVERS OF THESE BOOKS?

SEHGAL: WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LOVE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING; YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT GENDER, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RACE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HISTORY.

IT'S A GREAT CRUCIBLE FOR A LOT OF STUFF COMING TOGETHER.

PART OF THE REASON WE INDULGE IN ROMANTIC TALES IS WE'RE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE ABOUT LOVE, WHAT IS HEALTHY AND WHAT FEELS GOOD AND WHAT IS RIGHT.

WE TURN TO THE BOOKS.

LOVE IS AS INDIVIDUAL AS EACH ONE OF US.

THIS IS A GREAT CANVAS FOR AN AUTHOR.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY.

VIEIRA: "THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH."

IT'S AS TRUE IN TODAY'S LITERATURE AS IT WAS WHEN SHAKESPEARE WROTE THOSE WORDS OVER 400 YEARS AGO.

AND YOUR VOTES CONFIRM THAT AMERICAN READERS ARE NOT JUST LOOKING FOR HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

MANY OF THE NOVELS YOU'VE CHOSEN ARE ABOUT UNREQUITED OR EVEN DESTRUCTIVE LOVE.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THESE PAINFUL STORIES ABOUT ROMANCE GONE WRONG?

LUCAS: I THINK YOU CAN LOOK AT STORIES ABOUT DESTRUCTIVE LOVE BOTH AS WARNINGS ABOUT WHAT NOT TO DO, BUT, I THINK, ALSO AS SORT OF A WAY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN RELATIONSHIPS.

SOMETIMES IT'S JUST LOOKING IN SOMEONE ELSE'S WINDOW, JUST LIKE "LOOK AT THAT," YOU KNOW?

"WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?"

THERE'S A LOT OF LOVE STORIES THAT ARE ABOUT A KIND OF DESTRUCTIVE LOVE THAT WRECKS YOUR LIFE.

PEOPLE WHO ARE IN LOVE MAKE TERRIBLE CHOICES, AND THEY'RE OFTEN IN LOVE FOR REASONS THEY DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.

WE ARE FASCINATED BY THE FACT THAT THINGS CAN GO WRONG IN LOVE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO GO THERE.

WE DON'T WANT THIS SORT OF THING TO HAPPEN TO US.

VIEIRA: THE DANGER OF OBSESSIVE LOVE IS AT THE HEART OF F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S ENDURING CLASSIC, "THE GREAT GATSBY," WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVELS FOR DECADES.

THE STORY FOLLOWS NICK, WHO MOVES FROM THE MIDWEST AND IS SWEPT UP IN A LIFE OF PARTIES AND ROMANCE IN THE PICTURE-PERFECT WORLD OF WEALTHY LONG ISLAND IN THE EARLY 1920S.

HE BEFRIENDS THE MYSTERIOUS MILLIONAIRE JAY GATSBY, WHOSE OBSESSION WITH NICK'S COUSIN DAISY LEADS TO A CATASTROPHIC SERIES OF EVENTS.

MARTIN: IS "THE GREAT GATSBY" A ROMANTIC NOVEL?

DOES GATSBY ACTUALLY LOVE DAISY, OR DOES HE LOVE SOME IDEA OF HER THAT HE HAS CONCOCTED IN HIS OWN MIND?

AND YOU CAN DEBATE THAT FOR A LONG TIME.

IT'S A NOVEL OF LOVE OR A NOVEL OF OBSESSION?

I READ "THE GREAT GATSBY" IN MY EARLY 20S, WHEN I WAS JUST COMING OFF THE SAD ENDING OF THE FIRST GREAT LOVE OF MY LIFE.

AND I READ THIS BOOK, AND IT SPOKE TO ME SO POWERFULLY 'CAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT-- GATSBY'S PURSUIT OF DAISY AND HIS YEARNING FOR HER AND THE FACT THAT HE REMAKES HIS ENTIRE LIFE AND HE REMAKES HIS PERSONALITY TO TRY TO WIN HER AFTER HE HAS LOST HER.

ROTHMAN: MEN ARE IN LOVE WITH HER, BUT THEY'RE ALSO IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S A FANTASY ABOUT HER, A FANTASY OF MONEY, OF WEALTH, OF BEAUTY.

ALL THESE THINGS ARE NOT REALLY REAL, AND THEY LEAD TO CHOICES THAT ARE RECKLESS AND CARELESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE.

THAT WAS VERY MUCH WHAT I WAS FEELING, I MEAN, AT THAT EXACT TIME IN MY OWN LIFE.

I WOULD SAY, "WHY DID I LOSE THIS WOMAN THAT I LOVE?

HOW DO I GET HER BACK?"

YOU KNOW, "DO I HAVE TO REINVENT MYSELF LIKE GATSBY?

"DO I HAVE TO CHANGE MY NAME AND BECOME INCREDIBLY RICH?

WILL THAT CHANGE THINGS?"

AND OF COURSE, FOR GATSBY, IT WAS A BITTERSWEET JOURNEY AND A DOOMED PURSUIT.

VIEIRA: IN WRITING "THE GREAT GATSBY," F. SCOTT FITZGERALD TOOK A PAGE FROM HIS OWN LIFE.

ARANA: THE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND ZELDA SAYRE WAS SO DEFINING, I THINK, IN FITZGERALD'S LIFE AS AN AUTHOR.

I MEAN, HERE WAS A QUIET MAN, BUT HE HAPPENED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN WHO WAS SUPER-EXTROVERT.

YOU COULD SEE THE RUIN HAPPENING TO FITZGERALD IN HIS LIFE AS HE GOES THROUGH PURSUING THIS WOMAN WHO IS THE DREAM OF HIS LIFE, BUT IS LEADING HIM DOWN THE WRONG PATH.

THIS IS WHAT I THINK HE CAPTURED SO WELL IN "GATSBY."

MARTIN: IT'S AN AMAZING BOOK.

FITZGERALD WAS AN INCREDIBLE STYLIST, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S ALWAYS LINGERED WITH ME OVER THE YEARS IS THE IMAGE HE CAME UP WITH, THE GREEN LIGHT AT THE END OF DAISY'S DOCK THAT GATSBY STARES AT.

"GATSBY BELIEVED IN THE GREEN LIGHT, "THE ORGIASTIC FUTURE THAT YEAR BY YEAR RECEDES BEFORE US.

"IT ELUDED US THEN, BUT THAT'S NO MATTER-- "TOMORROW WE WILL RUN FASTER, STRETCH OUT OUR ARMS FURTHER... AND ONE FINE MORNING--" WOMAN: "SO WE BEAT ON, BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT, BORNE BACK CEASELESSLY INTO THE PAST."

I LOVE "THE GREAT GATSBY" BECAUSE...

I CAN PICTURE IT SO CLEARLY.

I THINK THE--THERE ARE THINGS ABOUT "THE GREAT GATSBY" THAT ARE TOTALLY UNIVERSAL: THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO FIT IN TO A CULTURE THAT YOU WEREN'T BORN INTO, FAKING YOUR WAY INTO A WORLD THAT YOU ONCE HATED, AND THUS SORT OF BECOMING WHAT YOU USED TO HATE YOURSELF; THAT PURSUIT BECOMING SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF; AND ALSO THE KIND OF OBSESSION WITH NOSTALGIA AND YOUTH AND MONEY AND CAPITALISM.

ALL OF THAT IS IN "GATSBY."

I MEAN, IN MANY WAYS, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST AMERICAN STORIES EVER TOLD.

VIEIRA: "GATSBY" SOLD FEWER THAN 25,000 COPIES WHILE FITZGERALD WAS ALIVE, BUT ITS POPULARITY SOARED AFTER IT WAS REISSUED AS AN ARMED SERVICES EDITION FOR SOLDIERS DURING WORLD WAR II.

IT HAS SINCE GONE ON TO SELL MORE THAN 25 MILLION COPIES.

MARTIN: "THE GREAT GATSBY."

IT'S A GREAT BOOK BY A GREAT WRITER, A BOOK THAT I GO BACK TO EVERY FEW YEARS AND READ AGAIN, AND IF YOU'VE NEVER READ IT AT ALL, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND READ IT AND VOTE FOR IT.

VIEIRA: THE PAIN OF UNREQUITED LOVE IS ALSO THE FOCUS OF ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE YOUNG ADULT BOOKS-- "LOOKING FOR ALASKA."

IN JOHN GREEN'S 2005 DEBUT NOVEL, PROTAGONIST MILES HALTER IS INFATUATED FROM THE MOMENT HE MEETS THE BEAUTIFUL AND MERCURIAL ALASKA YOUNG AT BOARDING SCHOOL, BUT NO AMOUNT OF LOVE CAN SAVE THIS ONE-SIDED ROMANCE FROM ITS TRAGIC END.

GREEN: A LOT OF FIRST NOVELS ARE FAIRLY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, I THINK, AND "ALASKA" IS NO EXCEPTION.

I DID DRAW A LOT ON MY OWN EXPERIENCES AS A KID WHO LIVED IN FLORIDA AND THEN, SEEKING A KIND OF GRANDER LIFE, ENDED UP GOING TO A BOARDING SCHOOL IN ALABAMA.

WHEN I WAS WRITING "LOOKING FOR ALASKA," I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE EARLY ROMANTIC EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD AS A TEENAGER, THE INTENSITY OF EMOTION THAT ACCOMPANIES THAT TIME OF LIFE.

I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE FIRST TIME I REALLY FELL DEEPLY IN LOVE.

MAN: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JOHN GREEN.

I THINK HE IS A VOICE OF A GENERATION.

BEING IN LOVE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, IT'S SOMETHING THAT SORT OF BLINDS YOU.

JOHN GREEN HAS THIS REALLY BEAUTIFUL WAY OF, LIKE, CAPTURING EXACTLY HOW DEVASTATING AND ADDICTING AND FUN AND WILD AND BEAUTIFUL FIRST LOVE REALLY, REALLY IS.

IT'S JUST A REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE, AND THEREFORE, REALLY RICH TIME OF LIFE TO WRITE ABOUT.

JEFF WOODMAN: "I WAS GAWKY AND SHE WAS GORGEOUS, "AND I WAS HOPELESSLY BORING "AND SHE WAS ENDLESSLY FASCINATING.

"SO I WALKED BACK TO MY ROOM AND COLLAPSED ON THE BOTTOM BUNK, "THINKING THAT IF PEOPLE WERE RAIN, I WAS DRIZZLE AND SHE WAS A HURRICANE."

ARANA: I THINK THE GREAT APPEAL OF JOHN GREEN IS THAT THERE'S SOMETHING SO HUMANE IN HIS WRITING.

YOU ARE ACTUALLY FEELING IN THE MOST KIND OF GRANULAR WAY THE EMOTIONS OF FIRST LOVE.

HE'S CALLED A Y.A.

NOVELIST, BUT IN FACT, I THINK HE HAS A WIDE RANGE OF APPEAL.

TAYLOR: AMERICA, THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE.

I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT'S WORTH IT.

YOU SHOULD TOTALLY VOTE, TOO.

"LOOKING FOR ALASKA"-- NUMBER-ONE VOTE.

NICHOLAS SPARKS: AS A WRITER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO THE IDEA THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN A FIRST LOVE IS BRAND-NEW, AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT THESE CHARACTERS ARE EVER EXPERIENCING THESE EMOTIONS.

YOU JUST GO INTO IT WITH A FULL, OPEN HEART, AND I THINK THAT'S HARD FOR US AS WE GET OLDER AND HAVE BEEN HURT BY LOVE TO DO THAT AGAIN.

WE'VE ALL FALLEN IN LOVE, AND WE'VE ALL LOST LOVES.

WE DON'T ALWAYS GET TO FIND THEM AGAIN.

WE DON'T ALWAYS GET TO EXPLORE THE ENORMITY OF WHAT THAT LOVE COULD BE.

WE DON'T ALWAYS GET SECOND CHANCES.

VIEIRA: THE POWER OF A FIRST LOVE TO STAY WITH US, IN SPITE OF HEARTBREAK AND SEPARATION, IS A THEME IN ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS, "AMERICANAH," BY CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE.

THE STORY FOLLOWS IFEMELU, A PROMISING STUDENT FROM NIGERIA.

SHE WINS A SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY IN AMERICA, BUT SHE MUST LEAVE BEHIND A FIRST LOVE, HER CLASSMATE, OBINZE.

IFEMELU STUMBLES FROM ONE FAILED RELATIONSHIP TO ANOTHER, AND ALONG THE WAY, SHE DISCOVERS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BLACK AFRICAN IN AMERICA.

ANDOH: "HE WAS ALREADY LOOKING AT THEIR RELATIONSHIP "THROUGH THE LENS OF THE PAST TENSE.

"IT PUZZLED HER, THE ABILITY OF ROMANTIC LOVE TO MUTATE, "HOW QUICKLY A LOVED ONE COULD BECOME A STRANGER.

WHERE DID THE LOVE GO?"

BARBARA BUSH: AND THERE IS THIS MOMENT IN THE BOOK WHERE THEY WERE YOUNG AND IN LOVE, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP FALLS APART FOR ONE DECISION THAT SHE MAKES, AND YET THEY'RE BOTH THINKING OF EACH OTHER FROM A DISTANCE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THEIR LIVES THROUGH THE BOOK, AND I LOVE THAT SORT OF SAD, BEAUTIFUL NOTION OF WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG, YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR LIFE IS GOING TO GO AND HOW IT'S GOING TO PLAY OUT.

UNION: I WOULD SAY THAT "AMERICANAH" HAS A UNIVERSAL LOVE STORY, BUT IT IS A VERY SPECIFIC LOVE STORY TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TWO BEAUTIFUL, TALENTED, AMAZING, WORLDLY, BROKEN AFRICAN PEOPLE, BUT WE CAN ALL RELATE TO THEIR JOURNEY TO LOVE.

SEHGAL: I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE RESPONDED TO "AMERICANAH" BECAUSE YES, IT'S A BOOK ABOUT FIRST LOVE, BUT IT'S ALSO A BOOK ABOUT RETURNING TO THE PERSON, AS IFEMELU RETURNS TO OBINZE, HER SORT OF FIRST CHILDHOOD LOVE, AND THEY COME BACK TOGETHER AND THEY SAY, "CAN WE DO THIS?"

NOW WITH A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE, NOW WITH EVEN MORE PSYCHIC WOUNDS, YOU KNOW.

HA HA!

"WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP CAN WE HAVE TOGETHER?"

AND THERE'S A REALISM THERE, THERE'S A BIT OF FATIGUE, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE, BUT THAT-- THE COMBINED SORT OF FLAVOR OF ALL OF THAT FELT VERY INTERESTING AND SATISFYING AND NEW.

RODALE: A LOVE STORY LIKE "AMERICANAH" PUTS YOU IN REALLY CLOSE CONTACT WITH CHARACTERS WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE LIKE YOU, AND YOU SEE HOW THEY INTERACT WITH THE WORLD AND HOW THEY CHANGE, AND IT'S REALLY POWERFUL WHEN THAT'S FEATURING CHARACTERS THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU.

TO READ THIS TALE BY A NIGERIAN WOMAN, NOT QUITE BEING AFRICAN ANYMORE ONCE YOU'RE AMERICAN, BUT NOT QUITE BEING AMERICAN 'CAUSE YOU'LL ALWAYS STILL BE KIND OF AFRICAN, AND FOLLOWING HER ON THAT JOURNEY, IT WAS SO TOUCHING AND IT WAS SO EDUCATIONAL WITHOUT FEELING LIKE I WAS BEING EDUCATED.

IT WAS JUST REALLY WELL DONE.

BUSH: I AM BARBARA BUSH, AND I LOVED THE BOOK "AMERICANAH," AND I HOPE YOU WILL READ IT AND GET TO KNOW THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS AND THEIR LOVE STORY, AND I HOPE YOU'LL VOTE FOR IT.

VIEIRA: WHICH BOOK ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?

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, CHECK OUT OUR SOCIAL HUB AND TELL US WHY YOU LOVE YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

LOVE STORIES AREN'T ONLY ABOUT ROMANCE.

THE BOOKS YOU'VE CHOSEN ALSO REFLECT THE IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF FAMILY LOVE, OF FATHERS AND SONS, MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS.

WHAT IMPACT DO THESE RELATIONSHIPS HAVE ON OUR LIVES?

THURSTON: I THINK WE'RE DRAWN TO TALES OF FAMILY AND FAMILY LOVE BECAUSE FAMILY'S OUR FIRST TEACHER.

IT'S PROBABLY OUR MOST IMPORTANT SOCIAL GROUP AND CLUB.

LUCAS: THERE IS NO PERFECT FAMILY.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THIS HARMONIOUS, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY UNIFIED, WONDERFUL FAMILY.

BUT I DO THINK THAT WE LIKE TO SEE OR IMAGINE WHAT THAT MIGHT BE LIKE, SINCE NONE OF US ACTUALLY HAVE IT.

VIEIRA: ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AMERICAN NOVELS ABOUT FAMILY LOVE IS ALSO CAPTURING MANY OF YOUR VOTES--THE 1868 CLASSIC "LITTLE WOMEN," BY LOUISA MAY ALCOTT.

JENNA BUSH HAGER: "LITTLE WOMEN" IS ONE OF OUR SHARED JOYS.

YES, AND WE READ IT TOGETHER GROWING UP.

BOTH: WITH OUR MOM.

SHE WOULD READ IT TO US.

AND ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE THINGS WAS HER MOM READ IT TO HER.

SO I REMEMBER WHEN SHE FIRST CRACKED OPEN "LITTLE WOMEN."

SHE WAS LIKE, "THIS WAS MY FAVORITE BOOK GROWING UP AND GRAMMY READ IT TO ME," AND THERE WAS SOMETHING SO IMPACTFUL ABOUT THINKING OF OUR MOM AS A LITTLE GIRL, LAYING IN HER MOM'S ARMS.

VIEIRA: "LITTLE WOMEN" FOLLOWS THE ADVENTURES OF THE TIGHTLY KNIT MARCH SISTERS AS THEY COME OF AGE IN NEW ENGLAND AROUND THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR.

THE STORY CENTERS AROUND THE SECOND-OLDEST SISTER, JO, WHO DREAMS OF BEING A WRITER.

HAGER: THERE WAS THIS GROUP OF SISTERS WHO LOVED EACH OTHER AND STUCK UP FOR EACH OTHER EVEN WHEN TRAGEDY STRUCK... YEAH.

OR EVEN WHEN ROMANCE SORT OF GOT IN THE WAY.

AND READING IT WITH MY SISTER, IT WAS PRETTY COOL.

I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT TO MY GIRLS.

GAYLE KING: READING WAS IMPORTANT TO ME AS A LITTLE GIRL BECAUSE I LIVED IN ANKARA, TURKEY, FROM FIRST GRADE TO SIXTH GRADE, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TELEVISION.

YOU KNOW, MY LIBRARY CARD WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POSSESSIONS.

"LITTLE WOMEN," BY LOUISA MAY ALCOTT.

I CAN REMEMBER THAT AS BEING ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS I READ THAT I THOUGHT, "WOW, THERE'S A BOOK THAT'S KIND OF LIKE US."

NO MATTER WHO YOU MEET IN YOUR LIFE, NOBODY IS GOING TO BE CLOSER TO YOU THAN YOUR SIBLINGS, SO IN "LITTLE WOMEN," I LOVED THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE 4 SISTERS, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY I GRAVITATED TO THAT BOOK.

VIEIRA: IN WRITING "LITTLE WOMEN," ALCOTT DREW INSPIRATION FROM HER OWN LIFE, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.

UNLIKE THE COMPASSIONATE AND GENTLE FATHER IN THE NOVEL, HER REAL FATHER, AMOS BRONSON, WAS SAID TO BE INTENSE AND OVERBEARING.

BUT ALCOTT WAS CLOSE WITH HER 3 SISTERS, AND SHE REFLECTED THAT IN THE CHARACTERS SHE CREATED.

RODALE: THE THING THAT REALLY STRUCK ME WAS THE ROLE OF FEMALE FRIENDSHIP AND THE LOVE OF FEMALE FRIENDSHIP.

THAT'S A PORTRAYAL OF LOVE WE DON'T OFTEN SEE DONE POSITIVELY IN BOOKS OR TV OR MEDIA.

RICCI: "BETH'S VOICE GAVE WAY, "AND, CLINGING TO HER SISTER, "SHE CRIED SO DESPAIRINGLY "THAT JO WAS FRIGHTENED.

"'WHERE IS IT?

SHALL I CALL MOTHER?'

"'NO.

NO, DON'T CALL HER.

"'DON'T TELL HER.

I SHALL BE BETTER SOON.

"'LIE DOWN HERE AND 'POOR' MY HEAD.

"'I'LL BE QUIET AND GO TO SLEEP.

"INDEED I WILL.'

"JO OBEYED; BUT AS HER HAND WENT SOFTLY "TO AND FRO ACROSS BETH'S HOT FOREHEAD "AND WET EYELIDS, HER HEART WAS VERY FULL, AND SHE LONGED TO SPEAK."

ARANA: IN "LITTLE WOMEN," THE THING THAT'S SO INTERESTING ABOUT THE FAMILY IS THAT EACH PERSON PLAYS A VERY DIFFERENT ROLE, AND IT'S A KIND OF PRIMER ON HUMAN PERSONALITY AND ESPECIALLY IN WOMEN AND THE NOTION OF STRENGTH AND VULNERABILITY IN WOMEN.

I'M GAYLE KING.

MY VOTE--"LITTLE WOMEN."

VIEIRA: FAMILY LOVE ALSO SPEAKS TO THE CONCEPT OF LEGACY AND HOW A PARENT CAN AFFECT THE COURSE OF THEIR CHILD'S LIFE.

ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES TO EXPLORE THIS IDEA IS MARILYNNE ROBINSON'S PULITZER-PRIZE-WINNING NOVEL, SET IN THE FICTIONAL TOWN OF GILEAD, IOWA.

ROTHMAN: A NOVEL LIKE "GILEAD" SHOWS HOW THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVE.

IT'S A NOVEL ABOUT COMPASSION, WHERE A MAN WHO IS AT THE END OF HIS LIFE LOOKS BACK ON GENERATIONS' WORTH OF HIS FAMILY.

VIEIRA: "GILEAD" IS WRITTEN AS A SERIES OF LETTERS FROM A DYING PREACHER TO HIS YOUNG SON, AND IT EXAMINES THE LIVES OF 3 GENERATIONS OF MEN, ALL NAMED JOHN AMES.

ARANA: YOU HAVE A MAN OF THE CLOTH WHO KNOWS THAT HE'S DYING.

THAT FAMILY LOVE, THAT SORT OF-- AND ALMOST SPIRITUAL LOVE THAT THIS MAN HAS IN SETTING DOWN THIS LIFE STORY FOR THIS SON, WHO IS ONLY 7 YEARS OLD, THIS TREMENDOUS SENSE THAT SOMETHING MUST BE PASSED.

MAN: TO SEE WHAT AMES HIMSELF IS TRYING TO LEAVE FOR HIS SON TO READ IS NOTHING SHORT OF STUNNING.

HE IS ABLE TO ACTUALLY TALK TO HIS SON IN A BEAUTIFUL, OPEN, FULL WAY AND TO SPEAK OF HIS FEARS, OF HIS JEALOUSIES, OF HIS OWN HISTORY AND HIS FAMILY HISTORY IN A WAY THAT WILL ALLOW HIS OWN SON TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH.

MAN: "I WISH I COULD LEAVE YOU CERTAIN OF THE IMAGES "IN MY MIND, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL THAT I HATE TO THINK THEY WILL BE EXTINGUISHED WHEN I AM."

VIEIRA: FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA LISTS "GILEAD" AS ONE OF HIS FAVORITE WORKS OF FICTION.

CASPER: MARILYNNE ROBINSON'S NOVEL COULD CONNECT TO EVERYONE OUT THERE IN AMERICA WHO'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE, WHO'S TRYING TO CONTEND WITH THE GREAT CHALLENGES OF FAMILY.

I'M ROB CASPER, THE HEAD OF THE POETRY AND LITERATURE CENTER AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, AND I LOVE "GILEAD."

IT GAVE ME SOMETHING THAT I WILL HAVE WITH ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, AND I BELIEVE IT CAN DO THAT FOR YOU, TOO.

VIEIRA: IF THERE IS A BOOK ON THIS LIST THAT HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE, WE WANT TO KNOW.

SHARE YOUR STORY ON SOCIAL, USING #GREATREADPBS.

FROM FATHERS AND SONS TO MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS, "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," BY AMY TAN, SHOWS HOW LOVE SHAPES A FAMILY IN A PARTICULARLY AMERICAN WAY.

ROTHMAN: BOOKS LIKE "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," IT'S AN IMMIGRANT LOVE STORY.

IT INVOLVES REALLY LOOKING AT THE FAMILY YOU COME FROM AND ASKING YOURSELF, "WHICH PARTS OF THIS DO I WANT "TO CARRY WITH ME INTO MY NEW WORLD, AND WHICH PARTS OF IT DO I WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND?"

IT'S ABOUT THESE 4 WOMEN WHO GOT TOGETHER, FORMED A MAHJONG GROUP, AND THEN IT GOES INTO THEIR STORIES OF THEIR CHILDHOODS BACK IN CHINA AND HOW THAT HISTORY HAS IMPACTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR DAUGHTERS IN AMERICA.

WE, AS HUMAN BEINGS, ARE ALWAYS JUST TRYING TO FIND THE VALIDATION AND THE LOVE FROM OUR PARENTS, AND I THINK THE UNIVERSALITY OF THAT OVERCOMES THE SPECIFICS OF IT BEING A CHINESE-AMERICAN STORY.

SEHGAL: I THINK THE UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," SPECIFICALLY IN AMERICA, IS WE'RE A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS.

THE NOVEL IS ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL AND STILL FEELS, YOU KNOW, VERY RARE IN OUR CONVERSATIONS, OUR NATIONAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION OR OUR LITERARY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION.

VIEIRA: "THE JOY LUCK CLUB" WAS A BESTSELLER UPON ITS 1989 PUBLICATION, WHICH WAS GROUNDBREAKING FOR A NOVEL FEATURING ASIAN-AMERICAN CHARACTERS.

LIKE LOUISA MAY ALCOTT BEFORE HER, AMY TAN WOVE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS INTO HER FICTIONAL WORK.

TAN WAS A FIRST-GENERATION AMERICAN, BORN TO IMMIGRANT PARENTS.

WEN: I WAS, I THINK, HONEYMOONING AT THAT TIME, AND I READ THIS BOOK AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I FELT LIKE SOMEONE WAS ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT MY OWN LIFE.

AND I REMEMBER LAYING ON THAT BEACH, READING THAT BOOK, AND GOING, "IF THEY EVER MADE THIS BOOK "INTO A MOVIE, I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT."

I IDENTIFIED WITH JUNE IN THE BOOK BECAUSE SHE WAS STRUGGLING WITH HER SELF-WORTH.

SHE HAD TROUBLE FINDING HER VOICE AND HER PURPOSE BECAUSE SHE KEPT THINKING THAT SHE COULDN'T LIVE UP TO HER MOTHER'S EXPECTATIONS AND HOPES FOR HER.

THE ONE SCENE THAT STILL IMPACTS NOT JUST ME, BUT I THINK ANYONE WHO READS THE BOOK, BETWEEN JUNE AND HER MOM-- AFTER THIS DINNER, WHERE JUNE CHOSE THE WORST-QUALITY CRAB, SHE ALWAYS FELT HER MOTHER WASN'T PROUD OF HER.

AND THE MOTHER FINALLY SAID TO JUNE, "YOU CHOSE THE WORST-QUALITY CRAB BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE BEST-QUALITY HEART."

[VOICE BREAKING] AND THAT'S WHAT WAS HER MOM-- HER MOM WAS MOST PROUD THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO RAISE A DAUGHTER THAT HAD THE BEST-QUALITY HEART.

AND FOR ALL OF US, I THINK, KNOWING THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED, BUT WHO WE'VE BECOME, THAT, I THINK, IS THE GREATEST LOVE THAT A PARENT CAN GIVE TO THEIR CHILD.

WOMAN: "I WILL USE THIS SHARP PAIN TO PENETRATE "MY DAUGHTER'S TOUGH SKIN AND CUT HER TIGER SPIRIT LOOSE.

"SHE WILL FIGHT ME, BECAUSE THIS IS THE NATURE OF TWO TIGERS.

"BUT I WILL WIN AND GIVE HER MY SPIRIT, BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY A MOTHER LOVES HER DAUGHTER."

WEN: WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT READING A BOOK LIKE "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND RELATING MORE TO THE DAUGHTERS AT THAT TIME, IS NOW THAT I AM A MOM, I RELATE NOW TO THE MOTHERS, TOO.

I RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ AMY TAN'S "THE JOY LUCK CLUB."

I LOVE THIS BOOK.

IT HAD SUCH AN IMPACT ON ME.

IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU; IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND LAUGH AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO RELATE TO YOUR PARENTS BETTER.

IT'S A GREAT BOOK.

VIEIRA: FAMILY STORIES OF LOVE, LOYALTY, BETRAYAL, AND FORGIVENESS FEATURE HEAVILY IN MANY OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS, AND THIS NEXT NOVEL INCORPORATES ALL OF THESE FAMILIAR TROPES WITH A TWIST.

ARANA: "THE GODFATHER" IS EXTRAORDINARY IN TERMS OF FAMILY; MUCH DIFFERENT, I THINK, THAN "THE JOY LUCK CLUB," WHICH IS MORE ABOUT LOVE AND ABOUT RESPECT AND ABOUT A KIND OF GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCE.

IN "THE GODFATHER," IT'S, YOU KNOW, "WHAT IS MY OBLIGATION TO MY FATHER?

WHAT IS MY OBLIGATION TO THIS FAMILY?"

VIEIRA: IN MARIO PUZO'S "THE GODFATHER," MICHAEL CORLEONE, THE YOUNGEST SON OF A MAFIA BOSS, FINDS THAT DESPITE HIS BEST INTENTIONS, HIS FAMILY LOYALTY DRAWS HIM INTO A LIFE OF CRIME, AND HE ULTIMATELY COMMITS MURDER TO PROTECT HIS FATHER, DON VITO CORLEONE.

THURSTON: I THINK THAT "THE GODFATHER" IS AN INTERESTING HYBRID OF WHAT AN AMERICAN FAMILY IS.

YOU'VE GOT THIS FORGING A WHOLE NEW IDENTITY, AND YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE TRYING TO ESCAPE THEIR FAMILY HISTORY AND LEGACY AND EXPECTATIONS AND CHART THEIR OWN PATH.

I'M SAL SCOGNAMILLO.

WE'RE AT PATSY'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT, [OVERLAPPING CHATTER] WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR OVER 74 YEARS NOW.

I'M THE THIRD-GENERATION CHEF.

MARIO PUZO WAS A FRIEND OF MY FATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER'S, AND HE WAS A CUSTOMER HERE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.

MARIO PUZO ALWAYS TOLD MY FATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER THAT HE BASED THE CHARACTER OF DON CORLEONE ON 7 PEOPLE HE MET AT PATSY'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT.

AND DON'T ASK ME WHO BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER.

REMEMBER, I DON'T REMEMBER.

"THE GODFATHER" WAS ABOUT FAMILY, OF COURSE, AND HOW FAMILIES EVOLVE AND HOW FAMILIES LOVE EACH OTHER.

WHEN MICHAEL SEES HIS FATHER IN THE BED AFTER HE'S BEEN SHOT, IN THE HOSPITAL, THAT WAS WHERE IT SOLIDIFIED THE FAMILY IS THERE FOR EACH OTHER.

MANTEGNA: "HE HEARD HIS FATHER'S VOICE FROM THE BED, "HOARSE BUT FULL OF STRENGTH, "'MICHAEL, IS IT YOU?

"WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT IS IT?'

"MICHAEL LEANED OVER THE BED.

"HE TOOK HIS FATHER'S HAND IN HIS.

"'IT'S MIKE,' HE SAID.

'DON'T BE AFRAID.'"

SCOGNAMILLO: MICHAEL, HE WAS SOMEONE WHO NEVER THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GO INTO THE FAMILY BUSINESS, BUT OBVIOUSLY HE SAW THAT HE WAS SO NEEDED FOR IT.

SO MICHAEL DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WHAT HE DOES, BUT HE ULTIMATELY DECIDES TO DO IT, AND MICHAEL KILLS IN THE NAME OF FAMILY.

IT'S A DECISION HE'S MAKING TO PROTECT WHAT HE FEELS HE BELONGS TO.

IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH LEGACY SORT OF TRANSLATES INTO A DIFFERENT GENERATION, AND IT'S ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH FAMILY TRIES TO PRESERVE ITSELF IN AN EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE.

I THINK THAT'S WHY THE BOOK IS SO BIG.

SCOGNAMILLO: EVERY ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION IN LIFE IS IN "THE GODFATHER," AND THERE ARE SO MANY OF THESE THINGS THAT HAVE BECOME PART OF THE AMERICAN LEXICON; YOU KNOW, "KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER."

VOTE FOR "THE GODFATHER," OR WE'LL MAKE YOU AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE.

WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU.

GO TO PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD AND CHECK OUT ALL 100 BOOKS.

YOU CAN CAST YOUR VOTE RIGHT THERE OR ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, ON TWITTER, VIA TEXT MESSAGE OR TOLL-FREE CALL.

THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.

AMONG THE BEST-KNOWN BOOKS ON YOUR LIST OF 100 ARE ONES THAT CENTER ON ROMANCE.

ROTHMAN: I THINK, WHEN PEOPLE READ ROMANCE NOVELS, LIKE, IT'S PARTLY, LIKE, SATISFACTION AND VICARIOUS PLEASURE AND EXCITEMENT AND THINGS, BUT IT'S ALSO PARTLY THAT, YOU KNOW, BEING LOVING IS VIRTUOUS, AND SO THERE'S THIS SORT OF MORAL...

ASPECT OF SORT OF HOPEFULNESS TO THE IDEA OF A LOVE STORY.

I THINK IT'S REALLY HUMAN TO YEARN FOR LOVE, AND SO, NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN OUR LIVES, WE WANT TO EXPLORE THAT, AND BOOKS PROVIDE SUCH AN INFINITE NUMBER OF WAYS TO EXPLORE THAT FEELING.

VIEIRA: SOME OF THE CLASSIC LOVE STORIES YOU'VE CHOSEN HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE WAY WE LOOK AT COURTSHIP AND BECAUSE THEY FEATURE CONFIDENT HEROINES, WHO ARE WELL-MATCHED TO THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS.

ONE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITES IS "PRIDE & PREJUDICE," JANE AUSTEN'S 1813 MASTERPIECE THAT REDEFINED THE BLUEPRINT FOR ROMANCE TO THIS DAY.

GRAHAM: I LOVE "PRIDE & PREJUDICE" BECAUSE JANE AUSTEN IS ONE OF THOSE WRITERS WHO, IN A HUMOROUS AND REALLY MODERN WAY, LOOKS AT RELATIONSHIPS.

IT'S ROMANCE AT ITS CORE.

VIEIRA: "PRIDE & PREJUDICE" CENTERS ON ELIZABETH BENNET, WHO HAS 4 SISTERS AND A MOTHER WHO'S OBSESSED WITH MARRYING THEM ALL OFF, BUT STRONG-WILLED, SHARP-TONGUED ELIZABETH WANTS LOVE ON HER OWN TERMS AND ENDS UP FACING OFF AGAINST THE FILTHY-RICH AND HANDSOME MR. DARCY.

GRAHAM: ELIZABETH BENNET IS A MODERN HEROINE IN HER TIME.

SHE'S ANXIOUS TO BE FREE OF SOME OF THE CONSTRAINTS OF HER FAMILY AND DOESN'T WANT TO MARRY WHO SHE'S "SUPPOSED TO MARRY" AND IS AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT.

RODALE: SHE IS REALLY SMART.

SHE'S SELF-AWARE.

SHE HAS THIS AMAZING, BREATHTAKING CONFIDENCE IN HERSELF AND HER VALUE AND HER WORTH.

I THINK THAT'S WHY ELIZABETH IS SO AMAZING TO MANY READERS.

MR. DARCY AND HIS 10,000 A YEAR.

IT'S VERY HARD TO SEPARATE THOSE TWO.

FROM HIM, WE GET THIS IDEA OF THE WEALTHY, INSCRUTABLE, AND POWERFUL HERO.

PIKE: "MR. DARCY SOON DREW THE ATTENTION OF THE ROOM "BY HIS FINE, TALL PERSON, HANDSOME FEATURES, "NOBLE MIEN; AND THE REPORT WHICH WAS IN GENERAL CIRCULATION "WITHIN FIVE MINUTES AFTER HIS ENTRANCE "OF HIS HAVING TEN THOUSAND A-YEAR.

"THE GENTLEMEN PRONOUNCED HIM TO BE A FINE FIGURE OF A MAN, "THE LADIES DECLARED HE WAS MUCH HANDSOMER THAN MR. BINGLEY, "AND HE WAS LOOKED AT WITH GREAT ADMIRATION "FOR ABOUT HALF THE EVENING, TILL HIS MANNERS GAVE A DISGUST WHICH TURNED THE TIDE OF HIS POPULARITY."

ISRAEL: ELIZABETH BENNET AND MR. DARCY HATE EACH OTHER WHEN THEY FIRST MEET.

ELIZABETH THINKS DARCY'S FULL OF HIMSELF, DARCY THINKS THAT SHE'S FROM A FAMILY WHO ALL THEY WANT IS MONEY.

YOU HAVE THAT TENSION IN THE BEGINNING.

RODALE: IN ROMANCE, WE CALL THIS "THE "ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS TROPE."

WE SEE THEIR STORY GO FROM COMPLETELY ENEMIES TO FINALLY BECOMING FRIENDS, BUT THEN IT BECOMES A FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS STORY, WHERE HE FALLS DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH HER.

DARCY'S JUST VERY RESERVED.

HE'S JUST SO INWARD, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE A LOT OF MEN IN THE WORLD.

THEY'RE SO TAUGHT TO, LIKE, KEEP EVERYTHING IN, AND THEY'RE HARD TO READ.

SO DARCY IS LIKE THAT, BUT ELIZABETH GETS THROUGH TO HIM.

ROTHMAN: YOU KNOW, THE COURTSHIP PROCESS IN A BOOK LIKE "PRIDE & PREJUDICE," IT'S UNROMANTIC, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ABOUT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE IDEA THAT YOU JUST MET THIS PERSON, AND INSTANTLY THERE WAS THIS DEEP CONNECTION.

IT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT THE IDEA THAT OVER A PROTRACTED PERIOD OF TIME, YOU ARE INVESTIGATING THEM TO FIND OUT WHETHER THEY ARE RELATIONSHIP MATERIAL, SO THERE'S JUST THIS ALMOST MERCENARY SIDE TO IT, AND IN "PRIDE & PREJUDICE," THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE STORY.

THE REASON WHY IT'S SUCH AN ENDURING BOOK AND THE REASON WHY IT'S HAD THIS INFLUENCE IS BECAUSE IT HAS THIS KIND OF SPINE OF EXTREME REALISM.

VIEIRA: JANE AUSTEN, LIKE OTHER FEMALE WRITERS OF THE TIME, DID NOT PUBLISH UNDER HER OWN NAME, BUT TODAY, MORE THAN 200 YEARS LATER, SHE IS A LEGEND.

OUR BILLION-DOLLAR ROMANCE NOVEL INDUSTRY TODAY IS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF "PRIDE & PREJUDICE," AND IT'S A STORY THAT HAS BEEN TOLD AND RETOLD AND RETOLD SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND IN SO MANY DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS.

LUCAS: WHY DOES "PRIDE & PREJUDICE" BECOME THE STORY THAT BECOMES 18 OTHER MOVIES OR SPIN-OFFS FOR THINGS?

EVERYBODY WANTS ENOUGH OBSTACLES THAT LOVE FEELS HARD-WON AND FEW ENOUGH OBSTACLES THAT IT HAPPENS AT THE END AND THAT THERE'S A WEDDING.

BUT I THINK THAT THE ACTUAL STORY OF "PRIDE & PREJUDICE" IS COMPELLING BECAUSE IT'S EXCITING.

WILL THEY?

WON'T THEY?

PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THAT BACK-AND-FORTH.

IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT STORYTELLING THAT JUST CATCHES US UP IN IT.

VIEIRA: JANE AUSTEN'S NOVEL IS STILL SO POPULAR THAT PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD GATHER ANNUALLY TO CELEBRATE HER WORK.

WOMAN: ALL THE THEMES THAT ARE COVERED IN THERE ARE RELEVANT TO TODAY THAT YOU COULD SEE-- MALE PRIVILEGE, CLASS DIFFERENCE, INCOME INEQUALITY, ECONOMIC INSECURITY.

MAN: IF YOU REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A YOUNG WOMAN MIGHT BE THINKING, TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ELIZABETH BENNET IS THINKING.

I HAD TO READ IN HIGH SCHOOL.

I WENT TO AN ALL-BOY MILITARY SCHOOL, AND IT WAS COOL.

BOLTZ: VOTE FOR "PRIDE & PREJUDICE."

YOU SHOULD PICK AND VOTE FOR "PRIDE & PREJUDICE."

PLEASE READ "PRIDE & PREJUDICE."

IT IS THE BEST BOOK EVER.

[LAUGHS] VIEIRA: LIKE JANE AUSTEN, MARGARET MITCHELL WROTE ONE OF THE STRONGEST AND MOST MEMORABLE HEROINES IN ALL OF LITERATURE IN THE 1936 EPIC "GONE WITH THE WIND," IN WHICH THE MAIN CHARACTER SURVIVES A SERIES OF HEARTBREAKS.

IT'S THE STORY OF THE LIFE AND LOVES OF SOUTHERN BELLE SCARLETT O'HARA DURING AND AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.

HER ROMANTIC AFFAIRS-- INCLUDING HER FIRST SWEETHEART, ASHLEY WILKES, AND THE SCOUNDREL, RHETT BUTLER-- GO WRONG MORE OFTEN THAN NOT.

ARANA: SCARLETT IS MAKING A LOT OF ROMANTIC DECISIONS FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS: AMBITION, SOCIAL STANDING, AND ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH LOVE, AND WE AS READERS KNOW WHAT LOVE IS AND KNOW WHERE IT SHOULD GO.

SCARLETT O'HARA HAS ONE RIDICULOUS LOVE INTEREST AFTER ANOTHER, AND SHE'S SORT OF BURNING WITH LOVE FOR ASHLEY WILKES, THIS COMPLETELY LIMP, SORT OF SHADOWY, HAZY, INEFFECTUAL FIGURE.

THE PINING FOR ASHLEY IS THAT PINING FOR THINGS TO BE THE WAY THEY USED TO BE THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN, AND IT'S JUST AS UNOBTAINABLE AS HER LOVE FOR ASHLEY.

YOU CAN'T GO BACKWARDS.

VIEIRA: IN THE CHARACTER OF SCARLETT, MARGARET MITCHELL PUT HER OWN SPIN ON THE TRADITIONAL FEMALE ROLE.

MAN: WE THINK OF SCARLETT AS A VERY-- A FOUNT OF SOUTHERN FEMININITY, THE SOUTHERN BELLE.

SHE'S INCREDIBLY MASCULINE.

SHE BREAKS ALL THE RULES OF WHAT WOMEN ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

SCARLETT DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT.

SCARLETT'S GOT WORK TO DO; SHE'S DOING THINGS, SHE DOESN'T CARE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT HER GOAL AND HER SINGLE-MINDEDNESS.

PEEPLES: THE REAL LOVE STORY IN "GONE WITH THE WIND" IS SCARLETT AND THE LAND, SCARLETT AND HOME.

TARA IS THE GREAT LOVE OF SCARLETT'S LIFE.

IT'S THE LAND, IT'S THE EARTH, THE PILLARS OF THE HOUSE.

THERE'S NOTHING THAT SHE WORKS HARDER TO SAVE IN THIS BOOK THAN THAT HOUSE.

VIEIRA: SCARLETT'S MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP IS ESTABLISHED IN AN EARLY CONVERSATION WITH HER FATHER.

STEPHENS: "'LAND IS THE ONLY THING IN THE WORLD "THAT AMOUNTS TO ANYTHING', HE SHOUTED, "HIS THICK, SHORT ARMS MAKING WIDE GESTURES "OF INDIGNATION.

"'FOR 'TIS THE ONLY THING IN THIS WORLD THAT LASTS, "'AND DON'T YOU BE FORGETTING IT!

"'TIS THE ONLY THING WORTH WORKING FOR, WORTH FIGHTING, FOR-- WORTH DYING FOR.'"

CRANK: "GONE WITH THE WIND" FRAMES THE IDEA OF SURVIVAL THROUGH THE LENS OF A FEMALE PROTAGONIST, WHICH IS RARE FOR THAT TIME.

I'M ANDY.

PLEASE VOTE FOR "GONE WITH THE WIND," A BEAUTIFUL NOVEL ABOUT ENDURANCE AND SURVIVAL.

VIEIRA: YOU'VE CHOSEN MANY MORE BOOKS ABOUT LOVE IN ALL ITS FORMS.

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.

TONIGHT, WE'VE EXAMINED LOVE'S BEGINNINGS, ITS DELIGHTS, AND ITS MISERIES, BUT THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

THIS FINAL GROUP OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS REFLECTS THE MANY KINDS OF LOVE THAT STAY WITH US THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES.

ONE OF THE GREAT THEMES OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, OF COURSE, IS ENDURING LOVE.

THERE IS THIS DESIRE, I THINK, FUNDAMENTAL TO US-- AS HUMAN BEINGS, BUT CERTAINLY AS READERS-- THAT WE WANT SOMETHING TO LAST AND BE THAT IMPORTANT THAT YOU WOULD STICK WITH IT FOREVER.

VIEIRA: READERS NATIONWIDE ARE INSPIRED BY THE LOVE THAT LASTS A LIFETIME IN THE 1996 BREAKOUT HIT "THE NOTEBOOK," BY NICHOLAS SPARKS.

SPARKS: IT'S A STORY OF ENDURING LOVE BETWEEN...NOAH AND ALLIE.

SHE CAN MOVE AWAY.

HE LOVES HER.

THEY CAN NOT TALK FOR YEARS.

HE LOVES HER.

SHE CAN GET ENGAGED TO ANOTHER GUY.

HE LOVES HER.

HEH!

AND WE CAN GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH LIFE, AND EVEN WHEN SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER HIM, HE LOVES HER.

THERE'S ELEMENTS THAT...

SPEAK TO WHAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE YEARN FOR IN LIFE, AND IT'S THIS FEELING THAT THEY'LL BE LOVED NO MATTER WHAT.

THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION FOR "THE NOTEBOOK" REALLY CAME FROM A FAMILY STORY, YOU KNOW.

I HAD MARRIED A WOMAN NAMED CATHY AND WE WENT TO VISIT HER MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, AND I JUST SAW THE LOVE BETWEEN THIS COUPLE WHO WERE STRUGGLING WITH THE AILMENTS OF OLD AGE, AND I REMEMBER THINKING TO MYSELF THAT THAT WAS WONDERFUL TO BEHOLD.

ISRAEL: "THE NOTEBOOK" IS A LOVE STORY THAT FOLLOWS THIS VERY MATURE COUPLE, AND THE HUSBAND IS TRYING TO JOG THE MEMORY OF THE WIFE, WHO HAS ALZHEIMER'S, TO REMEMBER HIM.

EVERY DAY IN WHICH HE DOES THAT, IT BECOMES HARDER TO REMIND HER OF WHAT MADE THEM FALL IN LOVE OR EVEN WHO HE IS TO HER, BUT EVERY DAY, HE DOES IT ANYWAY.

SO, FOR ME, WHAT "THE NOTEBOOK" IS ABOUT-- MAKING THE DECISION EVERY DAY TO LOVE SOMEONE, REGARDLESS OR NOT IF THEY DECIDE TO EVER LOVE YOU BACK.

I THINK PEOPLE WANT THAT FEELING OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

BOSTWICK: "I LOVE YOU, ALLIE.

"I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE OF YOU.

"YOU ARE EVERY REASON, EVERY HOPE, "AND EVERY DREAM I'VE EVER HAD, "AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO US IN THE FUTURE, "EVERY DAY WE ARE TOGETHER "IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

I WILL ALWAYS BE YOURS."

VIEIRA: NICHOLAS SPARKS' TAKE ON LOVE HAS WON HIM THE DEVOTION OF HIS READERS.

HE'S WRITTEN 20 NOVELS ON THE SUBJECT, WHICH HAVE SOLD OVER 105 MILLION COPIES GLOBALLY.

"THE NOTEBOOK" WAS AN INTERESTING PROCESS TO WRITE.

I WAS SELLING PHARMACEUTICALS AT THE TIME, SO I HAD A FULL-TIME JOB, AND MY DAY JOB, THOUGH, REQUIRED ME TO CALL ON PHYSICIANS.

AND I WOULD SIT IN THE LOBBY AND WAIT UNTIL THE PHYSICIAN WAS READY TO SEE ME, SO I WOULD WRITE BITS AND PIECES OF MY STORY.

THEN, IF IT WAS GOOD, I WOULD TAKE THESE PAGES AND THEN TYPE THEM IN THAT NIGHT AND THEN BEGIN TO EDIT THEM AND WORK ON THEM.

AND LITTLE BY LITTLE, I JUST ACCUMULATED ALL THESE PAGES OF NOTES.

THE VERY FIRST LINE I EVER WROTE FOR "THE NOTEBOOK" WAS THE BEGINNING OF PART 3.

I'D FINISH THE STORY, CLOSE THE NOTEBOOK, AND WIPE MY EYES.

WOMAN: ALLIE AND NOAH'S LOVE STORY IS THE STORY THAT WE'RE ALL HOPING FOR.

WE'RE ALL HOPING THAT WE'LL MEET THAT PERSON THAT WANTS TO GO THROUGH THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF LIFE WITH US AND THAT, TILL THE VERY BITTER END, THEY WILL BE SITTING WITH US, READING US A PASSAGE OUT OF OUR FAVORITE BOOK OR REMEMBERING A TIME PAST.

HI.

I'M ANITA.

"THE NOTEBOOK" AND ITS ENDURING LOVE STORY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS.

I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT, AND I HOPE YOU DO, TOO.

VIEIRA: ENDURING LOVE TAKES A VERY DIFFERENT FORM IN THIS NEXT ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES, JACK LONDON'S "THE CALL OF THE WILD."

WHEN I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, WE READ "CALL OF THE WILD," AND I REMEMBER IT SO VIVIDLY BEING POSITIONED AS A BOOK THAT THE BOYS WOULD PROBABLY REALLY LIKE, WHICH, OF COURSE, MEANT THAT, LIKE, I WENT HOME AND READ ALL, YOU KNOW, 100 PAGES OF IT THAT NIGHT.

I WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT A GIRL COULD SAY IN CLASS THE NEXT DAY.

I REMEMBER THE BOYS IN THE CLASS JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW, LIKE, AWESOME IT WAS THAT HE WAS AT THE FRONT OF THE PACK AND HE WAS SUCH A GREAT HUNTER, AND I WAS LIKE, "YEAH, YEAH, WE "CAN TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT LET'S NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT THIS IS A REALLY BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY IN SOME WAYS, TOO."

VIEIRA: "THE CALL OF THE WILD" CENTERS AROUND A DOG NAMED BUCK, WHO IS KIDNAPPED FROM A COZY LIFE IN CALIFORNIA AND FORCED TO BE A SLED DOG, FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE IN THE COLD, FROZEN YUKON.

LATE IN THE NOVEL, ABUSED AND CLOSE TO DEATH, HE IS SAVED BY THE PATIENT AND CARING LOVE OF THE GOLD PROSPECTOR, JOHN THORNTON.

CLINTON: BUCK BLOSSOMED UNDER THORNTON'S LOVE, AND WHAT I REMEMBER SO CLEARLY WAS HOW, AFTER THORNTON WAS KILLED, BUCK RETURNED EVERY YEAR TO KIND OF PAY HOMAGE TO HIS MEMORY.

HOW MUCH ARE WE KIND OF SHAPED BY EITHER THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF LOVE AND NURTURE IN OUR LIVES?

AND I THINK WE CERTAINLY SEE THAT AT THE END OF "CALL OF THE WILD" IN A REALLY PROFOUND WAY, HOW KIND OF LOVE REALLY IS ETERNAL IN ITS PUREST FORM.

PEEPLES: I THINK THAT THE STORY, TOO, IS ONE ABOUT SACRIFICE, AND SO, IN THAT WAY, BUCK IS SORT OF A STAND-IN FOR ALMOST A CHILD TYPE OF A CHARACTER, THAT THE LOVE TOWARDS BUCK THERE IS-- IS THE LOVE OF A FATHER TO A SON.

AND IF YOU READ IT THAT WAY, THEN IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE THAT HE WOULD PUT HIMSELF ON THE LINE TO MAKE SURE THIS DOG SURVIVES.

CLINTON: IT IS JUST SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY DISTILLATION OF THESE QUESTIONS AROUND KIND OF WHAT ROLE DOES NATURE VERSUS NURTURE PLAY, KIND OF WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO TREAT EACH OTHER WITH COMPASSION, KINDNESS, RESPECT, OF DECENCY, LOVE.

I'M CHELSEA CLINTON.

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL READ "CALL OF THE WILD."

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DO, AND I HOPE THAT IF YOU DO LOVE IT, YOU WILL VOTE FOR IT.

VIEIRA: OF COURSE, WE LOVE ALL OF OUR BOOKS EQUALLY, BUT THIS FINAL NOVEL TRULY REFLECTS ALL OF THE ATTRIBUTES AND THEMES WE'VE EXAMINED TONIGHT.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE OF YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITES-- THE "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES" SERIES, BY LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY.

IN THE FIRST NOVEL, AN ELDERLY SPINSTER NAMED MARILLA AND HER BROTHER MATTHEW DECIDE TO ADOPT A BOY TO ASSIST ON THEIR FARM, BUT INSTEAD, THEY ARE SENT ANNE, AN UNRULY, UNPREDICTABLE RED-HEADED GIRL WITH A HEART OF GOLD.

AS THE SERIES OF BOOKS PROGRESSES, ANNE GROWS UP AND FALLS IN LOVE WITH A NEIGHBOR BOY NAMED GILBERT, AND TOGETHER THEY SHARE A LIFELONG ROMANCE.

WOMAN: "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES" WAS AN INSPIRATIONAL BOOK.

A GIRL ORPHAN SUCCEEDS IN WINNING OVER MARILLA, THE OLDER WOMAN, WHO IS AT FIRST AGAINST HAVING A GIRL 'CAUSE SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY USE, AND SHE UNDERGOES A PERSONALITY CHANGE MUCH MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE IN THE BOOK.

VIEIRA: IN "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES," LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY WROTE THE HAPPY FAMILY THAT SHE HERSELF NEVER HAD.

WHEN YOU KNOW ABOUT THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, YOU SEE IT IN QUITE A DIFFERENT WAY BECAUSE SHE WAS STUCK WITH THESE ELDERLY RELATIVES.

SHE NEVER CONVERTED THEM TO THIS MOMENT IN WHICH THEY SAID THEY LOVED HER.

THEY WERE ALWAYS STRICT AND MEAN WITH HER, AND YOU CAN SEE HER WRITING THIS STORY, YOU KNOW, "THIS IS WHAT I WISH WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

"I WISH THAT THEY HAD HAD THIS MARILLA MOMENT AND FINALLY ACCEPTED ME," BUT THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

I'LL READ YOU ONE OF THE CONVERSION MOMENTS OF MARILLA.

MATTHEW HAS DIED, AND ANNE SAYS, "OH, MARILLA, WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT HIM?"

AND MARILLA, THIS CRUSTY, OLD SPINSTER, SAYS, "WE'VE GOT EACH OTHER, ANNE.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO IF YOU WEREN'T HERE-- "IF YOU'D NEVER COME.

"OH, ANNE, I KNOW I'VE BEEN KIND OF STRICT AND HARSH "WITH YOU MAYBE--BUT YOU MUSTN'T THINK I DIDN'T LOVE YOU "AS WELL AS MATTHEW DID, FOR ALL THAT.

"I WANT TO TELL YOU NOW WHEN I CAN.

"IT'S NEVER BEEN EASY FOR ME TO SAY THINGS OUT OF MY HEART, "BUT AT TIMES LIKE THIS IT'S EASIER.

"I LOVE YOU AS DEAR AS IF YOU WERE MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD, "AND YOU HAVE BEEN MY JOY AND COMFORT EVER SINCE YOU CAME TO GREEN GABLES."

RODALE: THE "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES" BOOKS REALLY HAVE IT ALL.

THEY HAVE FAMILY LOVE, THEY HAVE FIRST LOVE, THEY HAVE ROMANTIC LOVE.

YOU SEE FRIENDSHIP LOVE IN THESE STORIES, AND THEN YOU HAVE ANNE AND GILBERT'S ENDURING LOVE.

GILBERT ISN'T AS FAMOUS AS MR. DARCY, BUT HE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE HEROES IN LITERATURE.

THE MINUTE HE TUGS HER BRAID AND CALLS HER "CARROTS" AND SHE SMASHES HER SLATE OVER HIS HEAD, AND IT STARTS OUT WITH THIS INTENSE HATRED AT FIRST; ONLY ON HER PART, THOUGH.

HE--YOU KNOW, HE LOVES HER FROM THE BEGINNING.

WOMAN: I LOVE "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES."

IT IS FULL OF SURPRISES AT EVERY TURN, BUT ALSO THINGS THAT YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO FIND AND THINGS THAT YOU'RE ANTICIPATING.

THERE IS SO MUCH IN THIS STORY THAT I THINK IS RELATABLE AND FRESH AND MODERN STILL.

I'M SIOBHAN ADCOCK.

I'M VOTING FOR "ANNE OF GREEN GABLES," AND YOU SHOULD, TOO.

LOVE STORIES PROVIDE THIS FRAMEWORK TO EXPLORE THESE ENORMOUS IDEAS: YOUR FAMILY, WHO YOU ARE, MONEY, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMICS OF PARTNERING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, ABOUT MORTALITY.

LOVE RUNS THROUGH EVERYTHING.

IT'S A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF THE WAY THAT WE TELL STORIES ABOUT OURSELVES AND THE WAY THAT WE PROCESS AND EXPLORE THE BIG, OLD CATASTROPHE THAT IS LIFE.

RODALE: WHEN I WAS A KID, I ASKED MY MOM WHY EVERY POP SONG WAS ABOUT LOVE, AND SHE SAID IT WAS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONE THING THAT EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO, AND I THINK THAT'S TRUE OF BOOKS AS WELL.

ROTHMAN: THE SUBJECT OF LOVE, IT JUST OPENS OUT ONTO ALL OF THESE DEEPLY INTERESTING SUBJECTS.

THEY'RE A DOORWAY INTO THIS, YOU KNOW, VERY LARGE SPACE.

WE READ THESE NOVELS BECAUSE IT'S AMONG THE MOST GENUINELY INTERESTING SUBJECTS IN OUR LIVES.

VIEIRA: WE'VE SEEN TONIGHT WHY LOVE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN SO MANY OF YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS.

THESE STORIES HELP US NAVIGATE OUR COMPLICATED FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.

THEY GIVE US HOPE FOR THE HAPPY EVER AFTER THAT WE ALL DREAM OF, THEY HELP US HEAL FROM HEARTBREAK, AND THEY JUST MAKE US FEEL ALIVE.

IF YOU'VE FALLEN FOR ONE OF THESE BOOKS OR ANY OTHER TITLE ON OUR LIST, HEAD OVER TO PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD AND CHECK OUT ALL 100 BOOKS.

READ, SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, AND VOTE EVERY DAY FOR YOUR FAVORITES.

REMEMBER, IT'S ALL UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

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