The late Noel Polk and Tudier Harris, with Walter Edgar, taping "Take on the South."(SCETV/SC Public Radio)

This month, a PBS series, The Great American Read, celebrates the joy of reading and the books we love. Celebrities, authors, and book lovers reveal the novels that have affected their lives. And, the national vote gets under way, to decide America’s Best-Loved Novel.

Back in 2009, SCETV's Take on the South took a similar poll, and  asked the question, "What was the most influential 20th-Century Southern Novel?"

On Walter Edgar's Journal, internationally-renowned Southern-literature scholars Trudier Harris of UNC and Noel Polk of Mississippi State University join Dr. Edgar to debate the topic.

So, while the nation votes on "America's Best-Loved Novel," we thought we'd revisit our discussion of May 8, 2009 with this podcast. This episode is a companion to the SCETV series.