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Outlander claims second place in The Great American Read

By Alexandria Ingham

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Lola Ogunnaike, Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis and Diana Gabaldon speak onstage during the Outlander panel during New York Comic Con at Jacob Javits Center on October 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York Comic Con)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Lola Ogunnaike, Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis and Diana Gabaldon speak onstage during the Outlander panel during New York Comic Con at Jacob Javits Center on October 6, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for New York Comic Con) /
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Over the summer, fans of various books have taken to voting for their favorite in The Great American Read. Outlander fans certainly showed their devotion to the series of novels by Diana Gabaldon.

It’s official! “Outlander” is one of the most popular book series throughout the States. The people have spoken through PBS’ The Great American Read, as Diana Gabaldon’s novels took second place.

This is a huge achievement. While I know many will be disappointed it didn’t take the top spot, “To Kill a Mockingbird”  was up there and it certainly does deserve that spot. Plus, “Outlander” was two out of 100 and ahead of the likes of “Harry Potter,” “Game of Thrones,” “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” and so many others.

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The Great American Read was a chance for fans of books to share their favorites. Bloggers, authors, celebrities, and more took to the program to share what makes particular books special. Gabaldon was included in the in the episode about books based on time and fantasy and was also there for the final episode.

We knew “Outlander” was popular. After all, this is the book series we all adore, right? But it was also revealed to be in the Top 40 and then the Top 10 in the run-up to the finale. Now we know just where it was, making a place as just behind “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

One thing this shows is the power behind the fandom of Sassenachs. When it comes to voting for anything to do with the series, we’re there in spades. Diana Gabaldon knows that she has loyal, dedicated fans who will follow her anywhere.

The Great American Read Outlander
Meredith Vieira, Diana Gabaldon, Eliyannah Yisrael, Aaron Sorkin, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Ali Wentworth, and Wil Wheaton — Credit: Courtesy of Stephanie Berger/PBS — Acquired via DKC PR /

To get an idea of voting, more than 4 million votes were cast throughout the initiative. This isn’t the amount of people who voted, as people could vote multiple times per day (for different books) and multiple times throughout the summer for the same book.

The top 10 is:

  1. To Kill a Mockingbird
  2. Outlander (Series)
  3. Harry Potter (Series)
  4. Pride and Prejudice
  5. Lord of the Rings
  6. Gone with the Wind
  7. Charlotte’s Web
  8. Little Women
  9. Chronicles of Narnia
  10. Jane Eyre

Why is it possible to read Outlander so much?. dark. Next

Did you catch The Great American Read finale? Were you surprised that “Outlander” took the number two spot? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Check out the full 100 ranking at The Great American Read official site.

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