America's favorite books? The Bible, 'Gone With the Wind,' 'Harry Potter'
What is America鈥檚 favorite book of all time?
The Bible, by a landslide.
That鈥檚 according to a new poll by , which found the Bible was the number one choice across all ages, regions, political affiliations, and levels of education.
A handful of classics, new and old, rounded out the rest of the list, with 鈥淕one with the Wind,鈥� 鈥淗arry Potter,鈥� 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings,鈥� and 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� rounding out the top five.
For the report, Harris asked 2,300 Americans, "What鈥檚 your favorite book of all time?"
Here鈥檚 the top 10:
1. The Bible
聽2. "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
聽3. "Harry Potter" (series) by J.K. Rowling
聽4. "The Lord of the Rings" (series) by J.R.R. Tolkien
聽5. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
聽6. "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
聽7. "The Catcher" in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
聽8. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
聽9. "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
聽10. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Notably, the list includes works of fiction and established classics almost exclusively (except the Bible and newer release 鈥淗arry Potter,鈥� respectively).
According to , Harris conducted the same poll in 2008 and four books are new to the list this year: 鈥淢oby Dick,鈥� 鈥淟ittle Women,鈥� 鈥淭he Grapes of Wrath,鈥� and 鈥淭he Great Gatsby.鈥�
They replaced Stephen King鈥檚 鈥淭he Stand,鈥� Ayn Rand鈥檚 鈥淎tlas Shrugged,鈥� and Dan Brown鈥檚 books 鈥淭he Da Vinci Code鈥� and 鈥淎ngels and Demons.鈥�
And while nearly all respondents chose the Bible as their favorite book, second choices varied by sex, age cohort, race, and region, according to Harris.聽
Men often chose 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� as second favorite, while women tended to choose 鈥淕one with the Wind.鈥澛�
Perhaps it's of little surprise that Millennials (aged 18-36) chose the 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� series as second favorite, while Gen X'ers (37-48) chose 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings.鈥� Baby Boomers and older (49+) chose 鈥淕one with the Wind.鈥澛�
Favorites also varied by race, with whites often choosing 鈥淕one with the Wind,鈥� blacks choosing 鈥淢oby Dick,鈥� and Hispanics choosing 鈥淭he Great Gatsby.鈥�
Even region played a part in determining favorites: In the East, 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� came in second; in the Midwest and South, 鈥淕one with the Wind鈥�; and in the West, 鈥淗arry Potter.鈥�
Reading lists provide insight into a 鈥檚 personality and tastes, and this one is no exception. America鈥檚 favorite books reveal a nation of lovers of timeless, largely traditional, classics.
Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.
