Great American Bestsellers: The Books That Shaped America

by Peter Conn

Audio Cassette Set

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Literature, Books About Books, American, Education

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Matthew Huff · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise was exciting, Prof. Conn's execution was just dreadful. First, I am not the wildest fan of lecturers who simply read from a manuscript; such a choice seems to water down the benefits of a lecture over an audiobook.

More shameful was Conn's incessant inclusion of liberal diatribes and general whininess. Beginning with an obvious disdain for Puritans during his lecture on The Bay Psalm Book, Conn moves through every typical target ad nauseam: whites, Christians, conservatives, men, and...God forbid, white Christian conservative men (like me). He played the irritating liberal card every 3rd chance he got. Everything in America's history that was sordid or cruel was the fault of capitalists, whites, Christians, southerners, men, or even Americans at large. Here's a barely exaggerated rundown of some of his lectures:

The Bay Psalm Book - Christians are dumb.
The Last of the Mohicans - Non-Indians (pardon, non-Native Americans) are dumb.
Uncle Tom's Cabin - Take a wild guess who's dumb.
Little Women - Biblical roles for women are dumb.
Huck Finn - Civilized culture is dumb.
The Jungle - Capitalists are dumb.
Main Street - Husbands are dumb.
The Good Earth - Americans are dumb.
Gone with the Wind - Southerners are dumb.
The Grapes of Wrath - Capitalists, again.
Native Son - Whites, again.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Whites, part III
The Woman Warrior - Men are dumb.

Ugh.

Some good points regarding The Catcher in the Rye and Catch-22, but on the whole, risible in its misguided vision.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Great Courses series and am excited my library now has so many of them available to download (total nerd alert). This course is a good overview of some American literary "bestsellers" that shaped, mirrored or had a significant influence on American culture during their time. Some books discussed include Uncle Tom's Cabin, House of Mirth, Grapes of Wrath, The Good Earth, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Huckleberry Finn, Catch 22, Gone with the Wind, The Maltese Falcon, Native Son, etc. As one would expect, I enjoyed the lectures on books I actually read more than the lectures on books I hadn't. The professor is quite thorough and I appreciated his discussions and insights about these great American classics.

[Barbara K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I had no specific expectations for this Great Courses lecture series, so I can’t say I was disappointed, but I have to admit that I didn’t get much out of it. (I think I picked it up on an Audible BOGO offer. I'm such a sucker for sales...)

The premise is that in each lecture the author will explore how a specific American best seller reflects the era in which it was written. He starts with the Puritans (The Bay Psalm Book) and goes through David McCullough's biography of John Adams, which was published in 2012. New England bookends, I guess. In a final chapter he talks about recent trends in best sellers, focusing on franchise authors such as John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton and Danielle Steele. A common thread among these contemporary books, he thinks, is a fascination with information - details about law, medicine, technology and glamorous living.

Unfortunately I can't say his commentary added much to my appreciation of the 22 books he discusses, or my understanding of how they reflected their time. Most of it seemed painfully self-evident, at least to any reader with a decent understanding of American history. It seemed clear that the author was reading directly from notes, and although his delivery wasn't particularly bad, it was choppy and not particularly engaging. He did pique my curiosity about The Woman Warrior and I've added it to my TBR.

One last comment: The author omits a few 21st century developments that, I think, have changed the landscape of reading in the 21st century: ebooks, audiobooks, and the use of social media (primarily Goodreads but others as well) as a means of direct interaction among readers. At first I thought maybe the timing was a problem, but all of those media were around, even if only in a fledgling state, at that time. I tend to think he probably just updated his teaching notes to add in the McCullough book. He extols Oprah's book club at great length, but seemed to feel the big book club time had passed. Ha!

[Richard Cho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook course. Interesting to see how historical forces and social norms dictate what becomes bestsellers. I liked the author's argument about how commercially successful books are not just beach reads but books with considerable intelligence.

- The Bay Psalm Book
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine
- The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
- Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- James Baldwin severely criticizes this book for caricaturing black people
- Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger Jr
- rags to riches tale
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Interesting revelation that the last 1/3 of the book is not worth reading.
- The Virginian by Owen Wister
- The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
- The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- Native Son by Richard Wright
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
- The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
- John Adams by David McCullough

and John Grisham and Danielle Steel....

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a lover of books. I enjoy reading them, and I enjoy reading about them. So this series of lectures was right up my alley. This series of 24 lectures focuses on 22 works of literature that originated in either Colonial America or the USA. I had already read two thirds of the books covered, but I appreciated the further discussion of their themes and being reminded what they are about. Of the ones I have not read, I added several to my list of books to read.

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of lectures provides an overview of bestsellers - both fiction and non-fiction - and their impact on American life. 22 books serve as the foundation of the series - from The Bay Psalm Book to John Adams - although the scope of the lectures is broader.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was eager to read this, but I found the analysis a bit thin. This consisted mostly of a recap of the books and a bio of the authors. On the bright side, I was very happy to see I have read 16 of the 22 books named in the lecture titles.

[Mary Pat]

I really enjoyed this set of lectures, covering American literature that was popular at different times in American history. Partly what I enjoyed was that some of these books are ones we're forced to read in high school lit classes (and sometimes middle school), and it's nice to give them their proper cultural context as well. We're not always given that. I also learned about some books I've never read before that I now want to go seek out and read for myself, so that's always good (do I really need to add more books to my reading list? (YES)).

To be sure, many of the books on the list will be familiar to many listeners already, including context and backstory. That's fine. One of the valuable additions in the lectures, though, are the details of the other bestsellers of the same time that have been long forgotten (and... rightfully so.) I enjoyed hearing about the fashions of the times. It puts current literary fashions in place as well.

[Hein Matthew Hattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great survey, told with both balance and gusto. Of course grand themes are simplified, but generally in a responsible way, acknowledging opposition. Reading the texts is not necessary and hardly even helpful for enjoying this cultural history.

[Craig Amason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best installment of the Great Courses I have listened to so far. Peter Conn makes it crystal clear in his introduction that he is not presenting an analysis of the greatest or best books in U.S. publishing history. Instead, he is examining a selection of books that were or became American bestsellers that also either had a significant sociopolitical impact or reflected major events or movements in the country's history. He starts with what is perhaps the earliest American novel, James Fennimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans, which by most scholarly standards is not a great work of literature but nevertheless covers major themes from the 18th century such as frontier life, European expansion into the New World, indigenous culture, the capture and rescue narrative, and many more.

In the rest of the lectures, Professor Conn provides overviews of other works that coincided with pivotal points in American history, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin and slavery, Gone with the Wind and the Civil War, The Jungle and the labor movement, and The Grapes of Wrath and the Dust Bowl/Great Depression. Of course, most of these books were both bestsellers and major works of American literature, but not necessarily all of them would qualify as the best the country's writers had to offer. He also includes a couple of nonfiction titles and mentions several more along the way.

There is some overlap during some periods, and I'm sure almost anyone would argue that there are omissions. Conn practically apologizes in advance for leaving out some authors. However, he does a great job of providing what I would call "honorable mentions," bringing in other authors and major works that are associated with the themes and subjects of the books he highlights. He spends time in the final lecture talking about modern-day bestsellers, which I think is a bit weak because he doesn't really explain how the works of Stephen King, Danielle Steele, or John Grisham have the same impact as the major historical authors from the previous lectures.

Conn admits that full-length monographs don't hold the same place of importance as they once did, even bestsellers. He may be right, but I can think of several author/bestsellers from the last 25 years that come pretty close to meeting his criteria for this course (i.e. Philip Roth). I found these lectures interesting, entertaining, and informative. I have added several titles he discusses in my "To Read" list in Goodreads, starting with The Last of the Mohicans, which oddly enough, I have never read.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s a great look at 24 books that captured widespread attention in the North American British Colonies and the United States over the past few centuries. Odds are high that you haven’t heard of—much less read—all of them, whereas others are books you are quite familiar with even if you haven’t actually read them all. It’s a great collection and I am very pleased I read the book.

Conn roughly divides each lecture into three parts, starting with what is happening in America historically at the time the book was written and published and then describing the action of the novel and finally talking about its influence. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, but for me the best part of the lectures was for Dashiell Hammett’s Maltese Falcon, which Conn used as an excuse to describe the development of the mystery novel from Edgar Allen Poe to Hammett. The final lecture on the modern best seller market was also very interesting. Mostly I enjoyed this book for the walkthrough of the plots and the discussion of influences and sometimes controversy. In today’s world, there are simply too many books out there to have read everything. This is a great way of familiarizing yourself with some very interesting novels you were always planning to read.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[عدنان العبار · Rating 2 out of 5]

This lecture series offers a general outline of the history of Literature in the United States, and especially around the books that have become best sellers, and have been influential and important. The style of the book is very intriguing and fun to listen to. Occasionally, one would hear the typical English professor's beloved phrase, "The excesses of corporate greed," a term I have come to despise -- especially as a lazy explanatory mechanism. The book is fun to listen to, and though it offers a simplistic and stereotypical vision of the books involved, this is what you sign up for when you get this book. Expect nothing so deep in the literature.

The author is apparently and unapologetically leftist, and he tries often to mask that by attacking communists, which is just old now and doesn't work. The author however has attacked Rigoberta Menchu's autobiographical book, which has regained my trust in him as an old man who really tries to be true and honest as much he can.

This is a fun volume to listen to, but it is for the VERY common reader who was never exposed to good literature, and who would not mind having all of the presented books spoiled. Yes, the author spoils all the works he presents. Thankfully, I am an avid reader and care very little for these things, but reader beware!

[Jeff Keehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather cursory survey of the books that have sold the most throughout American history. Mr. Conn chose books that were bestsellers and went on to be classics. I enjoyed the lectures but I was a bit surprised by their brevity. The usual lecture lasts 45 minutes at least. These were 30 minutes. But the author was successful in reigniting my interest in some of these works. I watched 'The Grapes of Wrath' the other evening and was reminded of how terrible life was for the working man a little less than a hundred years ago. One book I could have done without was 'Gone with the Wind,' a peon to the antebellum South where slavery and large plantations were the norm in our southern states. I have never read the book and never will. On the whole, this was a pleasure walk through history, even though most of that history is a horrible nightmare from which we still have not awakened.

[carlageek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good collection of essays about a fairly interesting selection of the bestselling books of nearly four centuries of American history. Beginning with the Bay Psalm Book (1640), Conn places each book in its social and historical context. Conn, like me, believes that studying popular art provides a great deal of insight into what is going on in a culture. As a result this collection is as much a crash course in American social history as it is in literature.

Conn’s close readings are excellent. He does not assume you’ve read the books he’s talking about, and so there is a great deal of plot summary; the weakest entries are those that don’t strike the proper balance between summary and interpretation, veering too far in the direction of summary. There are twenty-four essays in this collection but I would have been delighted to listen to a dozen more.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the early lectures this was a helpful review of American history for me, despite its annoying leftist interjections. I'm grateful that it motivated me to read The Grapes of Wrath and The Catcher in the Rye immediately because I didn't want the plots spoiled by these lectures. It also gave me a desire to re-read some works I haven't read in years, like Catch-22 and To Kill a Mockingbird. And finally, it gave me the confidence to skip others, like Main Street.

However, I ultimately gave this a low rating because Professor Conn doesn't display a true heart-love for these books, nor to be motivated by a desire to impart love to his listeners, nor to say much really insightful about the texts themselves. For warm-hearted, human book commentary, you're much better off with the Close Reads and BiblioFiles podcasts.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2009 The Teaching Company released University of Pennsylvania Professor Peter Conn’s 24 lecture course “Great American Bestsellers: The Books That Shaped America.” The course reviews 22 literature and biography books that had a profound influence on American economic, political, and social practices from the 17th into the 21st century. Professor Coon discusses how each of the books have themes that address “…complex questions of race and gender and the province of religion.” The selected books also address American social notions of success as well as American notions of social diversity, technological advances, and generational mores. The final lecture of the course features a list of books that profoundly influenced America over the past 20 years. The course guidebook features an exceptional set of bibliographic author profiles, and an historic event timeline. (P)

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this lecture series of American bestseller books, which is actually a good look at a lot of famous books (Last of the Mohicans, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch 22, The House of Mirth, The Maltese Falcon, Catcher in the Rye, etc) and some books that are either mostly or completely forgotten (The Bay Psalm Book, The Virginian, Ragged Dick, The Woman Warrior) and places the books in context of American history to explain why these books had such resonance at the time. It's easy to nit-pick of some omissions (even when considering "bestseller" vs "acclaimed book"), but I really enjoyed this approach.

[Karlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one because it not only discussed many books that I have loved for years, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, but it also discussed books that are not usually discussed in literary circles. It was also interesting to learn about what it is to be a bestselling novel and how some books have earned that status.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can argue that other works should have been included in the list of books covered but it would be hard to argue in that are included should have been skipped. The lecturer does a good job of giving the cultural impact of each work as well as a overview of the characters and plot of each book.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Great Courses lectures about history and books. These lectures combine both and that’s always fun.

Peter Conn sounds like a venerable Professor who knows his stuff. I enjoyed his insights and had a good time hearing about books, some of which I’ve read and some of which I haven’t.

This was worth my time.

[Matthew Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lecture series was fine but, like many of the other comments point out, the narrators delivery falls a bit flat and the content is not laid out in a particularly engaging way. As someone who never had much interest in literature in school this series had a fair amount of interesting material but I’m unsure if I’d recommended it to others.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For 26 lessons, I have occupied myself to learn while being in confinement 1 hour a day, 4 days a week, I can say those were good lessons although some books were far from being favourites of mine. Even so, being a bookworm, it was a pretty god way to occupy myself while staying home.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant series of lectures examining the relationship between and distance between best selling work and literary work. Explores everything from literary novels to biography to self-help. Great work that gets a number of fundamental ideas about America.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better of "Great Courses" series

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating course. I didn't love every lecture, hence why only 4 stars, but most of this was absolutely riveting. A minor thing, but he continually mispronounced David McCullough's last name.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, interesting, especially if you've read most of the books, which I have. Nothing revelatory and inspirational but interesting nonetheless.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good course with a sweeping overview of important books.
The lecturer is good.

I have added three of the books covered in these lectures to my reading list.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun cultural history of USA

[Abrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me more books to read!

[John Curtice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good choice of books but the analysis is canned