The Great Gatsby Trivia

The Great Gatsby might be a famous classic, but there are some fun facts surrounding the novel that you probably haven’t heard of before. Take this trivia test below to see how much you really know about The Great Gatsby!

Question 1:

F. Scott Fitzgerald was a bit indecisive on what the novel that later became The Great Gatsby should be named. Which title below was one of his working titles?

A) “Trimalchio in West Egg”
B) “Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires”
C) “The High-Bouncing Lover”
D) All of the above

If you chose D, you are correct!

Fitzgerald was certainly creative when it came to his titles. While he eventually settled on The Great Gatsby after it was pushed by his editor Max Perkins, he later regretted making that choice. Trimalchio, mentioned in the first title, was a character in the 1st-century Roman fiction Satyricon by Petronius. Like Gatsby, Trimalchio had a focus on wealth and a higher status in society. This comparison was probably made to highlight Gatsby’s desire to reinvent himself to fit in with the old money groups.

Question 2

How many copies of The Great Gatsby had sold by the time of Fitzgerald’s death in 1940?

A) 10,000
B) 25,000
C) 50,000
D) 75,000

Answer: A) 10,000
Though now a classic, The Great Gatsby was not commercially successful during Fitzgerald’s life, selling fewer than 10,000 copies by the time of his death.

Question 3

If it didn’t sell well when it was first published, then how did it become the famous classic we know now? What was the reason for the novel’s sudden popularity in the 1940s?

A) Fitzgerald’s death
B) World War II
C) A Hollywood movie adaptation
D) Inclusion in the Modern Library series

Answer: B) World War II

During World War II, soldiers were given special paperback editions of books known as Armed Services Editions (ASEs). These were lightweight, portable books distributed to U.S. troops to boost morale and provide entertainment during the war. The books were specially formatted to fit into a soldier’s pocket, making them easy to carry.
The Great Gatsby’s themes of disillusionment and the pursuit of the American Dream resonated with soldiers who had experienced the harsh realities of war, contributing significantly to its revival and eventual status as an American classic.

Question 4

Due to its portrayal of drinking, partying, and illicit affairs The Great Gatsby was considered a banned book
A) True
B) False

Answer: True!

While some people might consider it a high school classic, it has been challenged at various points in time for some of the content within.

Question 5

The dedication in the beginning of The Great Gatsby reads “Once Again to Zelda.” What does this mean?


A) Zelda was a place referenced in a book by A.A Milne where people could obtain their deepest desire but had to go back to the real world afterwards without it.
B) Zelda was the name of his wife, and he was dedicating this book to her.
C) Zelda was a character in another one of Fitzgerald’s books whom he wrote about as the example of the perfect woman.
D) Fitzgerald really liked the game “The Legend of Zelda” and wanted to dedicate this book to it.


This dedication confused me in high school when I first read Gatsby and my teacher never explained it. The only reference I had to any kind of Zelda was playing the Legend of Zelda on my brother’s gameboy, and I assumed for some reason that those things decades apart were somehow connected. (Spoiler alert: They are not.) Zelda was actually the name of Fitzgerald’s wife whom he dedicated this book to.

Question 6

How did Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, feel about The Great Gatsby?

A) She loved it and praised his writing
B) She disliked it, calling it shallow
C) She hadn’t read the book before it was published
D) She was indifferent, as she preferred his earlier works


Answer: B) She disliked it, calling it shallow

Zelda was famously critical of the book, expressing disappointment in its themes and characters, especially compared to his earlier works. Fitzgerald also reportedly based parts of Daisy on Zelda, which she didn’t take as a compliment.

Question 7

What incident almost caused the original manuscript of The Great Gatsby to be lost?

A) Fitzgerald was involved in a small shipwreck and many of his possessions were lost
B) Fitzgerald’s wife threw it out during a fight
C) Fitzgerald’s apartment building caught on fire
D) Fitzgerald’s editor misplaced the manuscript on a train

Answer: C) Fitzgerald’s apartment building caught on fire

In 1939, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s apartment in the Grove Street area of New York caught fire. The blaze destroyed many personal belongings, including some manuscripts and papers. While the fire caused significant damage, it fortunately did not destroy the original manuscript of The Great Gatsby. However, other important drafts and notes for his later works, along with personal letters, may have been lost or damaged in the fire.

Question 8

Fitzgerald is considered part of the “lost generation.” What was the lost generation?

A) A group of artists and writers who rejected consumerism and embraced environmentalism in the 1940s
B) The generation of soldiers who fought in World War II and struggled with the aftermath of the war
C) A group of American writers and intellectuals disillusioned by World War I, known for their critiques of post-war society
D) The group of activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s

Answer: C) A group of American writers and intellectuals disillusioned by World War I, known for their critiques of post-war society

The Lost Generation refers to a group of American writers and artists, including figures like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who were disillusioned by the devastation of World War I and critical of the materialism and moral decay of post-war society. Many of them moved to Europe, particularly Paris, to express their discontent through their works.

Question 9

When did the first film adaptation of The Great Gatsby come out?
A) 1926
B) 1949
C) 1974
D) 2013

Answer: A) 1926

The original version was a silent film, but unfortunately it is considered lost, as there are no known copies still in existence. The film also reportedly took some liberties on the plot, with Daisy renouncing Gatsby for being a bootlegger and trying to confess to killing Myrtle. She also doesn’t find out about Gatsby’s death in this version as she and Tom leave town before he is killed. While we can’t watch the whole thing, we do still have the movie trailer for it, which you can watch below!

Question 10

True or False: The recently released musical of the same name had some legal struggles in the beginning of its run due to copyright issues
A) True
B) False

Answer: False!

As of 2021, The Great Gatsby became public domain. This means that new adaptations and creative interpretations can be created without as many restrictions. The Broadway musical is a huge example of this, and we are excited to see other takes on this classic story!

How did you do? Share your score or something interesting you learned below!

What’s the Big Deal with Graphic Novels?

For our 2024 Middle Read, we’ve enthusiastically chosen Mexikid by Pedro Martin and we encourage all of our Lakeshore readers to pick up a copy and enjoy this amazing story!

After the wide-spread success of last year’s Middle Read book (New Kid by Jerry Craft), our Big Read team decided to choose another graphic novel for our middle-grade readers. Last year, we heard so many amazing stories of parents and grandparents who read New Kid, their first ever graphic novel experience, along with their children/grandchildren. We’re so proud of our older Lakeshore readers for being willing to engage with a new storytelling medium and we’re thrilled that so many of our middle grade readers were willing to help them with this!

We also heard many questions about graphic novels last year. As we prepare for this year’s program (and Pedro Martin’s visit to our community!), we thought it might be helpful to address these questions here on our blog.

What’s a graphic novel?

Great question!

Generally speaking, a graphic novel is a book-length narrative using text and visuals. It’s important to remember that graphic novels don’t refer to a genre but to a medium or way of telling a story. Many graphic novel genres include fiction, nonfiction, drama, memoir, history, or fantasy.

Graphic novels are similar to comic books but also different. Comic books (often superhero, humor, or non-fiction) are serialized stories that can continue over months and years.

Graphic novels, on the other hand, are generally stand-alone stories with more complicated plots.

Are graphic novels “graphic”?

If you mean “graphic” in terms of how the story is told, then yes! Graphic novels tell a story through text and illustration AND through the interplay of text and illustrations. Panels, frames, speech/thought balloons, white space, font, and so on are used sequentially to tell the story.

If you mean “graphic” in terms of content (sexual, violence), then it depends. Some graphic novels do have graphic content. However, this is not true for all graphic novels. Elementary-age and middle-reader-age graphic novels aren’t “graphic” in content.

Are graphic novels “real” literature?

Some people have a snobby attitude toward graphic novels because they lack text, contain “comics,” and can be quicker to read. We disagree!

First, remember that “graphic novel” refers to a medium and a particular way of telling a story. So, while some graphic novels aren’t very complex and have light-hearted content, themes, and topics, others have very complex and complicated plot lines, character development, and literary themes.

Fun fact – “expert” graphic novel readers often take much longer to read one page in a graphic novel compared to “novice” graphic novel readers. Why? They’ve learned how to “read” the illustrations and the interplay between the words and the illustrations. Novice graphic novel readers often just read the text and miss how the visuals tell the story (or complicate what is being said in the text).

Are graphic novels just a new fad?

Nope.

The term “graphic novel” was coined in 1964 by Richard Kyle and became more widespread in the 1990s when Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. In 2001, the publishing world first used the graphic novel category to track sales of these books. Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis: A Story of Childhood won the Alex Award in 2004. In 2020, Jerry Craft’s New Kid won the Newbery Medal.

We don’t think graphic novels are going anywhere! In fact, there is a significant and consistent rise in their popularity and change in reputation.

Are graphic novels only for struggling and unmotivated readers?

Absolutely not! Graphic novels are for everyone!

This said, struggling and unmotivated readers often gravitate to graphic novels because they can be more accessible and approachable than print-only books. Graphic novels are also often high-interest and can give a reader a sense of accomplishment for finishing them. Reading and enjoying graphic novels can help foster a love for and confidence in reading, which is particularly important for readers who don’t see themselves as “readers”. Graphic novels can help readers gain background knowledge, new vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

Why read Mexikid?

Where do we start?!

It’s an award-winner. Mexikid has won the Newbery honor award, Pura Belpre author award, Pura Blepre illustrator award, and the Odyssey Honor audiobook award. It’s been deemed one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library.

It’s a great story! It’s a graphic memoir about Pedro’s family and their road trip to bring back their abuelito from Mexico. Pedro grew up hearing stories about his abuelito but wasn’t excited to hear that Abuelito was coming to live with his family. Mexikid is about the family road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home. However, it’s really about so much more than this. It’s about Pedro’s journey of learning who he is, where he belongs, and what it means to grow up.

It connects with topics and themes from our other 2024 chosen books! We encourage you to read Mexikid and put it in conversation with The Great Gatsby, Dreamers and Love.

The Fabulous Five: Big Read Lakeshore’s 2024 Book Selections

By Deborah Van Duinen

In the first few years of our Big Read Lakeshore program, we chose one book to read every year. This book was geared toward high school students and older, and our events and book discussions were geared toward this audience.

In response to community members, librarians, and elementary school teachers who requested that kids and their families also be able to participate in our community-wide reading program, we did our first book “pairing” in 2016 with our Big Read book, When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka and Amy Lee-Tai’s children’s picture book, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. 

Love: A Celebration of Mindfulness/El Amor: Una Celebracion de la Conciencia Plena is our 2024 Mini Read and features bilingual English and Spanish!

This pairing went so well that we decided to make Little Read Lakeshore an official sibling program to our Big Read program. In fact, in the years that followed, and again in response to community member requests, we also added a Middle Read Lakeshore program for our middle-aged readers (upper elementary and middle school) and a Mini Read Lakeshore program for our youngest readers (birth to age 5).

Our approach to book selection has always remained the same. We start with our Big Read book selection and then choose Middle, Little, and Mini Read books based on the Big Read book’s topics and themes.

In recent years, we’ve been trying to lean into discussion or guiding questions that run across all of our book selections. We’ve also been trying to foreground the concept of a “text set” as we present our book selections to our Lakeshore readers.

What is a “text set?”

A “text set” is a commonly used term in the K-12 teaching world. It refers to a collection of texts (or other materials) on a particular topic or theme representing varying perspectives or ideas while collectively building a shared understanding. 

Mexikid, our Middle Read book could be a great addition to your reading list in a text set approach.

As an educator, I love dreaming up “text set” ideas and using them with my students! There are so many possibilities with different ways to approach topics and using a variety of texts. Coming up with our Big, Middle, Little, and Mini Read books is a complicated and complex process with lots of input from librarians, teachers, professors, and community members but it’s also a creative process and it’s one of my favorite things to do each year!

We chose our 2024 books (or text set) based on the themes of identity, dreams, and belonging. 

  • What do these stories say about dreams? Identity? Belonging?
  • How do cultural and societal norms in each story affect the characters’ search for who they are?
  • What are your dreams? What are your dreams for our community? 

Each book explores characters’ journeys of self-discovery, identity formation, cultural traditions and heritage, social class and inequality, the pursuit of dreams, and the importance of belonging in its own way. 

We also wanted to choose books with a variety of author voices. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gene Luen Yang, Pedro Martin, Yuyi Morales, and Katie Wilson represent different ages, races/ethnicities, citizenship, genders, and so on.

Our challenge to our Lakeshore readers is to read all of our 2024 books (or at the very least more than one!). How do the books complement each other? How do they challenge each other? What do they say collectively?

Happy reading!

It’s Book Announcement Day!

By Deborah Van Duinen

It’s always a happy day when we get to announce the books for our upcoming Big Read program! In fact, to our Big Read team, it feels a bit like Christmas!

We’ve been preparing our 2024 program for months and doing lots of work behind the scenes. We’ve been arranging author visits, researching our books’ authors, topics, and themes, collaborating with our amazing community partners to offer over 150 book-related events in October and November, meeting with local teachers to support their use of our books in their classrooms…the list could go on!

Big Read Lakeshore’s 2024 Book Selection

This year we’ve chosen a Big Read book unlike any of our previous selections. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is our “oldest” book to date (first published in 1925!) and the only book we’ve chosen by an author who is not alive. It’s also the book that might be the most familiar to our Lakeshore readers.

Many people “had” to read The Great Gatsby in high school. For a future English major like me, reading and discussing The Great Gatsby was like opening up a door to an exciting world of literary symbols, complicated characters, and complex themes. In fact, I still have my 9th grade copy of the book with all of the notes I wrote in it!

For others, a required reading of The Great Gatsby during high school days wasn’t as magical. It might be the book you disliked the most or maybe you only “fake read” it because it didn’t seem interesting.

Regardless of any earlier experiences with Gatsby, we encourage everyone to join in our program by rereading this book. Good books are often books that we can read at different times in our lives and notice, delight in, or reflect on new or different things.

We’re excited for our community to discuss the following questions:

  • Is The Great Gatsby “the great American novel”? If so, why? If not, why not?
  • Is it a classic? If so, what makes it a classic?
  • The Great Gatsby was written 100 years ago. How does it speak to our day and age today?

To deepen our conversations, we’ve paired The Great Gatsby with Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel American Born Chinese. Yang’s book, written in 2006, is considered a classic in the graphic novel world. Like the characters in The Great Gatsby, the characters in Yang’s book wrestle with identity, belonging, and their dreams. We encourage our Lakeshore readers to read American Born Chinese alongside The Great Gatsby and reflect on how these two texts might speak with and against each other.

We also encourage our Lakeshore readers to attend one of our many Big Read related events. There truly is something for everyone! Our amazing community partners, from libraries and museums to non-profit organizations, have organized an impressive array of Gatsby and 1920s themed events. Go to our Big Read Lakeshore website for more information about all of these exciting events.


In next week’s blog post, I’ll discuss our Middle Read book choice, Mexikid, by Pedro Martin along with our Little Read book choice, Dreamers, by Yuyi Morales. Stay tuned!

Novels Gone Broadway

There are so many modern adaptations of novels, but one type of adaptation has recently gained popularity—the musical adaptation. The Great Gatsby is taking Broadway by storm in its new musical format. Other musical adaptations of novels have also gained more traction in more recent years; Matilda and The Notebook are just two other examples of novels that have become musicals.

The Great Gatsby, published in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a quintessential American novel set during the “Roaring Twenties.” It details the life of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws extravagant parties in hopes of winning back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Through the eyes of narrator Nick Carraway, the reader witnesses the glittering yet hollow lives of the wealthy on Long Island. Themes of love, ambition, and the American Dream intertwine as Gatsby’s obsession with the past leads to tragedy. 

For Gatsby fans, it was truly a dream come true when Broadway announced that The Great Gatsby would be made into a musical! The show premiered in March of 2024, and officially opened in April. The musical stars Jeremy Jordan (Newsies) as Jay Gatsby and Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) as Daisy Buchanan. It is directed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), choreographed by Dominique Kelley (So You Think You Can Dance), and produced by Chunsoo Shin, acclaimed Korean musical producer, 5-time winner of Korea’s most prestigious theatrical award and OD Company president. Entertainment Weekly described it as a “great, big Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy,” and The New York Times called it “a lush, bewitching, and dazzling new musical.” The cast recently performed at the Tony Awards, and dazzled the crowd with the costuming, acting, and stellar jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Jason Howland (Little Women). If you want to listen to the full playlist, it is available for free on Spotify. 

The Great Gatsby was not the only novel turned musical that came to life on Broadway this year. Also in March, The Notebook came to New York at the Gerald Schoenberg Theatre. The Chicago Tribune claimed it is “absolutely gorgeous, not the be missed,” and CBS News aptly reported that this musical “brings romance to broadway.” For romance lovers everywhere, this musical is truly spectacular, and has an equally spectacular production team—directors are Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, RENT) and Schele Williams (The Wiz, Aida), and music and lyrics are by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. 

Most famous for its movie adaptation with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, The Notebook (1996) by Nicholas Sparks, follows the love story of Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson, who fall deeply in love one summer in North Carolina during the early 1940s. Despite their passionate bond, social differences and World War II eventually tears them apart. Years later, Allie, now engaged to another man, rediscovers Noah through a notebook chronicling their love story. The novel explores themes of enduring love, fate, and the power of memories as Noah and Allie confront their feelings and the choices that shaped their lives.

A bit of an older musical, but equally as spectacular, is the musical Matilda. While it is no longer playing on Broadway, as the last performance was in January of 2017, and closed in London in May of this year, don’t be dismayed if you missed it because you can still see it on Netflix! It is written by Dennis Kelley with music by Tim Minchin, and directed by Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing, La Bête, Ghost). While still on Broadway, the musical won several awards—seven Olivier Awards, including Best Musical, and four Tony Awards. If that doesn’t convince you it’s worth a Netflix subscription, I don’t know what will! 

The novel Matilda was published in 1988, and written by Roald Dahl who eloquently tells the story of a precocious young girl with extraordinary intelligence. Despite her neglectful and abusive parents, Matilda finds solace and inspiration in books, eventually discovering her powers. She forms a bond with her kind schoolteacher, Miss Honey, who helps Matilda navigate her challenging home life and encourages her academic talents. The novel culminates in a showdown with the tyrannical headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, where Matilda uses her wit to bring justice and happiness to herself and Miss Honey.

If you are a book lover, a music fan, or a broadway buff, these musical adaptations of classic novels will thrill you! Whether watching them on Netflix or taking a trip to NYC with friends, I highly recommend checking out at least one (if not all!) of these musicals!

Behind the Big Read: Arayah Weiden

I am a Junior at Hope studying Secondary English Education and Psychology. On campus I am also involved in dining services with the Cup and Chaucer as well as with Hope College Athletics as an athlete for Track and Field. Outside of school I work for the Muskegon YMCA as part of their outreach program with local schools. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family outside, hiking or going to the beach! I grew up in Twin Lake, MI which is about 45 minutes from Holland and would love to live and work in the Muskegon or Holland area.

Role on the Big Read team:

This is my first year with the Big Read team and I am extremely excited to be a part of it! I am excited to help out with events as well as to support educators. I am also looking forward to giving students the opportunity to discover what makes them excited about reading.

What is your favorite part of the Big Read and what are you most excited about for this year’s program?

I am most excited to see how students interact with the Big Read books as well as with each other throughout the program. I am also looking forward to the author visits, not only to learn more about the big read books, but to see how the students interact with the authors of the books that they read for this program.

Favorite genre of books and why:

I will read just about anything! I love classics like Pride and Prejudice and Little Women, but I also love reading newer fiction or fantasy novels, and even the occasional historical fiction novels by authors like Sarah J. Mass, Cassandra Clare, Jodi Picoult, and Kristin Hannah. I love the variety that fiction and fantasy offer, and I love diving deep into worlds that are so different from our own. I also love the classic books that have stood the test of time and have lessons and themes that are still as relevant today as they were when they were published.

Behind the Big Read: Maggie Hartman

Hi! I am a sophomore at Hope this year, and I am a secondary social studies education student with minors in history and ESL. On campus, I work as a TA for one of the education professors and I am one of the directors for Volunteer Services, which is a volunteer group on campus! Outside of college life, I have a flower business that keeps me pretty busy, but when I have time to myself, nothing is better than sitting outside with a good book!

Role on the Big Read team

This is my first year on the Big Read team, and I am super excited to be a part of it this year! I am excited to help out with events and support educators and readers in getting into the books chosen for this year’s big, middle, little, and mini reads because they are some great ones!

What is your favorite part of the Big Read and what are you most excited about for this year’s program?

I am super excited to see how people connect with these stories. All of these stories have greatly impactful themes of dreams and perseverance that I think will resonate with many of the readers!

What is your favorite genre of books and why?

My favorite books are actually autobiographies! As a history nerd, nothing is cooler to me than sitting down to read about someone’s life from their perspective. It is such an intimate and personal way to “get to know” historical figures.

Some of my favorites are The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (his resilience and strength are incredible), Eighty Years and More by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (She is one of my favorite historical figures and is just so intelligent and witty), and Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography (He is just hilarious! Also, fun fact, he actually wrote his autobiography before the events of the American Revolution which is ultimately what he is most known for!) If you are into history, definitely pick up an autobiography!

Behind the Big Read: Addie Wilcox

I am currently in my final semester at Hope College where I am majoring in Secondary English Education, Creative Writing, and Classical Studies. I live in Allegan, MI, which is where I am currently student teaching, but I originally hail from Ann Arbor, MI. After this semester, I am hoping to find a teaching position in the West Michigan area and continue to be a part of the Big Read, just in a slightly different role.

Role on the Big Read team

This is my third year being a part of the Big Read. I joined the student intern team the summer before my sophomore year where I mainly focused on the podcast. Now I am the student intern team leader, and I still mainly focus on the podcast!

What is your favorite part of the Big Read and what are you most excited about for this year’s program?

I love the Big Read because it is an outlet for people to share their experiences and thoughts on society, life, and the whole human experience through the reading of one, or multiple, shared books. Because of this community-wide reading program, I am able to hear a variety of stories that I normally wouldn’t get to hear. Stories are such a central part of the human experience as most of our experiences lend themselves to the format of a story, and life itself is a story, so I love that we are able to bring stories to life through our programming.

What is your favorite genre of books and why?

My favorite genre is the “classics.” I love ancient literature, like The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, but I also love modern classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Handmaid’s Tale. All classic literature has a moral argument or belief behind it that inspired the writer to create their masterpiece, something that not all literature has today. Each piece of classic literature gives me one person’s perspective on what it means to be human, often through a world that no longer exists, never existed, or is foreign to me. In this way, I love reading the classics because it is always an adventure that is often humbling, reflective, and challenging.

Behind the Big Read: Rachel Leep

Hello! I am a senior at Hope studying Secondary English Education. On campus I am also involved with dining services as a worker for Cup and Chaucer as well as Res Life as an RA! When I’m not in classes or at work you can usually find me trying to work through my apartments ever-growing list of movies we want to watch or getting coffee at one of the great coffee shops in Holland (I can’t choose a favorite). I grew up in Martin, Michigan, around an hour away from Holland, but I am hoping to move to North Carolina after graduation!

Role on the Big Read team:

This will be my second year working on the Big Read team, but this will be my first year doing in-person events since I was abroad last fall. I primarily work on the blogs for Big Read (so a lot of what you read on here comes from me), but I will also be helping at a lot of the in-person events you may come to!

What is your favorite thing about the Big Read and what are you most excited about for this year’s program?

As an English Education major, my favorite part of the Big Read program is the conversations that can be had around these books. I love a good book talk, and I have loved the participation of local schools and getting to see what the students get out of reading these books with us! I am super excited to see the creative ways that teachers can use our Big Read book this year in a new way!

What is your favorite genre of books and why:

It is hard for me to narrow down, but I have been reading a lot of historical fiction lately so I will go with that. I love history and even minored in it for a while, and getting to see a new perspective and learn new facts about these stories is awesome to me. I am currently working my way through The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, which is about a Vietnamese double agent after the Vietnam War, and I really appreciate how this story lays out different perspectives and motivations for people on both sides at the time.

Behind the Big Read: Alex Goodwin


Hi everyone! I am a senior Secondary Education at Hope College, with plans to become a social studies teacher in the West Michigan area after graduation. Besides taking classes and working for Big Read Lakeshore, I also work for the Hope College branch of TRIO Upward Bound and am active in Hope’s Swing (Dance) Club. In my free time, I enjoy seeing friends and family, hosting concerts for myself in my kitchen, and rewatching Shrek and The Wedding Singer just a little too often.

Role on the Big Read team:

I am active in many areas of the Big Read, especially with developing teacher resources and helping with events. This is my first year working for the Big Read team.

What is your favorite part of the Big Read and what are you most excited about for this year’s program?

I love a good author/book talk and try to go to them as often as I can. This year’s authors and illustrators are phenomenal, and I’m very excited to help run events and interact with our special guests!

What is your favorite genre of books and why?

Historical fiction is my favorite book genre. I love how there is an element of escapism for readers, but the stories are anchored in a real time and place. I’m also fascinated by how people live across time and culture, and reading historical books exposes me to new perspectives outside of my modern everyday life. Plus, it has a lot of sub-genres. Some of my favorite historical fiction reads are A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.