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In case you
are unfamiliar with it, To Kill A
Mockingbird is the classic novel by Harper Lee. It takes place is a small
town in Alabama in the 1930s. This is one of those books you are supposed to
read, but I never did so I decided better late than never, especially since a sequel,
Go
Set A Watchman, was published this month. These are Harper Lee’s only two
books, published 55 (!!) years apart.
This book
centers around the Finch family; Attitcus, a lawyer, and his two children Scout
(the younger sibling, and the book’s narrator) and Jem (the older sibling). Since
Scout is the narrator, the world is framed from a child’s point of view which
is obviously the point that Lee is trying to make. More on that later…
To me,
there are three parts to this book. The first part set up the characters that
live in the town and points out the differences between its inhabitants. During
this section, Scout and Jem also wonder about Boo Radley, who lives on their
street, and never comes out of his parents’ house. He is an enigma to them so they
try to look inside the house, pass Boo notes, etc. This part of the book was
very slow to me as it was mostly the children playing and going to school. I
was getting impatient…
The second
part of the novel picks up a bit and focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson, a
black man accused of raping a white woman, with Atticus Finch appointed as
Tom’s lawyer. In particular, the court scene and dialogue between lawyers and witnesses
is what finally drew me in. Not only was the content interesting, but the novel
really began to address racial inequality, tension and outright racism that was
ingrained in the South. Don’t worry, I won’t give away the outcome if you
haven’t read the book yet.
The third
part of the novel dealt with the aftermath of the trial and served as commentary
on race relations during the time. We also finally learn more about Boo Radley bringing the book back around full circle.
This book
was published in 1960 and seeing as race is still a sensitive topic in 2015, I can’t even imagine the controversy and
conversations it stirred when it was first published. To Kill A Mockingbird highlights a town’s struggling to overcome
racism (well, some of the townspeople) and how prejudicial thoughts are passed
through generations. In an especially poignant moment, Scout is talking to her
brother Jem about how there is just one type of people in the world, not the
various types that Jem thinks there are—essentially that we are all just
people. Jem comments that he used to think that, too. Food for thought.
I would
recommend this book, not only is it a classic but once you get through the
first part of the book the writing is really well thought out. I will be
reading Go Set A Watchman once I can
get it from the library! I got my copy of To Kill A Mockingbird at the library--your local library will most likely have it since it is a classic novel.
Have you
read To Kill a Mockingbird? Let me
know your thoughts on the book if you’ve read it!
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All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in
the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive
reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for
you. This post is not sponsored.
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