Expert:

Dr. Peter Conn, professor of English and Pearl S. Buck expert

University of Pennsylvania

Credentials:

Author of "Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography"

Board chairman emeritus of Pearl S. Buck International

Principal advisor to Oprah's Book Club when the Buck classic, "The Good Earth" was the selected reading

Quote:

 "No other American writer, before or since, has so powerfully shaped the way in which Americans view another culture.  That extraordinary achievement confers a special excitement on the recovery of the original typescript of 'The Good Earth.'  This was, to put it simply, one of the most influential novels of the 20th century."