Historical Fiction Favorite
GONE WITH THE WIND
Margaret Mitchell
US Civil War & Reconstruction period saga, 960 pages
Gone with the Wind has become an American classic with its sweeping saga of characters you love and hate, sometimes at the same time. I find the growth and character arc of Scarlet O’Hara Butler is one of my all-time favorites. The popularity of the movie and the excellent casting of Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable further propelled the story into the hearts and minds of millions. While recent controversy has cropped up related to the depiction of African Americans in the story, I believe reading of older titles must account for the time-period in which Margaret Mitchell wrote her tome. Our world in 1936 was a vastly different culture and society. The key takeaway to consider is how far we’ve come when a book like Caste by Isabel Wilkerson makes the best seller list to educate and inform.
