Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature. Interest Level: YA ATOS Book Level: 5.6 AR Interest Level: UG AR Points: 10 AR Quiz: 19797EN Reading Counts Level: 7.9 Reading Counts Points: 9 Lexile Measure: 1080.