The Library of Congress and C-SPAN are giving book lovers a reason to tune into prime-time TV.
The network will air a 10-part series this fall called Books That Shaped America, which will feature “10 iconic American books tracing America's history,” the library announced in a news release. The series is based on a list of 100 books that shaped America that was released a decade ago.
Each episode will air live on Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. The series, the library says, “will be a literary journey, tracing America's history by exploring masterpieces in literature that have had, and still have today, a major impact on society.”
It kicks off on Sept. 18 with Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the pamphlet that argued for American independence from the United Kingdom, and will be followed up a week later with a show on Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay’s The Federalist.
Other books to be featured will include Oliver Wendell Holmes’ The Common Law, Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, and César Chávez’s The Words of César Chávez.
“Over the course of 10 weeks this fall, Books that Shaped America will shine a light on a diverse group of books and authors whose skill with the written word and powerful storytelling left a lasting impression on our nation,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “These 10 books are just a start. Throughout the series, we will invite Americans to join the conversation and share their perspectives about more books that shaped America.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
