The Hundred-Year Book Debate of 1925 - Event Recap

The Associates of the Boston Public Library held our annual Hundred-Year Book Debate of 1925, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the Boston Public Library.  The event was an incredibly successful ‘page-turner’ as mentioned on GBH’s The Culture Show with a turnout of approximately 240 in-person and 147 virtual audience members. At this annual literary event, the enduring merits of three bestsellers from a hundred years ago were debated. This year, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and Franz Kafka's The Trial went head-to-head. The novels were championed by journalist and author Betsy Groban, investigative reporter and author Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Harvard English professor and author James Wood, respectively. This year, the audience was invited to dress in support of the book they’d like to see win, and one passionate audience member even brought a sign in support of The Great Gatsby!

The night began with an introduction from the Associates' Executive Director, Louisa Bissett who recognized notable attendees including BPL President, David Leonard, Hundred-Year Book Debate Committee Co-Chairs, Linda Weld and Lisa Fagin Davis, Hundred-Year Planning Committee members, Peter Drummey, Joseph Finder, Anita Lincoln, William Martin, and Associates Board member Dana Jackson Cohen, and former BPL Trustees Chair, Priscilla Douglas. Louisa introduced the emcee for the evening, DJ Radio Host, Kennedy Elsey, co-host of the popular morning radio program, Karson and Kennedy, on Mix 104.1.

Kennedy ran us through the key historical and cultural moments of 1925, using photographs from the Boston Public Library's Leslie Jones and Boston Herald-Traveler Photo Collections. Kennedy introduced each of the presenters who then gave their impassioned speeches in support of their books. The audience asked insightful questions and then voted on the best book of 1925!