What's a Classic?

Now it seems that Oprah has confronted and repudiated James Frey because of the lies in his book. (With two million sold, he doesn't need a link.) A few weeks ago the book was thought of as a great book, largely because Oprah told us it was worth reading. She put it in the same category as Faulkner, Tolstoy, and Steinbeck. I was talking with my students a couple weeks ago and pointed out to them that the books that are considered great today might not be in the future. A Million Little Pieces made this transition in just three months -- obscurity to great book, and now to book of questionable value. Somehow, Oprah, definitely one of the smartest people out there, and a person deeply committed to improving the literacy situation in this country comes out a hero. God bless America!