TED-Ed
The Tale of the Doctor Who Defied Death
Here's a grim tale. Find out what happens to a doctor when he attempts to cheat death because he's greedy.
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read “Kafka on the Shore”?
Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of 2005. A short video provides insight into the many threads that form the tapestry of the prize-winning novel.
TED-Ed
"For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me A Card" by Aracelis Girmay
Aracelis Girmay's poem "For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me A Card" comes alive in a short animated film narrated by the poet. The illustrations make the images concrete.
TED-Ed
"Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class" by Clint Smith
An animated interpretation of Clint Smith's poem "Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Class" explores the stereotypes Black Americans encounter.
TED-Ed
The Myth of Jason and the Argonauts
Travel with Jason and the Argonauts in a short, animated TEDEd video that recounts the adventures of the crew as they journey to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
PBS
The Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia is about far more than the adventures of a group of children in an imaginary kingdom. Find out what else it's about in a short Great American Read video.
PBS
Chosen Family and Ghost
There's something powerful about a book that speaks your language and experiences or introduces you to the language and experiences of others. A National Book Award winner, Jason Reynolds' novel, Ghost, is such a book. Find out more...
PBS
Looking for Alaska
Looking for Alaska is the subject of a short PBS video that encourages viewers to read John Green's award-winning young adult novel about first love.
PBS
The Hunger Games
The odds will be in your favor that young statisticians will volunteer to participate in this experiment. After watching a short video that is part of the PBS Math at the Core middle school collection, scholars engage in a lottery and...
PBS
Relatable Characters in Dark Tales and The Book Thief
Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is another novel high on the list of must-reads from The Great American Read collection. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, and John Green of Crash Course series fame share...
PBS
Falling in Love with Reading and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
At first glance, it doesn't seem like Betty Smith's story of 11-year old Francie Nolan, a poor Irish girl living in the 1920's Brooklyn, should remain a best-seller for almost 100 years. But A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has remained a...
PBS
Preaching the Gospel of the Revolution
Articulate and determined, passionate about equal treatment for all Americans, James Baldwin was an early spokesman for the Civil Rights Movement. The short PBS video provides viewers with the opportunity to hear Baldwin share his ideas...
PBS
Neil DeGrasse Tyson Explores Gulliver's Travels
Scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains why Gulliver's Travels is his favorite novel. Tyson shares his joy in the sometimes otherworldly stories.
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”?
Journey along with the narrator of a short, animated video who explains the political connections to be found in Dante's The Divine Comedy.
TED-Ed
Why should you read “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan?
Amy Tan was surprised by the reception of her story of four Chinese families that immigrated to the San Francisco Bay area. The vignettes about the mothers who make up the Joy Luck Club, and their daughters, models the experiences of...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding?
Lord of the Flies, William Golding's tale of English schoolboys who have crashed and are stranded on a remote island, reflects Golding's view of just how thin the veneer of civilized behavior is. The narrator of a short video argues for...
TED-Ed
Romance and Revolution: The Poetry of Pablo Neruda
A short TEDEd video introduces viewers to the life and poetry of Pablo Neruda. The narrator not only shares details of Neruda's exploits in support of revolutionaries but also why his poetry is so popular even in translation.
PBS
100 Years of Solitude, Part 2
Part 2 of the Crash Course Literature focused on One Hundred Years of Solitude looks at Gabriel Garcia Marquez's story as a reflection of Latin America's history of colonialism and exploitation by corporations.
PBS
100 Years of Solitude, Part 1
100 Years of Solitude is not for readers who prefer linear narratives. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's tale mixes the past, present, and future simultaneously. Marquez's masterpiece of Magical Realism models that individual perspectives...
PBS
Jane Eyre 2: Meeting Mr. Rochester
Adapting a much-beloved novel for the screen can be a tricky business. Each media has its own possibilities and limitations. The second PBS Jane Eyre resource in the Masterpiece series asks readers to evaluate how the filmmakers have...
PBS
Jane Eyre and the Advent of First-Person Narratives
Charlotte Bronte is given credit for crafting what is considered the first of a long series of first-person narratives. Her Jane Eyre is not the usual beautiful, self-assured heroine, but rather has inspired the others, the misfits, the...
PBS
Jane Eyre and First-Person Narrative
An episode from the PBS Great American Read series focuses on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and how the first-person narrative impacted two very modern women.
PBS
One Hundred Years of Solitude | The Great American Read
One Hundred Years of Solitude introduces readers to magic realism. Told in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Nobel Prize-winning novel is a candidate for The Great American Read program and aficionados...
PBS
Gulliver's Travels | The Great American Read
Neil deGrasse Tyson shares his rationale for why Gulliver's Travels was his favorite book as a child and still is as an adult. He urges viewers to vote to include Swift's satire in The Great American Read program.