Summer is in session! This season, PBS is encouraging Americans to “explore and celebrate the power of reading” with The Great American Read. Through a national survey, the organization recently released their top 100 list of America’s best-loved books for people to peruse and ponder various perspectives of our nation. Here are a few of our top picks by female authors from the list for you to check out!
The Handmaid’s Tale
Did you know The Handmaid’s Tale was a book before it became a binge-worthy series on Hulu? Set in the distant future, welcome to the Republic of Gilead– a monotheocracy in the United States that formed as a reaction to unrest around a sharply declining birthrate. Written in 1985 by Margaret Attwood, PBS declares the piece of speculative fiction “a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its image and its forecast… it is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force.”
Harry Potter Series
PBS speculates Harry Potter, from the seven-part series written by J.K. Rowling, “may well be the most famous character in literature.” Join (or rejoin, if you’ve already crushed the series after it started in the late 90s) Harry and his friends Hermione and Ron on their magical quest to prevent the comeback of a dark wizard who shall not be named.
Americanah
Americanah is a “love story of race and identity,” but it is also so much more. Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says: “Why did people ask ‘What is it about?’ as if a novel had to be about only one thing.” In pointing to the multifaceted nature of the book, she also subtly nods to one of its key lessons: everyone–every individual– is different, and these “fine-grained differentiations,” as the New York Times puts it, exist and need to be embraced by all.
Which book by a female author on The Great American Read list are you most excited to read this month? Share with us in the comments below!
