Go behind the scenes of our ambitious project establishing a list of the most significant novels published in the U.S. over the last hundred years, recognizing those classics that stand the test of time, but also making the case for the overlooked, the unexpected, the unfairly forgotten, and the recently published works that already feel indelible. Clint Smith III, Ellen Cushing, Jane Kim, and Jemele Hill discuss the omissions staff argued over, books that just missed the cut, and the complexity of deciding which contemporary works—published as recently as last—year to include.

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