So We Beat On ... "Gatsby" turns 100

One hundred years ago today, the third, relatively short, novel by F. Scott Fitzgeral. Titled The Great Gatsby, it got mixed reviews, sold poorly, and was generally viewed a failure.

Now, a full century later, its regarded by critics and generations of readers as one of the greatest novels ever written, and the greatest American novel of the 20th century.

The American dream -- its unending allure and its many dangers -- that the novel explores and lays bare, remains essential, more relevant than ever before. 

The green light still shines bright. And tonight, the lights of the Empire State Building will turn green. 

I've written a lot about Gatsby over the years so I won't rehash it here. But I always go back to this book, always re-read it, because the of the haunting final line: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."