So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures

The "Fresh Air" book critic investigates the enduring power of The Great Gatsby—"The Great American Novel we all think we've read, but really haven't."

Conceived nearly a century ago by a man who died believing himself a failure, it's now a revered classic and a rite of passage in the reading lives of millions. But how well do we really know The Great Gatsby? As Maureen Corrigan, Gatsby lover extraordinaire, points out, while Fitzgerald's masterpiece may be one of the most popular novels in...