In part eight of Books That Shaped America, Vanderbilt University history Professor Tiffany Ruby Patterson examined [Their Eyes Were Watching God], a 1937 novel authored by Zora Neale Hurston that explores a southern woman's identify, along with gender roles and race, and was influential on both African American literature and women's literature. The program also includes a tour of Eatonville, Florida, where the novel is set, with the executive director of the Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts; remarks from Professor Gary Richards on the life of Hurston; a short interview with the author of [Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters]; a high school teacher who described how she teaches Hurston in her class; and comments from an archivist at the University of Florida. Books That Shaped America is a 10-part series, created in partnership with the Library of Congress, that examines major works of literature that have had a significant impact on the country and public policy.