The Big Read 2021: War and Peace

Subscribers will enjoy access to exclusive weekly newsletters, additional reading recommendations, interviews with experts, community discussions, and much more. The Big Read initiative kicked off in 2021, marking the beginning of what we hope will be an ongoing series. Our inaugural book is the renowned War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Spanning over 1,300 pages, this classic is one of the longer works you'll find, yet it remains surprisingly easy to read. In fact, it’s often more approachable than Moby Dick and, at times, even simpler than Les Miserables. Tolstoy’s strength lies in his relatable characters and his ability to avoid simplistic answers to complex questions. His insights are particularly relevant today, as they explore how we navigate relationships during chaotic times. How do we connect with others who come from different backgrounds? How do we perceive historical events while living through them? Can the concepts of war and peace truly be separated? These are profound questions that the book raises.

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Articles

Huck Finn: Conclusion

6 days ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello readers! We’ve reached the end of Huck Finn, which again took a couple of interesting twists and turns this week. Overall, I very much enjoyed the novel and it will definitely stick with me much more than when I read it in high school. As I mentioned over on Read More Books, I’m in the middle of a cross-country move this week, so I’m going to keep things short and sweet to wrap up this book.
Huck Finn: Chapters 29-34

1 week ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello readers!We have just one week left in this all-time great American story and I’m enthralled by Huck’s journey. His maturation over the course of this novel is admirable — and Twain’s approach to Jim and slavery is remarkable given the era. I enjoyed this week’s story line, in which we got a good dose of introspection as well as some plain old fun …Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Big Read to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Huck Finn: Chapters 24-28

2 weeks ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

King and Duke mourning their brother. One of Normal Rockwell’s Huck Finn illustrations. Hello readers! Once again, we largely spent the week in the unpleasant presence of the King and the Duke — this time defrauding good people who were simply trying to mourn a father and friend. Overall I found this week to be a little more interesting than last week si…
Huck Finn: Chapters 19-23

3 weeks ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello, readers! Part of what I enjoy doing when reading classic books is simply trying to observe where my natural interest and attention waxes and wanes over the course of the story. In the first half of the book, what was so compelling to me was Huck and Jim’s relationship and their escape down the river. The Mighty Mississippi is as much of a well-wr…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Big Read to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Huck Finn: Chapters 14-18

1 month ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello, readers! We’re about 150 pages into Huck Finn (at least in my edition) and I’m amazed at how much depth this story has — especially compared to what I was expecting based on high school reading of it. We’re seeing Huck grow up, we’re seeing the complex interplay of race and friendship, and we’re seeing Twain’s cynical view of the gilded and hypoc…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Big Read to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Huck Finn: Chapters 8-13

1 month ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hi there readers, I loved seeing your comments on last week’s recap; it seems that many of you are in the same boat as me and either read it years ago in high school or haven’t read it at all before this month. While the style took some getting used to, the depth of the story has quickly become apparent amidst the youthful adventures of Huck’s escape. L…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Big Read to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Huck Finn: Chapters 1-7

1 month ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello, readers! I’m so glad you’re here as we start in on Mark Twain’s all-time American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I read this book in high school and didn’t love it (which was the case for most of the assigned reading of my teenage years) — and, frankly, I’ve kinda written it off since then. Jumping back into it this week has been a bit of a revelation.
The Unexpected Subversion of Mark Twain and Huck Finn

1 month ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello readers and welcome to our group read of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn! Wrapped in a YA story, it would be easy to see the attitude and rebellion of Twain’s characters as little more than youthful defiance. But reading the likes of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn as an adult creates a richer, deeper perspective.
Range: Concluding Thoughts

2 months ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg |David Epstein

Be a Swiss army knife of a human. Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed our four-week journey through ’s Range — I sure did. It gave me a whole new appreciation for my own journey in both my career and the various side projects I’ve worked on over the years. More than that, it feels like a foundational philosophical element to a well-lived life. Let’s dive…
Invisible Man: Concluding Thoughts

2 months ago | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg

Hello, readers! Now that we’ve finished Invisible Man, I can easily say that it wasn’t what I expected —and I’m really glad I read it. It’s weirder, more experimental, and more chaotic than I imagined. At the same time, it’s incredibly moving and powerful at times. The book manages to be about a very specific time and place—Black life in 20…Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Big Read to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.