Great American Read: What We Do for Love?

The Great American Read is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels. We are hosting a series of panel discussions based on the five themes in the series: What We Do For Love, Heroes, Other Worlds, Who Am I?, and Villains.

OVERARCHING QUESTION: How do books about love help us navigate and understand the relationships we have in our own lives?

Panelists include:
• Max Owre, Executive Director, Carolina Public Humanities
• Mary Floyd Wilson, Chair, Department of English at UNC Chapel Hill
• Barbara Claypole White, Author, The Promise Between Us
• Jonathan Weiler and Anne Menkens, Co-Authors, Divorce: A Love Story
• Erin Knightley, author, The Viscount Risks it All
• Susan Friedman, Director of Domestic Violence Services at Compass Center for Women and Families

Books about love challenge us to take a hard look at ourselves. Are we the heroine or villain, the white knight or callous rogue, the virtuous prince or seductive siren of our own love stories? And hidden in the undercurrents of our favorite romantic tales are reflections of our deepest fears and insecurities, and questions about our social structures and moral codes.

Books dedicated to love range across genres, styles, and subjects, like the many different kinds of love in our lives. The books in this episode explore these loves—from the romantic and sexual, to our complicated friendships and family relationships, to love’s overpowering, dangerous, and destructive side.

Free & open to the public. All are welcome. No registration required.