FYI 1.) Twain is represented on the list, by Tom Sawyer, and no author is represented by more than one work. If they were, I imagine Huck would’ve been included. So the question is really about the superiority of Huck Finn over Tom Sawyer as “America’s Best-Loved Novel.” 2.) The 100 novels were chosen, according to PBS, via “a demographically representative national survey conducted by YouGov.” I haven’t looked at the details of how the survey was conducted, but protesting Huckleberry Finn’s exclusion is tantamount to protesting the poor taste of the American populace. I mean, E. L. James is on this list and Henry James is not. The Notebook is in, but not The Scarlet Letter. I don’t think PBS is making any claims about quality, historical influence, etc. It is about what Americans are actually reading in 2018. > On Aug 22, 2018, at 8:36 AM, Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Dear Friends: > > > I got this email overnight and had not really thought much about the questi= > on/issue. Any thoughts out there??? Discuss . . . . > > > Subject:"Great" American Reads > > > Dear Dr. Bush, > > I write to inquire if any Mark Twain scholars or societies have mounted a p= > rotest against PBS for omitting The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from its= > =93Great American Read=94 programming and to volunteer my assistance if po= > ssible. > I am a former secondary school English teacher and a current Jonathan Swift= > scholar. > > Thank you. > > Patrice J. Smith > Gettysburg > > > > > Dr. Hal Bush > > Dept. of English > > Saint Louis University > > [log in to unmask] > > 314-977-3616 > > http://halbush.com > > author website: halbush.com