06/22/2026
Welcome back to Question of the Week! This week's question is...
What is one book you love that nobody else seems to? What do you like most about it?
Amber: "A book that I liked that not many other people do is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. There is a bit of a running joke in my branch at the library about how much a few of my coworkers hate this book. My focus in college was American Literature post Civil War up through the 60s, so I read a lot of great American novels. Some hold up better than others.
Honestly, The Great Gatsby always worked for me. I like a stylistic book. The narrator Nick, is a great vehicle for the audience to get a glimpse into a wealthy world of longing and debauchery. We as the audience feel the class divide. Like Nick, reading the books feels like watching people through a gleaming glass window. Most of the characters are beautiful, but awful people. I enjoy seeing the cracks in the facade as much as Nick is horrified by it. The book is a glimpse into a world and time that I would never experience, and I think it does an excellent job of it. The book is a light and easy read, and one that I've always felt was one of the more enjoyable of the quintessential required high school novels. The themes are easy to grasp, the writing is fun and pretty, and the plot of the novel moves forward at a pace that keeps the reader engaged.
I think many people dislike the book because of the memory of having been forced to read it in school. For those who had that experience, I say give it another go. If you still hate it, commiserate with my co-workers, and leave me to my novel, old sport."
Now it's your turn! We look forward to hearing from you!
