American Broadcasting Company © 2005 “Their Eyes Were Watching God” TV Movie

Okay folks, Summer has come to a close and school’s back in session (or soon to be). But have no fear, that means fall is on its way! Maybe you all don’t feel the same way, but we look forward to this colorful season of cooler weather, layers, and school supplies (is our inner nerd showing?). So for this month’s book choice we’ve gone with the theme: {Back to School}.

There are so many great options to choose from, but we’ve decided to go with Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). Set in Florida in the early 20th century, the story follows Janie Crawford on an extended flashback as she tells her story in three parts from her grandmother’s plantation shack to the Everglades—until a tragedy brings her home. Janie narrates her life story to her best friend, satisfying the “oldest human longing—self-revelation.”

Maybe a lesser known option, but the more we learn about this book the more excited we are to dive in! Here are a few important need-to-knows…

• TIME included the novel in its 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923
• Hurston wrote this novel in just 7 weeks (!?!) while on a Guggenheim Fellowship in Haiti
• Published in 1937
• On the reading list for some high school or college classes
• “Their Eyes Were Watching God belongs in the same category with the works of William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, that of enduring American literature.” — Saturday Review

We hope you’ll read along with us and share your progress/thoughts with us on Instagram or Twitter using #BooklyMark!