after the movie and program debuted, the novel jumped from number 120 up to number 15 on the USA Today'' bestseller list. Together, the novel and the TV series inspired ChristyFest, an annual celebration in Townsend, Tennessee, since 1999. References External links 20th Century America Bestsellers 1967 American novels American Christian novels American historical novels McGraw-Hill books Novels set in Appalachia Novels set in Tennessee Fiction set in 1912 American novels adapted into films