The Valley of Ashes, the billboard advertising Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, and Wilson's garage are haunting symbols that F. Scott Fitzgerald uses to bring into focus the dark side of the American Dream. A resource from the PBS American Masters...

What's so great about Gatsby? A teaching guide asks readers to consider whether Gatsby's quest represents the embodiment of the American Dream or a reflection of the American nightmare, a green light, or a valley of ashes.

Introduce readers to the great Jay Gatsby with a short video from the American Masters series. Narrators analyze how Fitzgerald's choice of narrator and point of view create the dreamlike qualities and near-mythic status of Jay Gatsby.

Paul Taylor's interviews and Dorothea Lange's photographs bring to life the unimaginable devastation of the Dust Bowl. After watching a short video from PBS, viewers are asked to imagine how they would react, whether they would stay or...

Readers of Toni Morrison's Beloved share their reasons for why the painful and powerful narrative should be on the list of books for the Great American Read program.

Jenna and Barbara Bush, daughters of former President George W. Bush, and author Armistead Maupin share with viewers their reasons for selecting John Knowles' A Separate Peace as one of their favorite books.

Ready Player One has been praised as a novel that captures the vitality, the allure, and the essence of the virtual reality experience. Speakers in a short video share their rationale for why Ernest Clines' dystopian novel should be...

Narrators of a short video offer their rationale for why Catch 22 should be included in the Great American Read program. They touch on the key themes in Heller's satirical and sobering novel about Captain John Yossarian and the catch-22s...

Comedian Seth Meyers shares his rationale for why Catch 22 should get viewers to vote for inclusion of Joseph Heller's satire in the Great American Read program.

Wil Wheaton shares his rationale for why readers should vote for Frank Herbert's Dune as their choice for the Great American Read program. His talk touches on the major themes of the novel and its central conflicts.

Dune remains one of the most popular science fiction tales ever written. Find out why with a short video that argues for including Frank Herbert's tale of sandworms and Fremen, Mentats and witches, villains and heroes in the Great...

The best books either enable readers to see themselves, their culture, and their way of life reflected in the story or to gain an understanding of a way of life different from their own. Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima is such a book....

Justice and murder are the heart of the best mysteries. The writers interviewed for this episode of the Great American Read try to convince viewers that the best of this genre is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. 

Reverend Katrina Foster offers her rationale for why Winston Smith, the tragic hero of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, is her favorite literary character.

Scholars watch an animation of the poem "Accents" by Denice Frohman. The coloring and drawings in the animation encourage and enhance particular feelings brought out by the poem.

Nothing compares to a first kiss. Viewers watch an art interpretation of Tim Seibles's poem "First Kiss." Viewers watch as the artists turn from one object to another as the narrator describes the emotions associated with a first kiss.

What might a poem about the Statue of Liberty sound like? Viewers of a short video discover the answer as they watch an animated interpretation of the poem "New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. 

What is the opposite of a gun? A classroom grapples with the complex question in Brendan Constantine's poem, "The Opposites Game." Using the resource, viewers watch an animated interpretation of the poem to discover how the poem's...

What's the best way to avoid burnout in the workplace? Using the final video from the business-focused series, pupils explore ways to manage self-care. Scholars learn how exercise, healthier eating, and proper sleep help people take...

A five-minute video showcases the children's tale, Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift. While the narrator reads rhymes, an animated Gulliver sets sail to visit several new destinations—each with a fantastic adventure....

Prepare for the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future with an audio retelling of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. As learners listen to Ebenezer Scrooge's dynamic journeys through time, they reflect on the story's...

Ghost by Jason Reynolds is a coming-of-age book that resonates with teenagers who have experienced childhood trauma. Explore the novel with an interactive resource that focuses on the author's use of symbolism, particularly with...

Scout Finch, the rough-and-tumble protagonist of Harper Lee's iconic To Kill a Mockingbird, learns quite a bit about how the world works as she observes her father's defense of Tom Robinson. Learn more about Scout and her distinctive...

The characters of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird are formed and informed, in part, by the distinctive historical backdrop of Alabama during the Great Depression. Watch a video that details Lee's experience growing up in...