SETH MEYERS: A HERO IS WHO WE ALL WISH WE WERE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR OWN PERSONAL LIMITATIONS.

SARAH JESSICA PARKER: A HERO IS DEFINED BY THEIR DEEDS AND NOT THEIR WORDS.

VENUS WILLIAMS: SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T ALWAYS DO THE EASY THING.

WYNTON MARSALIS: SOMEONE WHO IS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MANY THINGS AND PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER AND SHOW UNBELIEVABLE GRACE UNDER PRESSURE.

AND YOU LIKE HEROES BECAUSE?

THEY SAVE THE DAY.

THEY SAVE THE DAY, YES.

HI, EVERYONE.

I'M MEREDITH VIEIRA, AND WELCOME TO "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

WE'RE ON A QUEST TO DISCOVER THE NATION'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL, AND YOUR VOTES ARE POURING IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, VIA TEXT MESSAGE, AND AT PBS.ORG.

HONESTLY, THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE.

I LOVE IT JUST BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS THAT I READ THAT MADE ME WANT TO BE A WRITER.

JUST A REALLY INSPIRING BOOK.

VIEIRA: OUT OF THE 100 BOOKS IN THE COMPETITION, WE'VE DISCOVERED THAT MANY OF YOUR FAVORITES CENTER AROUND INSPIRING HEROES.

MAN: CHRISTOPHER IS THE ULTIMATE UNEXPECTED HERO.

WOMAN: I BELIEVE THAT WINSTON SMITH IS A HERO.

GEORGE LOPEZ: CHARLOTTE IS A HEROINE BECAUSE SHE IS WHAT A FRIEND REALLY IS-- THERE TO HELP.

VIEIRA: THERE'S NOTHING MORE AMERICAN THAN A CLASSIC COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO, BUT YOUR VOTES INDICATE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO NOVELS YOU PREFER YOUR HEROES RELATABLE.

MAN: WE WANT TO READ STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE US.

ROTHMAN: IT'S NOT INTERESTING TO WATCH SOMEONE WHO'S WAY BETTER THAN YOU JUST DO STUFF THAT'S WAY BETTER THAN WHAT YOU COULD DO FOR THE DURATION OF A BOOK.

ISRAEL: READING ABOUT EVERYDAY HEROES, IT GIVES US HOPE, AND I THINK IT LETS YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN THE GOOD FIGHT.

VIEIRA: YOU'RE ALSO FASCINATED BY TRAGIC HEROES WHO FACE INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS.

I DON'T THINK SOMEBODY HAS TO SUCCEED IN ORDER TO BE CALLED A HERO.

YOUNG: I THINK ALL HEROES ARE IN SOME WAY TRAGIC.

HEROES WE'RE DRAWN TO HAVE THIS ELEMENT OF PERSEVERING BUT ALSO OF STRUGGLE, AND THAT STRUGGLE AND WHERE THEY END UP MAKES THEM FOR US MORE BELIEVABLE.

VIEIRA: AND MANY OF YOUR FAVORITES ARE UNLIKELY HEROES.

MAN: I THINK DON QUIXOTE'S ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES IN LITERATURE, AND IGNATIUS J. REILLY IS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.

VIEIRA: TONIGHT, WE EXAMINE THE TITLES YOU'VE CHOSEN THAT FEATURE HEROIC CHARACTERS ON "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

WELCOME BACK TO "THE GREAT AMERICAN READ."

I'M HERE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, WHICH HOUSES PRINTED MATERIALS FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE YEAR 770, BUT BEFORE BOOKS EVEN EXISTED, THERE HAVE BEEN LEGENDS OF VALIANT MEN AND WOMEN WHO SAVE THE DAY OR AT LEAST TRY TO, AND YOUR VOTES CONFIRM THAT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR FAVORITE BOOKS, AMERICA LOVES A HERO.

BUT WHAT MAKES A HERO?

WHY DO THEY BRING US SUCH COMFORT, AND HOW DO THEY INSPIRE US TO BECOME OUR BEST SELVES?

MAN: ONE OF THE ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL THINGS ABOUT HERO STORIES AND ABOUT HEROISM IS THAT IT REALLY TEACHES US SOMETHING ABOUT OURSELVES.

THE STORIES THAT WE PICK AND THE CHARACTERS THAT WE HOLD UP, THEY REALLY SHOW US WHAT WE VALUE AS A SOCIETY.

YOUNG: I THINK WHEN WE HEAR HEROES OR SEE THEM OR READ ABOUT THEM, WE THINK ABOUT QUALITIES WE WISH WE HAD OF COURAGE, STRENGTH, FORTITUDE, BRAVERY.

VIEIRA: MANY OF THE BOOKS THAT ARE TRENDING FOCUS ON ORDINARY PEOPLE, WHO WHEN PUSHED RISE UP TO THE EXTRAORDINARY.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THESE EVERYDAY HEROES THAT WE LOVE?

YOUNG: I THINK WE'RE DRAWN TO THAT EVERYDAY QUALITY.

WE BOTH SEEK IT IN OURSELVES, AND ALSO WHEN WE SEE IT, WE LIKE TO CELEBRATE IT.

I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHAT THE CONTRASTING SCENARIO IS.

LIKE, SUPERMAN IS SPECIAL.

HE'S FROM THIS SPECIAL PLANET, AND HE ONLY PRETENDS TO BE A TOTALLY REGULAR PERSON.

A MORE DEMOCRATIC CONCEPT IS JUST A TOTALLY REGULAR PERSON WHO CAN RISE TO THE OCCASION BECAUSE THAT'S THE AMERICAN CONCEPT.

VIEIRA: ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE TALES OF AN ORDINARY PERSON RISING UP IS THE BEST-SELLING TRILOGY "THE HUNGER GAMES" BY SUZANNE COLLINS.

THE SERIES TAKES PLACE IN A DYSTOPIAN FUTURE, WHERE CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ANNUAL TELEVISED FIGHT TO THE DEATH.

THE NOVEL'S HERO KATNISS EVERDEEN LIVES WITH HER MOTHER AND YOUNGER SISTER IN A POOR COAL-MINING DISTRICT.

WHEN HER SISTER IS SELECTED FOR THE HUNGER GAMES, KATNISS VOLUNTEERS IN HER PLACE, ARMED WITH THE TOOLS SHE HAS USED TO KEEP HER FAMILY ALIVE-- COURAGE, INTELLIGENCE, AND A BOW.

WOMAN: "WITHOUT THINKING I PULL AN ARROW FROM MY QUIVER..." "AND SEND IT STRAIGHT AT THE GAMEMAKERS' TABLE.

"I HEAR SHOUTS OF ALARM AS PEOPLE STUMBLE BACK.

"EVERYONE STARES AT ME IN DISBELIEF.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, I SAY.

"THEN I GIVE A SLIGHT BOW "AND WALK STRAIGHT TOWARD THE EXIT WITHOUT BEING DISMISSED."

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASSAGES BECAUSE THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE YOU REALLY SEE THAT REVOLUTIONARY BEHIND KATNISS.

YOU SEE THIS DEFIANCE, AND YOU SEE THAT SHE DOESN'T NEED THEIR PERMISSION TO SURVIVE.

MY NAME IS MEGAN DEL PRIOR, AND MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "THE HUNGER GAMES."

I AM THE DIRECTOR OF GOTHAM ARCHERY.

THE WHOLE REASON I EVEN APPLIED HERE WAS BECAUSE "THE HUNGER GAMES," READING THAT BOOK AND SAYING, "I WANT TO DO ARCHERY.

I WANT TO BE KATNISS FOR REAL."

KOHEN: WHEN KATNISS GOES INTO THE HUNGER GAMES, SHE MIGHT HAVE A KIND OF FEAR, SHE MIGHT BE WORRIED, ALL THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT NORMAL PEOPLE WOULD FEEL, BUT BECAUSE SHE HAS THIS KIND OF SKILLSET, WE KNOW AS THE READER THAT SHE HAS THE ABILITY TO COME OUT ON TOP AT THE END.

MEGAN, VOICE-OVER: FOR ME, ARCHERY IS A WAY TO BOTH SURVIVE BUT ALSO TO BE INDEPENDENT AND SELF-SUFFICIENT.

VIEIRA: MEGAN'S MOTHER READ "THE HUNGER GAMES" FIRST AND IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF HER DAUGHTER.

WOMAN: MEGAN IS JUST NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL OR TYPICAL GIRL.

SHE'S THE DRAGON RIDER AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, THE PRINCESS BEING SAVED, SO I WAS LIKE, "YOU GOT TO READ THIS."

MEGAN: WHEN I FIRST PICKED UP "THE HUNGER GAMES," MY FATHER HAD JUST PASSED AWAY.

VIEIRA: LIKE KATNISS EVERDEEN, MEGAN IS THE ELDEST IN HER FAMILY AND LOST HER FATHER.

FOR BOTH OF THEM, THAT LOSS MEANT LIFE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME.

MEGAN: MY FATHER WAS LIKE MY ROCK IN MY LIFE, AND KATNISS' FATHER IS ALSO LIKE HER ROCK WHEN SHE'S YOUNGER, AND HE TEACHES HER A LOT OF WHAT SHE KNOWS TO SURVIVE.

DELILAH: THE MOTHER OF THE BOOK HAD LOST HER HUSBAND.

MOM WENT INTO HER OWN WORLD AND WITHDREW, AND MEGAN UNDERSTANDS THAT AND ROSE TO THE OCCASION TO LOOK AFTER HER SIBLINGS.

MEGAN: IT WAS A STRUGGLE TO CONTINUE TO LIVE REGULAR, DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, SO I TOOK ON THAT ROLE OF BIG SISTER AND SOMETIMES MOM AND SOMETIMES FUNNY CARETAKER.

YOUNG: I THINK KATNISS HAS HAD TO GROW UP EARLY.

SHE'S SERVING ALMOST AS A PARENT FIGURE TO HER LITTLE SISTER BUT ALSO SHOWS HER BRAVERY.

WOMAN: "AT SOME POINT, YOU HAVE TO STOP RUNNING "AND TURN AROUND AND FACE WHOEVER WANTS YOU DEAD.

THE HARD THING IS FINDING THE COURAGE TO DO IT."

YOUNG: I THINK "THE HUNGER GAMES" ARE POPULAR BECAUSE THEY EXPRESS SOMEONE VULNERABLE, WHO BECOMES A HERO.

WE ALL SOMETIMES FEEL CAUGHT UP IN THINGS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, AND HOW DO WE DEAL WITH IT, AND I THINK IN THAT IS WHERE YOU SEE THE BOOKS' POPULARITY?

THEY'RE ALSO FUN TO READ.

VIEIRA: "THE HUNGER GAMES" WAS THE FIRST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL TO SELL MORE THAN A MILLION E-BOOKS.

MUCH OF THAT SUCCESS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO KATNISS EVERDEEN'S APPEAL AS A NEW GENERATION OF GIRL HERO THAT YOUNG ADULT READERS ARE DRAWN TO-- BOTH RELATABLE AND COMPLEX.

MEGAN, VOICE-OVER: KATNISS EVERDEEN IS BRAVE, SHE'S FIERCE, BUT SHE'S STOIC... AND READING THAT BOOK JUST KIND OF SHAPED AND HELPED ME FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IN THESE CHARACTERISTICS THAT I HAVE MYSELF.

PLEASE VOTE FOR MY FAVORITE BOOK "THE HUNGER GAMES."

IT PROVES THAT AGAINST ALL ODDS, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, WHAT SOCIAL CLASS YOU ARE, WHAT ETHNICITY YOU ARE, WHAT GENDER YOU ARE, YOU CAN BEAT ALL OF THE ODDS.

MAN: MOST OF THE PEOPLE I WRITE ABOUT ARE EVERYDAY HEROES.

I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MOST POSITIVE THING ABOUT HEROIC CHARACTERS IS IT JUST SAYS-- IT'S NOT THAT WE NECESSARILY CAN ALL GET TO THAT LEVEL AS MUCH AS WE CAN UP OUR GAME.

VIEIRA: AUTHOR JAMES PATTERSON KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT EVERYDAY HEROES.

HIS DETECTIVE CHARACTER ALEX CROSS IS THE STAR OF ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BOOK SERIES OF ALL TIME-- 24 AND COUNTING SINCE THE FIRST BOOK, "ALONG CAME A SPIDER," IN 1993.

PATTERSON: ALEX IS A POLICEMAN, A DETECTIVE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., BUT HE'S ALSO AN INCREDIBLE FAMILY PERSON, AND HE'S BALANCING THAT.

HE WORKS ON SOME OF THE HARDEST CASES, AND D.C.'S A TOUGH TOWN.

ALEX IS A REAL FLESH-AND-BLOOD CHARACTER.

HE'S COMPLEX, AND HE SOLVES VERY GRISLY MURDERS FREQUENTLY, AND THAT HAS AN EFFECT ON HIM, AND IT HAS AN EFFECT ON HIS FAMILY.

HI.

I'M SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, AND MY FAVORITE BOOK TO READ IS THE "ALEX CROSS" SERIES.

HE'S A REAL-LIFE HERO.

YOU KNOW, WHENEVER YOU CAN SAVE SOMEONE'S LIVES OR, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT INFORMATION THAT HELPS YOU, YOU KNOW, SOLVE A CRIME, DEFINITELY MAKES YOU A HERO.

PATTERSON: WHEN I WRITE THE BOOKS, I'M SOLVING A PUZZLE IN FIGURING OUT WHAT THE STORY NEEDS TO BE, THE MYSTERY, HOW IT PROCEEDS, THE TWISTS AND THE TURNS, AND ALEX MUST SOLVE THE MYSTERIES.

YOUNG: I THINK WE SPARK TO EVERYDAY HEROES BECAUSE WE WISH TO BE THEM.

WE CELEBRATE THE EVERYMAN, THE EVERYPERSON, AND YOU EVEN SEE THAT IN MOMENTS OF GREAT TRAGEDY.

9-11, I THINK YOU SEE HOW PEOPLE ARE REALLY DRAWN TO FIREFIGHTERS OR EMERGENCY WORKERS OR THE PEOPLE WHO WENT BEYOND THEIR JOB.

THEY RUSHED IN WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD.

PATTERSON: I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE LOVE THE SERIES IS THEY CAN IDENTIFY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FOR YOUR WORK AND THEN YOUR FAMILY LIFE.

TURNER: "I KISSED MY GRANDMOTHER "ON THE WAY OUT THE KITCHEN DOOR.

"WE'VE DONE THAT SINCE I WAS 8 YEARS OLD.

"WE ALSO SAY GOODBYE "JUST IN CASE WE NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN.

"IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS, "EVER SINCE NANA MAMA FIRST TOOK ME IN "AND DECIDED SHE COULD MAKE SOMETHING OF ME.

"SHE MADE A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE "WITH A DOCTORATE IN PSYCHOLOGY, "WHO WORKS AND LIVES IN THE GHETTOES OF WASHINGTON, D.C." PATTERSON: ALEX HAS TURNED DOWN SEVERAL JOBS THAT WOULD MAKE HIM A BIGGER PERSON IN THE DEPARTMENT.

HE PREFERS TO WORK WHERE HE GREW UP, WHERE HE CONSIDERS TO BE A LOT OF PROBLEMS, AND I ADMIRE THAT ABOUT HIM.

O'NEAL: MR. PATTERSON, I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO STEP OUT OF THE SHAQ CHARACTER AND BECOME ALEX CROSS, AND IF YOU EVER WANT TO DO A BOOK AND CALL IT "SHAQ CROSS," I'M IN.

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE FOR THE "ALEX CROSS" SERIES OR ELSE.

VIEIRA: BE A HERO YOURSELF AND JOIN THE GREAT AMERICAN READ.

CHECK OUT ALL 100 TITLES AT PBS.ORG.

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

AMONG YOUR FAVORITE NOVELS FEATURING ORDINARY HEROES, A NUMBER ARE SET DURING SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS IN HISTORY, AND THAT IS CERTAINLY TRUE OF "THE HELP" BY KATHRYN STOCKETT.

THE BOOK IS SET IN MISSISSIPPI DURING THE 1960S CIVIL RIGHTS ERA.

AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN NAMED AIBILEEN PEELS BACK THE CURTAIN ON WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK AS A HOUSEHOLD MAID.

SHE REVEALS TO A YOUNG, WHITE NEWSPAPER REPORTER THE HARSH WORKING CONDITIONS THAT SHE AND HER FELLOW MAIDS FACE, PUTTING HERSELF AT GREAT PERSONAL RISK.

KOHEN: AIBILEEN IS TAKING THIS ACTION ON BEHALF OF A MUCH BIGGER GROUP, WHO DOESN'T HAVE THIS KIND OF VOICE, RIGHT, OR AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD.

I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU GET HERE THAT REALLY MAKES THIS STORY UNIQUE WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT HERO STORIES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

WILLIAMS: "THE HELP" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS.

THESE KIND OF BOOKS CAN BE CHALLENGING TO READ BECAUSE THIS IS REAL-LIFE STUFF.

IT'S PAINFUL.

IT'S NOT JUST A STORY.

IT'S THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO PEOPLE, AND SO FOR ME, IT CAN BE CHALLENGING, BUT I DO TRY TO CHALLENGE MYSELF TO ALSO READ THINGS THAT ARE NOT SO PRETTY.

WOMAN: "I WANT TO YELL SO LOUD THAT BABY GIRL CAN HEAR ME "THAT DIRTY AIN'T A COLOR, "DISEASE AIN'T THE NEGRO SIDE OF TOWN.

"I WANT TO STOP THAT MOMENT FROM COMING-- "AND IT COME IN EVERY WHITE CHILD'S LIFE-- "WHEN THEY START TO THINK THAT COLORED FOLKS AIN'T AS GOOD AS WHITES."

HEROIC TALES OF PEOPLE DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA MAKE SENSE TO ME BECAUSE THAT WAS A WAR.

IT WAS AN ALMOST CIVIL WAR, AND WE CELEBRATE WAR HEROES.

THERE WAS BLOODSHED, AND THERE WAS SACRIFICE AND ONE THAT THE FORCES OF PROGRESS AND GOOD MADE SOME SERIOUS HEADWAY IN THAT MANY OF US ARE LIVING ON THE DIVIDENDS OF NOW.

IT'S A STORY ABOUT HEROES AND WOMEN, AND I REALLY LIKE HAVING THOSE ROLE MODELS AND SEEING PEOPLE TRIUMPH.

HI.

I'M VENUS WILLIAMS, AND I AM ENCOURAGING YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN THE GREAT AMERICAN READ.

THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT BOOKS, AND IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS ON THE LIST?

OR MAYBE FIND A NEW FAVORITE BOOK?

YOU NEVER KNOW.

VIEIRA: ANOTHER CRUCIAL TIME IN OUR HISTORY, THE COLD WAR, IS THE SETTING FOR THIS NEXT NOVEL, FEATURING A HUGELY POPULAR EVERYDAY HERO-- CIA ANALYST JACK RYAN IN TOM CLANCY'S "THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER."

THE STORY FOLLOWS THE DEFECTION OF ONE OF THE SOVIET NAVY'S BEST SUBMARINE CAPTAINS TO THE UNITED STATES IN A STEALTH SUBMARINE CALLED THE "RED OCTOBER."

JACK RYAN IS CALLED IN TO ASSIST THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BEFORE TENSIONS WITH THE SOVIET UNION ESCALATE OUT OF CONTROL.

BRICK: "THE PATH JACK RYAN "HAD CHOSEN WAS IN THE CIA.

"THE AGENCY'S OFFICIAL MOTTO "WAS, THE TRUTH SHALL "MAKE YOU FREE.

"THE TRICK, HE TOLD HIMSELF AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, "WAS FINDING THAT TRUTH, "AND WHILE HE DOUBTED THAT HE WOULD EVER REACH "THIS SUBLIME STATE OF GRACE, "HE TOOK QUIET PRIDE IN HIS ABILITY TO PICK AT IT, ONE SMALL FRAGMENT AT A TIME."

WHAT MADE THAT BOOK SO COMPELLING TO PEOPLE WAS BASICALLY THAT IT HUMANIZED THE SOVIETS, THAT IT HAD TWO HEROES.

ONE WAS AN AMERICAN-- JACK RYAN-- AND THE OTHER WAS THE SOVIET SUBMARINE CAPTAIN.

AND IN A WAY, IT WAS SORT OF REASSURING TO THINK, "WELL, THERE'S GOOD PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES, SO WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA BLOW OURSELVES UP."

VIEIRA: TOM CLANCY WAS FASCINATED BY THE DETAILS OF SUBMARINE WARFARE, AND HE SENT A MANUSCRIPT TO THE UP-AND-COMING NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FRED RAINBOW RECORDED AND SENT US THIS INSIDE STORY.

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE FIRST CALL THAT ANYBODY HAD FROM THE NAVAL INSTITUTE FROM TOM CLANCY.

VIEIRA: CLANCY HAD METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED HIS MANUSCRIPT, WHICH FEATURED DETAILS ABOUT LIFE ON A NAVAL SUBMARINE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN REVEALED.

RAINBOW: THE REAL CONCERN FOR THE UNITED STATES NAVY WAS THAT WE WERE GIVING AWAY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

WE HAD SENT THIS TO A COUPLE ACTIVE DUTY OFFICERS TO REVIEW THE MANUSCRIPT.

THEY BELIEVED THE MANUSCRIPT HAD TO BE CLASSIFIED.

VIEIRA: THE NAVY ACTUALLY CONDUCTED AN INVESTIGATION AND DETERMINED THAT THE NOVEL CONTAINED NOTHING CLASSIFIED.

RAINBOW: THE THING THAT THEY DIDN'T EXPECT IS THAT TOM CLANCY WAS A TREMENDOUS INTERVIEWER, AND THE PEOPLE HE INTERVIEWED WERE PEOPLE WHO GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ON U.S. SUBMARINES.

PRESIDENT RONALD REGAN CALLED THE BOOK "UNPUTDOWNABLE," CATAPULTING IT TO THE BESTSELLER LIST.

"THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER" WAS NOT ONLY A HUGE SUCCESS FOR CLANCY BUT ALSO FOR THE ENTIRE U.S. NAVY.

RAINBOW: FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, THE U.S. SUBMARINERS FELT GOOD.

THEY HAD SWAGGER IN THEIR STEP.

IT AFFECTED POSITIVELY RECRUITMENT FOR THE SUBMARINE FORCE, AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE SUBMARINE FORCE OF THE SOVIET NAVY AT THE TIME WAS HURT BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY KNEW AS HARD AS THEY COULD RUN THEY COULDN'T CATCH UP TO THE U.S NAVY.

VIEIRA: JACK RYAN IS CLEARLY THE KIND OF HERO THAT MANY AMERICANS WANT AND NEED EVEN TODAY.

THE SERIES CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR IN THE WORLD WITH 21 TITLES, ALL OF THEM HITTING THE "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER LIST.

MAN: JACK RYAN IS A THINKING MAN'S HERO, AND HE'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY "THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER" IS MY FAVORITE BOOK, AND I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT.

VIEIRA: IF YOU LOVE A BOOK, TALK ABOUT IT AND VOTE FOR IT.

YOU CAN VOTE ONCE A DAY EVERY DAY AT PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD, AND REMEMBER TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND PINTEREST.

YOUR VOTES ARE COMING IN FOR ANOTHER STORY OF EVERYDAY HEROES, THE YOUNG ADULT NOVEL "THE GIVER."

THIS NEWBERRY-AWARD-WINNING BOOK BY LOIS LOWRY IS A SELECTION FOR THE NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FREE MINDS BOOK CLUB LOCATED...

INSIDE THE D.C.

JAIL.

WOMAN: HOW'S EVERYBODY DOING?

ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT.

YEAH?

WOMAN, VOICE-OVER: THE MAJORITY OF OUR MEMBERS DIDN'T GROW UP WITH BOOKS IN THE HOME, AND SO WHEN THEY'RE INTRODUCED TO IT, IT'S LIKE A WORLD OPENS UP TO THEM THAT'S INCREDIBLE TO WITNESS.

VIEIRA: "THE GIVER" CENTERS AROUND 12-YEAR-OLD JONAS, WHO LIVES IN A SEEMINGLY PERFECT SOCIETY CALLED THE COMMUNITY, WHERE MEMORIES AND FEELINGS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED.

JONAS IS APPOINTED THE ROLE OF THE RECEIVER, MAKING HIM THE ONLY ONE TO RECALL ANY MEMORIES, GOOD OR BAD.

HE EVENTUALLY DISCOVERS THE COMMUNITY'S DARK SIDE AND TAKES A DARING STEP TO SAVE A LIFE AND SEEK FREEDOM.

WOMAN: OK.

SO WHAT DO WE ALL THINK OF JONAS?

MAN: HE WAS COURAGEOUS.

HE WAS COURAGEOUS.

WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?

WELL, AT FIRST, HE SEEMED TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

THAT'S ALL HE KNEW, BUT THEN IT SEEMED LIKE, ONCE HE GOT HIS JOB, IT SEEMED THAT HE STARTED TO-- WANTED TO SEE THINGS DIFFERENT ONCE HE STARTED LEARNING ABOUT COLORS AND MEMORIES AND ASPECTS OF LIFE THAT HE DIDN'T GET IN HIS WORLD, SO HE WANTED TO--LIKE, HE WANTED TO START VENTURING OFF.

THAT'S WHAT IT APPEARED TO ME.

BOY: "JONAS WENT ON.

"THINGS COULD BE DIFFERENT.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW, "BUT THERE MUST BE SOME WAY FOR THINGS TO BE DIFFERENT.

"THERE COULD BE COLORS.

"AND GRANDPARENTS, HE ADDED, "STARING THROUGH THE DIMNESS "TOWARD THE CEILING OF HIS SLEEPINGROOM.

AND EVERYBODY WOULD HAVE THE MEMORIES."

JONAS WAS A HERO.

WOMAN: MM-HMM.

THINK HE WAS A HERO.

DO YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD EXHIBIT SOME OF THOSE QUALITIES?

I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS A HERO, THOUGH.

ANYTHING HEROIC THAT YOU'VE EVER DONE OR CONSIDER HEROIC?

UH... OR SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO.

THERE WE GO.

OK.

I'LL STRIVE TO BE A HERO.

I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF A HERO, BUT I THINK WHAT I'M DOING NOW BY GETTING THIS G.E.D., EDUCATING MYSELF.

MM-HMM.

OK.

I'M GONNA BECOME A HERO.

THAT'S AWESOME.

THAT'S AWESOME.

SO YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY BEFORE?

NO.

I AIN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY BEFORE.

OK.

SO NOW YOU'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM.

THAT'S AWESOME.

AND I LOVE IT.

VOTE FOR "THE GIVER."

IT'S A GREAT BOOK.

IT'S A VERY INSPIRING STORY FOR EVERYBODY TO READ AROUND THE WORLD.

BE A PART OF THE GREAT AMERICAN READ... ALL: AND VOTE!

MAN: SO MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE IDEA OF THE HERO.

I THINK IT CONNECTS TO SOME DEEP HUMAN ASPIRATIONS OF US WANTING TO TEST OURSELVES, WHAT WE WOULD DO IN TIMES OF GREAT STRUGGLE AND TOIL AND WAR AND FAMINE AND WHATEVER THOSE CASES MAY BE.

WOMAN: THE HERO STORIES ARE THE REASON YOU GIVE SOMEBODY ELSE YOUR SEAT.

THEY'RE THE REASON THAT YOU MAKE A PHONE CALL TO YOUR CONGRESSMAN YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE.

THEY HELP YOU DO THOSE LITTLE THINGS BECAUSE THEY'VE INSPIRED YOU FOR SUCH BIGGER HEIGHTS.

VIEIRA: BASED ON YOUR VOTES, IT'S CLEAR AMERICANS ARE ALSO DRAWN TO HEROIC STORIES THAT TAKE ON A DARKER TWIST, FEATURING CHARACTERS THAT WE CONSIDER TRAGIC HEROES.

ROTHMAN: THERE'S A WHOLE FILM NOIR KIND OF ASPECT TO THE SORT OF WOUNDED AND HURT AMERICAN HERO, THE PERSON WHO KEEPS TRYING NO MATTER WHAT OR WHO TRIES DESPITE HIMSELF.

KOHEN: BECAUSE HEROISM IS RISKY, BECAUSE HEROISM REQUIRES SACRIFICE, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE MIGHT NOT MAKE IT OUT AT THE END, AND THAT'S TRUE OF ALL OF THE CHARACTERS THAT WE SEE WHO REALLY TAKE THESE EXTRAORDINARY ACTIONS AND CHANGE THE WORLD OR CHANGE LIVES AROUND THEM.

IF WE'RE NOT REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MORTAL, THEN WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO SAY, "THIS PRINCIPLE IS THE THING THAT I STAND ON," BECAUSE WE MIGHT TRADE OUR PRINCIPLES FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE LIFE.

VIEIRA: THE DECISION OF HOW TO SPEND OUR LIMITED TIME ON EARTH AND WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR THE ONES WE LOVE IS AT THE CENTER OF ANOTHER OF AMERICA'S FAVORITE BOOKS, FEATURING A TRAGIC HEROINE.

PUBLISHED IN 1952, E.B.

WHITE'S "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" IS STILL ONE OF OUR MOST BELOVED CLASSICS.

OF COURSE CHARLOTTE IS A HERO.

I INSIST UPON IT.

I MEAN, SURE, SHE CAME TO A STICKY, MESSY END, BUT SHE, YOU KNOW, SAVED WILBUR.

SHE DID SOMETHING WITH HER LIFE.

VIEIRA: "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" IS THE STORY OF A PIG NAMED WILBUR, WHO WAS BORN A RUNT.

HE IS SOLD TO A NEARBY FARM, WHERE THE PLAN IS THAT HE WILL BE SLAUGHTERED.

IN HIS NEW BARN, HE BEFRIENDS A SPIDER NAMED CHARLOTTE.

SHE COMES TO LOVE WILBUR SO MUCH THAT SHE HATCHES A PLAN TO SAVE HIS LIFE.

SHE SPINS MESSAGES TO MAKE THE HUMANS SEE WHAT SHE SEES IN WILBUR, A TERRIFIC PIG, BUT CHARLOTTE GIVES SO MUCH OF HERSELF IN THE PROCESS, SHE SACRIFICES HER OWN LIFE.

CHARLOTTE, UH, AS ANY REALLY GOOD FRIEND WOULD DO, UH, SAVES WILBUR'S LIFE.

WILBUR WAS THE RUNT OF A LITTER.

NOBODY WANTS HIM, NOBODY EXPECTS ANYTHING FROM HIM.

MM-HMM.

I'M AN ONLY CHILD.

I DIDN'T KNOW MY FATHER.

MY MOTHER PASSED ME TO MY GRANDPARENTS, AND THEY RAISED ME, SO IT MIRRORS-- ALL THE STUFF THAT I PICK KIND OF MIRRORS MY LIFE.

BOY, AS WILBUR: "WHY DID YOU DO ALL THIS FOR ME?

HE ASKED.

"I DON'T DESERVE IT.

I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU."

"YOU HAVE BEEN MY FRIEND, REPLIED CHARLOTTE.

"THAT IN ITSELF IS A TREMENDOUS THING.

"I WOVE MY WEBS FOR YOU BECAUSE I LIKE YOU.

"AFTER ALL, WHAT'S A LIFE ANYWAY?

"WE'RE BORN, WE LIVE A LITTLE WHILE, WE DIE.

"A SPIDER'S LIFE CAN'T HELP BEING SOMETHING OF A MESS "WITH ALL THIS TRAPPING AND EATING FLIES.

"BY HELPING YOU, PERHAPS I WAS TRYING TO LIFT "UP MY LIFE A TRIFLE.

HEAVEN KNOWS ANYBODY'S LIFE CAN STAND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT."

WOW.

AHH.

THE INHERENT TRUTH IS THAT NO MATTER HOW YOU'RE BORN AND NO MATTER HOW YOU'RE PERCEIVED, YOU WILL NOT MAKE IT THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT FRIENDS.

"CHARLOTTE'S WEB," IT'S LIKE A RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS NEVER GONE BAD.

LIKE, ME AND "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" ARE COOL.

LIKE, THERE'S NOTHING THAT THAT BOOK COULD EVER DO TO ME OTHER THAN BRING ME JUST GOOD TIMES.

HA HA!

VIEIRA: IN A SURVEY OF LIBRARIANS, TEACHERS, AND AUTHORS, "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" WAS CHOSEN AS THE NUMBER-ONE CHILDREN'S BOOK PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES.

WOMAN: WILBUR THINKS HE'S NOT GONNA MAKE IT THROUGH THE HEARTACHE OF LOSING HIS FRIEND, MENTOR, PROTECTOR, BUT HE DOES.

HE IS OK AT THE END, AND THAT'S WHY KIDS NEED TO READ THAT STORY SO THEY'LL KNOW THIS IS TERRIBLE, BUT YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT, YOU CAN MAKE IT.

I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" BECAUSE IT IS A FANTASTIC TALE OF FRIENDSHIP, OF COMMITMENT, OF LOVE, OF HOPE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT?

WHEN SOMEBODY'S WRITING MESSAGES IN A SPIDER WEB ABOUT YOU, TELLING PEOPLE HOW GREAT YOU ARE, THAT'S WHAT A TRUE FRIEND IS.

VIEIRA: ANOTHER OF YOUR BEST-LOVED BOOKS FEATURING A TRAGIC HERO WHO MAKES THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IS ONE OF THE MOST ENDURINGLY POPULAR, GEORGE ORWELL'S DYSTOPIAN NOVEL PUBLISHED IN 1949 ABOUT A VISION OF 1984.

IN A WORLD OF PERPETUAL WAR AND TOTALITARIAN RULE, WINSTON SMITH IS A LOW-RANKING GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE.

BIG BROTHER IS ALWAYS WATCHING, AND EVEN THINKING REBELLIOUS THOUGHTS IS A CRIME.

WINSTON RISKS HIS LIFE, WAGING A BATTLE FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND EXPRESSION, A BATTLE HE CANNOT WIN.

I'M REVEREND KATRINA FOSTER.

I'M THE PASTOR OF ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH IN GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN, AND MY FAVORITE BOOK IS "1984."

THE FIRST TIME I READ IT, I COULD SEE ITS RELEVANCE IN THE WORLD, AND IT HELPED ME TO SEE SOME REALITIES THAT WERE UNPLEASANT.

IT TAUGHT ME SOMETHING ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT IN A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION.

WINSTON SMITH IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER.

EVEN THOUGH THE STRUGGLE HE IS ENGAGED IN IS SO OVERWHELMING, HE STILL TRIES.

PREBBLE: "BEING IN A MINORITY, EVEN A MINORITY OF ONE, "DID NOT MAKE YOU MAD.

"THERE WAS TRUTH AND THERE WAS UNTRUTH, "AND IF YOU CLUNG TO THE TRUTH, EVEN AGAINST THE WHOLE WORLD, YOU WERE NOT MAD."

MOST AMERICANS, MOST HUMANS LIVE OUR LIVES IN STRUGGLE AND TRAGEDY MORE THAN ABSOLUTE TRIUMPH, SO THAT'S WHY I PREACH, "FAIL."

FAIL.

FAIL.

IF YOU HAVE NO FAILURE, IT MEANS YOU HAVEN'T TRIED.

I GREW UP IN A VERY TRADITIONAL FAMILY, WENT TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, AND WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD, I KNEW THAT I WAS CALLED TO BE A PASTOR.

I KNEW THAT THAT'S WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE.

I WAS THIS LITTLE TOMBOY.

I DID NOT BEHAVE LIKE STEREOTYPICAL GIRLS, AND MY PARENTS WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT.

AROUND THE AGE OF 14, I STARTED REALIZING THAT I KIND OF LIKED GIRLS IN THE SAME WAY THAT BOYS KIND OF LIKE GIRLS.

VIEIRA: YOUNG KATRINA HAD A LOT IN COMMON WITH THE BOOK.

IN "1984," PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE FORBIDDEN, BUT WINSTON INTENTIONALLY SEEKS OUT ONE OF HIS CO-WORKERS.

FOSTER: I IDENTIFY WITH THAT A LOT, BUT I ALSO IDENTIFY WITH THE THINGS THAT PUSHED HIM TO DO THE THINGS THAT GOT HIM IN TROUBLE, TO LOOK AT THE WORLD AND SAY, "THIS IS NOT RIGHT," TO WANT TO LOVE AND BE LOVED, TO WANT TO MAKE HUMAN CONNECTION.

VIEIRA: LIKE WINSTON, PASTOR FOSTER FELL IN LOVE, BUT WHEN SHE AND HER WIFE STARTED A FAMILY, IT BROUGHT HER UP AGAINST THE RULES OF THE CHURCH.

FOSTER: IN 2007, APPROXIMATELY 70 PASTORS OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA CAME OUT TOGETHER AS GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR TRANS.

WE WERE WORKING TO CHANGE THE POLICY THAT EXPLICITLY STATED THAT GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL PASTORS WERE NOT ALLOWED BASICALLY TO HAVE FAMILIES, TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP.

AT THE 2007 GATHERING, I SPOKE ON THE FLOOR IN FAVOR OF POLICY CHANGE, AND THE POLICY FAILED, AND I WAS NOW IN THE CROSSHAIRS AS THE MOST OPEN LESBIAN WITH A FAMILY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, BUT WE WERE WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING.

AFTER MORE CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO CONVINCE THE CHURCH TO CHANGE THE POLICY.

AS WE WORK TOWARDS A PROGRESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, IT HAS NEVER COME EASILY, IT HAS NEVER COME WITHOUT COST, BUT IF WE REMEMBER WINSTON, HE WAS A TRAGIC HERO, YES, BUT HE IS AN EXAMPLE THAT SOMEONE HAS TO STAND UP.

KOHEN: HEROISM MEANS THAT EVERYTHING AROUND YOU HAS GONE WRONG, THAT THERE IS SOME SORT OF SYSTEMIC FAILURE.

"1984" IS A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE SYSTEM FAILING.

HEY, Y'ALL.

I'M REVEREND KATRINA FOSTER, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE FOR MY FAVORITE BOOK, "1984" BY GEORGE ORWELL, AND MAKE IT YOUR FAVORITE BOOK, TOO.

VIEIRA: A TIMELESS FAVORITE ABOUT PERSONAL SACRIFICE AND THE DRIVE TO OVERCOME ONE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN STRUGGLES IS "INVISIBLE MAN" BY RALPH ELLISON, PUBLISHED IN 1952.

IN THE BOOK, THE PROTAGONIST, SIMPLY CALLED NARRATOR, IS A BLACK MAN WHO LIVES HIS LIFE AS A MODEL CITIZEN AND CONTINUOUSLY TRIES TO UPLIFT HIMSELF AND HIS COMMUNITY, BUT AT EVERY TURN, HE COMES UP AGAINST A GAUNTLET OF DISCRIMINATION THAT LEADS TO HIS ULTIMATE AND TRAGIC END.

WOMAN: RALPH ELLISON STARTED OUT TO WRITE A WAR NOVEL, BUT THEN ONE DAY, HE JUST PUT DOWN "I AM AN INVISIBLE MAN," AND HE WONDERED, "WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?"

AND THE STORY CAME OUT OF JUST THAT STATEMENT.

NORTON: "I HAD NO DESIRE TO DESTROY MYSELF "EVEN IF I DESTROYED THE MACHINE; "I WANTED FREEDOM, NOT DESTRUCTION.

"IT WAS EXHAUSTING, FOR NO MATTER WHAT THE SCHEME I CONCEIVED, THERE WAS ONE CONSTANT FLAW--MYSELF."

REYNOLDS: "INVISIBLE MAN" IS AN INCREDIBLE TOUR DE FORCE THAT EXPLORED RACE IN A NEW WAY BY DELVING INTO THE IDEA OF SOCIAL INVISIBILITY AMONGST BLACK PEOPLE, SPECIFICALLY BLACK MEN.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HYPERVISIBLE YET OUTRAGEOUSLY AND COMPLETELY INVISIBLE AT THE SAME TIME?

I FEEL THAT WAY ALL THE TIME STILL.

MARSALIS: THE FIRST TIME I READ "INVISIBLE MAN," I WAS ABOUT 14 OR 15 YEARS OLD, AND I CAN REMEMBER JUST BEING CONFUSED BY THE BOOK AND THE SERIOUSNESS AND DEPTH OF IT.

THE POLITICS OF THE BOOK WERE VERY MUCH RELEVANT AND CONTEMPORARY.

VIEIRA: WYNTON MARSALIS MET RALPH ELLISON IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES, AND THE TWO BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS.

MARSALIS: I LEARNED AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT.

I RESPECTED HIS INTELLIGENCE AND HIS INSIGHT.

I WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME HE SPENT WITH ME.

I LOVED HIM.

WHAT COULD I SAY ABOUT IT?

IT'S LIKE SOMEBODY IN MY FAMILY.

VIEIRA: ELLISON EXPLODED ONTO THE LITERARY SCENE WITH THE PUBLICATION OF "INVISIBLE MAN," WHICH WON THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND SPENT 16 WEEKS ON THE BESTSELLER LIST.

MARSALIS: INVISIBLE MAN IS THE MOST POETIC ATTEMPT IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, NOT JUST AFRO-AMERICAN, AT DEFINING, EXPLAINING, AND HELPING YOU TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT THAT GAUNTLET OF THINGS ARE FROM THE EYES OF A REGULAR PERSON.

THE NARRATOR-- GOOD DUDE, NOT BAD, TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF THE WORLD, AND EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES IS HOT.

EVERY TIME HE PUTS HIS HAND ON SOMETHING, HE'S GETTING SHOCKED.

EVERY PERSON HE TRUSTS, ALL OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, IT'S ALL CORRUPT, AND ALL OF THAT CORRUPTION IS FOR HIM TO ACCEPT A POSITION OF INFERIORITY UNQUESTIONED, AND I REALLY COULD RELATE TO THAT BECAUSE THAT WAS VERY MUCH THE LIFE THAT I WAS LIVING.

I CONSIDERED THE BOOK TO BE A BLUEPRINT FOR MODERN LIVING.

AND THE TYPE OF HOPELESSNESS THAT THE NARRATOR CONCLUDES, WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE OF OUR COUNTRY FOR THE AVERAGE, EVERYDAY AMERICAN, WHITE AND BLACK, YOU HAVE THAT FEELING.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

YOU CAN HATE SOME OTHER PEOPLE, BUT THEY'RE NOT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

KOHEN: THE NARRATOR IS FACED WITH A HUGE SYSTEMIC PROBLEM IN THE SAME WAY THAT OTHER TRAGIC HEROES ARE LIKE WINSTON SMITH IN "1984."

THE SYSTEM IS BAD, RIGHT?

THERE IS THIS RACISM THAT IS INHERENT IN THE WHOLE SYSTEM, AND THE ABILITY TO OVERCOME THAT SEEMS BASICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

MARSALIS: WHEN HE GOES DOWN UNDERGROUND AND HIS CONCLUSION IS TO EMBRACE HIS INVISIBILITY, IT'S LIKE THE CONCLUSION THAT EVERY MAN GETS WHEN THERE'S TOO MUCH FOR HIM OR HER.

MY NAME IS WYNTON MARSALIS.

IF YOU WANT TO BE A PART THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, GO TO OUR PBS WEBSITE AND VOTE.

WE NEED YOU TO VOTE.

VIEIRA: THERE ARE EVEN MORE GREAT BOOKS ABOUT HEROES ON AMERICA'S BOOKSHELF.

CHECK OUT ALL THESE TITLES AT PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD.

THEN KEEP READING, SHARING WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND MOST OF ALL--VOTING.

WE'VE EXPLORED THE BOOKS YOU LOVE THAT FEATURE EVERYDAY AND TRAGIC HEROES, BUT THERE'S ONE MORE GROUP THAT'S CLEARLY A VOTER FAVORITE-- THE UNLIKELY OR ANTIHERO, WHERE THE MAIN CHARACTER DOESN'T SEEM TO POSSESS ANY OF THE CLASSIC HEROIC QUALITIES.

KOHEN: THE ANTIHERO REQUIRES US TO DO MORE WORK TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS CHARACTER THAT WE VALUE.

THE READER GETS TO SEE A DIFFERENT PERSON, A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING, A DIFFERENT WAY OF EXPERIENCING LIFE.

I THINK MY FAVORITE HEROES ARE UNLIKELY HEROES.

THEY'RE HEROES WE DON'T EXPECT TO DO WHAT THEY ARE ABLE TO DO.

I THINK THIS IS TRUE OF "THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME" OR "DON QUIXOTE," WHERE YOU HAVE A FIGURE RACING AGAINST WINDMILLS.

THOSE QUALITIES OF UNLIKELINESS HELP US THINK ABOUT WHAT SHOULD A HERO BE LIKE AND HOW DOES A HERO ACT LIKE.

VIEIRA: READERS NATIONWIDE ARE VOTING FOR ONE OF THE CLASSIC PORTRAYALS OF AN UNLIKELY HERO-- MIGUEL DE CERVANTES' "DON QUIXOTE"...

THE MOST PUBLISHED AND TRANSLATED NOVEL IN THE WORLD AND A TOP SELLER SINCE IT WAS WRITTEN MORE THAN 400 YEARS AGO.

IT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE FIRST MODERN NOVEL BECAUSE OF HOW REALISTIC AND FLESHED OUT THE CHARACTERS ARE.

SEHGAL: YOU DON'T GET MORE LOVABLE THAN DON QUIXOTE.

HE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF CHARACTER WHO THE READER CAN BOTH ADORE AND FEEL SUPERIOR TO AND FEEL IN AWE OF.

THERE'S NO SUMMING HIM UP.

THERE'S NO ENCAPSULATING HIM.

YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THAT INTENSELY LONG, YOU KNOW, LAYERED NOVEL AND JUST-- AND JUST ENJOY HIM.

VIEIRA: SET IN SPAIN IN THE EARLY 1600S, "DON QUIXOTE" IS THE STORY OF AN AGING NOBLEMAN, WHO SPENDS HIS TIME READING BOOKS ABOUT MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS AND BECOMES OBSESSED WITH CHIVALRY.

HE DECLARES HIMSELF A KNIGHT, TAKES UP A LANCE AND SWORD, AND ROAMS THE COUNTRY ON A QUEST TO DEFEND THE HELPLESS AND DEFEAT THE WICKED.

SCHOLARS HAVE LONG DEBATED IS DON QUIXOTE SANE, OR HAS HE LOST HIS MIND?

KOHEN: I DON'T THINK OF DON QUIXOTE AS CRAZY.

I SEE HIM AS BEING A PERSON FROM A DIFFERENT TIME STRANDED WHERE HE IS.

GUIDALL: "THEY SAW 30 OR 40 OF THE WINDMILLS "FOUND IN THAT COUNTRYSIDE, "AND AS SOON AS DON QUIXOTE CAUGHT SIGHT OF THEM, "HE SAID TO HIS SQUIRE: "GOOD FORTUNE IS GUIDING OUR AFFAIRS BETTER "THAN WE COULD HAVE DESIRED, "FOR THERE YOU SEE, FRIEND SANCHO PANZA, "30 OR MORE ENORMOUS GIANTS WITH WHOM I INTEND TO DO BATTLE AND WHOSE LIVES I INTEND TO TAKE."

KOHEN: HIS WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD IS PASSED, BUT HE CAN'T REALLY ADJUST.

HE IS WHO HE IS.

HE CAN'T BECOME A DIFFERENT PERSON, AND IT'S HIS COMMITMENT TO WHO HE IS THAT I THINK IS FUNDAMENTALLY HEROIC.

VIEIRA: AMERICANS' FASCINATION WITH DON QUIXOTE GOES BACK CENTURIES.

IN FACT, ONE OF OUR COUNTRY'S FIRST HEROES PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS EVEN A FAN.

THE PRESIDENT OF MOUNT VERNON SENT US THIS LITTLE-KNOWN STORY ABOUT A PRICELESS COPY OF THE NOVEL STILL HOUSED AT WASHINGTON'S HISTORIC HOME.

MAN: GEORGE WASHINGTON IS AT A DINNER PARTY AT BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S HOUSE.

THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR'S THERE, AND THERE'S A CONVERSATION ABOUT CERVANTES AND ABOUT DON QUIXOTE.

AFTER THAT DINNER, GEORGE WASHINGTON GOES ON HIS OWN MISSION TO ACQUIRE A COPY, AND HE PURCHASED THIS ON THE SAME DAY THAT HE SIGNED THE CONSTITUTION, SEPTEMBER 17, 1787.

IT'S REALLY EXTRAORDINARY.

IN HIS ACCOUNT BOOK, HE GOES DOWN TO SOME BOOKSELLER AND PURCHASES IT FOR 22 SHILLINGS AND A FEW PENCE.

VIEIRA: IN DON QUIXOTE, GEORGE WASHINGTON RECOGNIZED A KINDRED SPIRIT.

BRADBURN: AS A YOUNG MAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON WRITES DOWN THE RULES OF CIVILITY AND BEHAVIOR, WHICH CAME FROM A JESUIT TEXT FROM THE 17TH CENTURY, SO THAT RIGHT THERE CONNECTS DIRECTLY TO THE ERA OF CERVANTES.

AFTER GEORGE WASHINGTON DIES, HE HAS "DON QUIXOTE" ON ONE OF THE TABLES IN THE STUDY.

IT IS OUT IN PUBLIC, SO PERHAPS HE WAS READING IT IN HIS DYING DAYS.

WE DON'T KNOW.

ISAACSON: I THINK DON QUIXOTE'S ONE OF THE GREAT HEROES IN LITERATURE, AND IGNATIUS J. REILLY IS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS.

VIEIRA: IGNATIUS J. REILLY IS THE UNLIKELY AND UNFORGETTABLE HERO OF THE PULITZER-PRIZE-WINNING "A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES."

SET IN NEW ORLEANS, THE NOVEL FOLLOWS IGNATIUS, AN OBESE 30-YEAR-OLD SCHOLAR WHO LIVES WITH HIS MOTHER.

HE LAUNCHES A CRUSADE AGAINST MODERNITY, WHICH HE THINKS IS THE DOWNFALL OF HUMANKIND.

MAN: "I AM AT THE MOMENT WRITING "A LENGTHY INDICTMENT "AGAINST OUR CENTURY.

"WHEN MY BRAIN BEGINS TO REEL FROM MY LITERARY LABORS, I MAKE AN OCCASIONAL CHEESE DIP."

ISAACSON: "CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES" ECHOES A LOT OF "DON QUIXOTE."

HE'S READY TO TAKE ON THE PRETENSIONS AND THE RIDICULOUSNESS OF THE WORLD WE FIND OURSELVES IN.

VIEIRA: THE BOOK'S AUTHOR JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO GET THE MANUSCRIPT PUBLISHED, AND HE COMMITTED SUICIDE IN 1969.

AFTER HIS DEATH, TOOLE'S MOTHER TOOK UP HER SON'S CAUSE.

AT THE TIME, WALTER ISAACSON WAS A LOCAL NEWSPAPER REPORTER.

I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF "CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES" WELL BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED.

THELMA TOOLE, JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE'S MOTHER, WAS PEDDLING IT AROUND, AND YOU'D SUDDENLY SEE HER SWEEP IN ALL OF HER GRANDEUR AND ALL OF HER STYLE AND PUT THIS BIG BOX ON MY DESK, AND I REMEMBER GOING PAGE BY PAGE THROUGH IT AND THINKING, "THIS IS THE GREATEST UNPUBLISHED NOVEL IN NEW ORLEANS," AND IT WASN'T JUST A NEW ORLEANS NOVEL.

IT WAS LIKE THE GREATEST UNPUBLISHED NOVEL OF ALL.

LIKE MANY GREAT CHARACTERS IN LITERATURE, IGNATIUS IS ALIENATED FROM THE WORLD AROUND HIM.

HE IS NOT SOMEBODY WHO CAN PARTICIPATE TOO EASILY IN THE WORLD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE'S JUST AWKWARD-- AWKWARD PHYSICALLY, AWKWARD SOCIALLY, AWKWARD MENTALLY--WHEN HE TRIES TO DEAL WITH THINGS.

HE BELIEVES EVERYBODY HAS LOST TOUCH WITH THE DEEPER BEAUTY IN LIFE, AND ONLY HE-- IGNATIUS J. REILLY-- CAN UNDERSTAND IT.

IGNATIUS J. REILLY'S GOAL IS NOTHING LESS THAN TRANSFORMING ALL OF NEW ORLEANS AND THE WORLD IN GENERAL BECAUSE EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD IS KIND OF LESS REFINED.

OF COURSE, HE'S A REAL BUFFOON IN A WAY, AND HE'S MILDLY SELF-AWARE OF THAT, BUT IT HELPS HIM NAVIGATE THE WEIRDNESS OF THE WORLD IN WHICH HE FINDS HIMSELF.

I'M WALTER ISAACSON, AND MY BOOK IS JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE'S "A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES."

IF IT'S YOURS, GO TO THE PBS WEBSITE AND MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT.

VIEIRA: WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE BOOKS ON YOUR LIST?

HOP OVER TO PBS.ORG AND EXPLORE.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE GREAT AMERICAN READ EVENTS.

YOUNG: I THINK OUR AMERICAN NOTIONS OF HEROISM HAVE CHANGED.

AFTER WORLD WAR II, YOU SEE ALMOST MORE AND MORE ANTIHEROES.

YOU ALSO SEE IT IN SOME OF OUR PROTAGONISTS THAT AREN'T EXACTLY HEROIC, OR IN SOME CASES, YOU EVEN SEE HEROES THAT ARE MORE LIKE VILLAINS, AND THAT REALLY TENSION THAT I THINK IS WORKING OUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A HERO IS REALLY AN INTERESTING ONE.

HEY, EVERYBODY.

I'M SETH MEYERS.

I KNOW A LOT OF YOU CHOSE "CATCH-22" AS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK.

WELL, IT IS MINE, TOO.

VIEIRA: "CATCH-22" FOLLOWS CAPTAIN JOHN YOSSARIAN, WHO HAS ONE WISH-- TO COME OUT OF THE WAR ALIVE.

TO DO THAT, HE HAS TO SURVIVE THE DANGEROUS COMBAT MISSIONS HE IS CONSTANTLY ORDERED TO FLY.

LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT, YOSSARIAN FALSELY CLAIMS THAT HE IS INSANE, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT BY KNOWING HE IS INSANE HE HAS PROVEN THAT HE IS OBVIOUSLY SANE.

IN SHORT, HE FINDS HIMSELF CAUGHT IN A CATCH-22, AN EXPRESSION CREATED IN THE NOVEL BY AUTHOR JOSEPH HELLER.

MEYERS: THIS BOOK HAS A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THE ABSURDITY OF THE MILITARY AND ALSO, I FEEL LIKE, SHOWS US THE CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY SERVE BECAUSE THE CRITICISMS OF THE MILITARY IN THIS BOOK ARE SO MUCH MORE OF THE PEOPLE THAT RUN IT AS OPPOSED TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE COGS IN THE MACHINE.

VIEIRA: UP UNTIL THE 1960S, WARTIME NOVELS TENDED TO BE SOLEMN AND SERIOUS, BUT HELLER PORTRAYED WAR AS A DARK COMEDY FULL OF ABSURDITY.

THE BOOK'S PUBLICATION IN 1961 WAS RIGHT AS THE VIETNAM WAR WAS INTENSIFYING, SO IT APPEARED AT A TIME WHEN MANY AMERICANS WERE QUESTIONING THE GOVERNMENT'S MOTIVATION FOR WAR.

MEYERS: WHAT HELLER DOES A GREAT JOB WITH IS HE SHOWS THAT THERE'S ALL DIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE WHO SERVE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DO IT THAT ARE AT THEIR CORE INCREDIBLY BRAVE.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE COWARDLY BUT ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO BE BRAVE.

THEY'RE PUTTING THEIR LIVES AT RISK THE SAME WAY YOSSARIAN IS, AND THAT REBELLIOUS SPIRIT AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS SO FUNNY IS WHAT MADE HIM SO SPECIAL TO ME.

SANDERS: "THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL ME, "YOSSARIAN TOLD HIM CALMLY.

"NO ONE'S TRYING TO KILL YOU, CLEVINGER CRIED.

"THEN WHY ARE THEY SHOOTING AT ME?

YOSSARIAN ASKED.

"THEY'RE SHOOTING AT EVERYONE, CLEVINGER ANSWERED.

"THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE."

"AND WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE?"

MEYERS: "CATCH-22" WAS BOTH INCREDIBLY FUNNY AND INCREDIBLY MOVING, AND IT'S JUST ALWAYS BEEN A BOOK I LIKE GOING BACK TO.

PEEPLES: THE BEAUTY OF A NOVEL LIKE "CATCH-22" IS THAT IT DOES VALIDATE THAT DEEP SENSE "OF THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG HERE THAT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT."

IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FRIEND THAT PUTS ITS ARM AROUND YOUR SHOULDER AND SAYS, "IT'S NOT JUST YOU.

LIKE, I SEE THIS, TOO, AND WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER," AND THAT'S WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT A BOOK LIKE THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IT LASTS AND CONTINUES AS A FAVORITE FOR PEOPLE.

MEYERS: HEY, GUYS.

PLEASE, PLEASE BE A PART OF THE GREAT AMERICAN READ AND GET OUT THERE AND VOTE.

VIEIRA: OUR FINAL EXAMPLE OF AN UNLIKELY HERO IS ALSO THE MOST RECENTLY PUBLISHED OF THE GROUP, 2003'S "THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME" BY MARK HADDON.

THE STORY IS TOLD TO US BY CHRISTOPHER, A 15-YEAR-OLD ENGLISH BOY WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY BRAIN BUT WHO FINDS EVERYDAY LIFE A CHALLENGE.

WHEN A NEIGHBOR'S DOG IS KILLED, CHRISTOPHER HARNESSES HIS DIFFERENCES TO TRY TO SOLVE THE CRIME.

YOUNG: WHAT'S POWERFUL ABOUT THE "CURIOUS INCIDENT" IS WE HAVE THIS FIRST PERSON WHO'S SPEAKING IN WAYS THAT WE DON'T ALWAYS GET TO HEAR.

THAT INTIMACY OF THAT VOICE IS REALLY POWERFUL.

IT'S A FEAT TO CREATE.

IT STRIKES ME IN SOME WAYS THAT IT'S GIVING VOICE AND PROVIDING THIS EYE THAT ISN'T ALWAYS SEEN.

WOODMAN: "MR. JEAVONS SAID THAT I LIKED MATHS "BECAUSE IT WAS SAFE.

"HE SAID I LIKED MATHS "BECAUSE IT MEANT SOLVING PROBLEMS, "AND THESE PROBLEMS WERE DIFFICULT AND INTERESTING, "BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS A STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER "AT THE END.

"AND WHAT HE MEANT WAS THAT MATHS WASN'T LIKE LIFE "BECAUSE IN LIFE THERE ARE NO STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS "AT THE END.

I KNOW HE MEANT THIS BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT HE SAID."

MY NAME IS MICKEY ROWE, AND I PLAYED THE LEAD ROLE IN THE THEATRICAL PRODUCTION OF "THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME."

CHRISTOPHER EXHIBITS A LOT OF THE SAME AUTISTIC SYMPTOMS THAT I EXHIBIT.

CHRISTOPHER IS THE ULTIMATE UNEXPECTED HERO.

HE SUCCEEDS NOT JUST IN SPITE OF HIS DISABILITY BUT ALSO IN PART BECAUSE OF IT.

I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE PRODUCTION BECAUSE I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR.

THEY REALLY WANTED TO AUDITION PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE SPECTRUM.

I DO NOT TELL LIES.

MOTHER USED TO SAY THIS IS BECAUSE I WAS A GOOD PERSON, BUT IT'S NOT BECAUSE I'M A GOOD PERSON.

IT'S BECAUSE I CAN'T TELL LIES.

ROWE, VOICE-OVER: IT WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT I'D EVER LISTENED TO AND IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT, "THIS IS ME.

I CAN RELATE TO SO MUCH OF THIS," AND IT WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT MADE ME REALLY REALIZE THERE REALLY ARE OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME OUT THERE IN THE WORLD AND THAT NOT ONLY AM I NOT WEIRD OR STUPID OR BAD, BUT JUST LIKE CHRISTOPHER, I'M POWERFUL, AND I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT TO DO AND ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS THAT I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.

CHRISTOPHER SHOWS US HOW LARGE THE PAYOFF CAN BE WHEN YOU DO TAKE THOSE RISKS.

HAD I NOT READ "THE CURIOUS "INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME," MY LIFE WOULD BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW.

PEEPLES: I THINK UNLIKELY HEROES ARE SO COMPELLING BECAUSE THEY'RE SO RECOGNIZABLE TO US.

WHEN YOU HAVE A HERO LIKE IN "THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME" TAKING SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, BUT IN THE BOOK TURNS OUT TO BE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY RIGHT WITH YOU, AND ACTUALLY, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN SOLVE IT BECAUSE OF THIS THING THAT EVERYBODY HAS SORT OF TOLD YOU HAS BEEN A DISABILITY BECOMES YOUR SUPERPOWER.

PLEASE VOTE FOR "THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME."

IT IS MY FAVORITE BOOK BECAUSE IT REMINDS ME THAT OUR DIFFERENCES REALLY ARE OUR STRENGTHS.

VIEIRA: FROM THE UNLIKELY HERO TO THE TRAGIC, TO THE ORDINARY PERSON WHO ACCOMPLISHES THE EXTRAORDINARY, HEROES ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR LIVES.

MARSALIS: THE HERO LIFTS US.

IT REDEEMS WHAT WE TRY TO DO.

THE HERO PROVIDES US AN ARCHETYPE THAT GIVES US A DIRECTION.

"LET'S GO THIS WAY, AND WE'LL BE OK." PEEPLES: HEROES FOR AMERICANS ARE VERY DEEPLY GRAFTED INTO OUR OWN SENSE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY, AND WE THINK OF OURSELVES AS HEROIC.

IN ESSENCE, THESE CHARACTERS HELP US TO CONNECT ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE SAYINGS FROM ELEANOR ROOSEVELT.

SHE SAID, "YOU HAVE TO DO THE THING THAT YOU THINK YOU CANNOT DO."

THURSTON: THE VARIETY OF HEROES, TO ME, KIND OF DOUBLES DOWN ON THIS AMERICAN NOTION THAT, LIKE, WE HAVE IT WITHIN US TO BE THIS TRANSCENDENT, HEROIC FIGURE, WHETHER WE ARE MORE INTROVERTED AND QUIET, WHETHER WE'RE PHYSICALLY STRONG OR NOT, THAT THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE CHARACTER OF ALL THE AMERICAN CHARACTERS.

THERE'S, LIKE, A HERO GENE IN ALL OF US.

OUR HERO'S JOURNEY MAY BE DRAWING TO A CLOSE FOR TONIGHT, BUT THE BOOKS YOU'VE CHOSEN WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO HELP US CONQUER OUR FEARS, TO GIVE US COMFORT AND HOPE, AND TO INSPIRE US TO GREATER HEIGHTS.

WE HOPE YOU'LL BE INSPIRED TO READ AND LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL 100 BOOKS ON AMERICA'S LIST AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD BY VOTING ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, VIA TEXT MESSAGE, TOLL-FREE CALL, AND AT PBS.ORG/GREATAMERICANREAD, AND BE SURE TO JOIN US FOR THE GRAND FINALE WHEN WE REVEAL YOUR CHOICE FOR AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED NOVEL.

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