 My favorite book for the great American read is Their Eyes Were Watching God from Zora Neale Hurston. The reason why this book is so important to me is not only the story itself, but the story behind the story. So the book was out of print for nearly 30 years. And the reason was it was initially rejected because it had a strong independent black female lead character. Zora Neale Hurston was a bit like that herself. She was married three times. One time was at the courthouse here in Fernandina Beach. So not only is this a lovely story about love, it's a story about struggle, and there's one wicked hurricane that factors in here as well. So Zora Neale Hurston has left us with one of the most important and enduring novels of the 20th century. Vote for your favorite book for the great American read at wjct.org.