You’re sitting at a table in your house, engrossed in the novel in your hands. You don’t fully understand what’s happening, and the secret meanings behind the work go right past you, but you, for some strange reason, enjoy the book. You have trouble putting it down and can understand why it’s considered a classic. Afterward, you use Google as a tool to figure out more about the book, but still don’t understand. This is where The Great American Read comes in.

The Great American Read is a PBS television series in which Meredith Vieira travels to find out the answers to some of the greatest questions we’ve had about classic novels. She studies 100 of the most beloved novels. The show began in May of this year and consisted of 8 episodes discussing the 100 most-loved novels and why they made such an impact.

You don’t have to travel the world or stay in front of the television to learn about books. Over the past two months, the Forsyth County libraries have hosted lectures created by University of North Georgia professors. The lectures, which are being presented by The Great American Read, has explored classics such as Heart of Darkness, The Sun Also Rises, Call of the Wild, Frankenstein, The Catcher and the Rye, and many other classics. From October 15th to the 23rd, people were encouraged to vote for their favorite book. The results of that ballot will appear on The Great American Read television show. At each lecture, attendees have the opportunity to win merchandise from the show and a coupon for a free book at the Friends bookstore, which is located in the libraries.

The libraries of Forsyth County and the professors of UNG recognize the importance of visiting old classics and analyzing them for the future. We can take the mistakes of what characters did in the past or the ones in a predicted, dystopian future and invest it in our future. Mary Shelly was sixteen when she wrote her famous novel “Frankenstein”, the age that many South Forsyth students are reaching. Although her novel is  200 years old, her success and creation are still relevant in the decisions we made today as humans.