After beginning with “obvious American classics” a decade ago, the NEA’s Big Read program is marking their anniversary with “a new focus…on contemporary authors and books written since the founding of the NEA 50 years ago.” The new booklist available for community programming starting in fall 2017 features 28 titles, 13 of which are new to the program. The NEA says the revised selection “represents a range of ages and ethnicities, with more than half of the books by female authors. The list also features a range of genres, including novels, short stories, memoirs, poetry, and books in translation.” They add, “These works were […]