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Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Celebration
Summary
Readings and conversation with Kurt Andersen, Libba Bray, Stephen Colbert, Oskar Eustis, Mary McDonagh Murphy, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Isaiah Sheffer, a discussion with the audience. Authors and actors including Stephen Colbert, Libba Bray (award winning young-adult novelist Going Bovine, winner of 2010 Printz Award), Oskar Eustis (Artistic Director at The Public Theater), Kurt Andersen (novelist and Studio 360 Host), Jayne Anne Phillips (novelist and National Book Award finalist Lark & Termite), filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (author of the upcoming book Scout, Atticus, and Boo), and others pay tribute to the Pulitzer prize-winning classic novel about racial injustice and loss of innocence in a small Southern town. One of the most taught -- and frequently challenged -- books of the last 50 years, the book was voted the best novel of the 20th century by librarians. The evening includes readings, discussion and audience Q&A.
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Reviews
Some books have been around so long, and their titles are so familiar, that they don't elicit much curiosity in me about why they are famous. If two people hadn't independently told me they'd read this book recently and really enjoyed it I probably never would have picked it up. That would have been a loss. To trot out a hackneyed phrase, this book is a classic. Told from the point of view of a 9-year old tomboy in a small Alabama town, it maintains a masterful balance that explores big issues of our time while simultaneously providing wonderful characters, phenomenal dialogue, and insight into a time and place that most of us never experienced. I can't count the number of times I laughed out loud at the entertaining turns of phrase and amusing situations presented in the book. Harper Lee also manages to capture what feels like an authentic voice for her young narrator. The innocence of childhood is here, dide by side with the inherent wisdom children possess. It's an idyl, a fable, a prequel to a coming of age story. And while I read it I couldn't help but think that while she wrote it Harper Lee was involved with Truman Capote and his early forays to Kansas where he was researching In Cold Blood. The two books could not be more opposite.
The Book covers a longer period of time than I expected. It wasn't just one summer when the trial happened.The story unfolds from Scouts point of view. It does a good job of showing things from a child's perspective.
Beautiful. All the reasons it's a classic are obvious, but it makes the novel no less sweet.
This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: Meh. Boring imagery - doesn't do the book justice.
Review: What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? I was never forced to read it while in school (or university), but it has remained on my list of classics to read. To be honest, I knew very little about it prior to starting, but I can now see why it has become a staple in so many classrooms. The writing style is fluid and prose beautiful, without being inaccessible for today's students. The historic setting transports the reader to a slower time that is often looked upon with nostalgia and longing. However, the subject matter soon turns and reveals the dark underbelly of this society.
The part about this novel that I truly loved was its characters. Scout has an incredible voice and she interjects a wonderful sense of humor to a plot that would otherwise have gotten far too serious for young readers. The author managed to write a child that is precocious, innocent and most importantly - believable. The adult characters are also wonderfully drawn, with strengths and flaws
The audio version of this book was fantastic for my traffic-ridden commute. The pace was slower than many of the other books I have listened to and the prose flowed like smooth chocolate - which worked very well to keep me calm, I must admit. Sissy Spacek was an great choice as narrator and she did a wonderful job of embodying the voice of Scout.
I truly enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird, and it has inspired me to seek out other classic YA in audiobook format.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 15 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: None
Violence: Gunplay, Knifeplay, Discussion of Rape
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Use/Abuse: None
This is, hands down, the best book ever written.
I finished my re-read of this book at Biscuit Head today. The counterman, upon seeing a clearly emotional woman, came over to see if he could help. When I explained that my behavior was the result of a book not of the bacon or some real-life monster, he asked what I was reading. I showed him the cover. He inhaled deeply, nodded understandingly, patted my shoulder sympathetically, and walked away.
great book and story about the twists and turns of southern small town living
I don`t think I read this book in school and felt it was nigh time to consume this classic. I enjoyed the story and with a little help from sparknotes.com was able to answer some of the questions , allusions and references the book makes that slowed down my reading process - (sparknotes - great tool) The other reviews here summarize and analyze this book more eloquently than I can do at this time so I will not waste any more of a potential readers time.
Lee has this style of writing that is so Southern, but so...not. I can't describe how she makes you feel like you're in the South without depending on the dialect. You can feel the slow pace and the dusty roads, you can hear the neighbors gossiping on the porch and lowering their voices to whispers as you walk by. She accomplishes all this and more without employing an excessive amount of y'alls, ya hears, ain'ts, and other Southern phrases that are often overused to try and set the scene.
And the characters, wow. I fell head over heels for Atticus. So smart and reserved, a good father, an honest man. Jem is a really realistic pre-teen boy, if I remember my brother at that age. Scout is the typical tomboy, trying to hold on to her brother as long as she can, if I remember me at that age. Scout reminds me of Ramona Quimby, and for a long time I wanted to be each of them. Good role models.
I think it also says something about the characters and the writing (as much as the power of the story itself) that I could read it and still feel the punch in certain scenes, still cry in certain scenes, still get my hopes up, even though I already knew what was going to happen. This is a novel where the fun is in reading it, not knowing it. It's timeless.
And the characters, wow. I fell head over heels for Atticus. So smart and reserved, a good father, an honest man. Jem is a really realistic pre-teen boy, if I remember my brother at that age. Scout is the typical tomboy, trying to hold on to her brother as long as she can, if I remember me at that age. Scout reminds me of Ramona Quimby, and for a long time I wanted to be each of them. Good role models.
I think it also says something about the characters and the writing (as much as the power of the story itself) that I could read it and still feel the punch in certain scenes, still cry in certain scenes, still get my hopes up, even though I already knew what was going to happen. This is a novel where the fun is in reading it, not knowing it. It's timeless.
A great coming-of-age work highlighting both the ugliness and mercy of man. I read it with my freshman English students each year and always found something new to appreciate.
A story of the 1930s south, of race, of class, of justice. Through the child-eyes of Scout Finch, “To Kill a Mockingbird” examines the consciousness of a small Alabama town suffused with prejudice, violence, and duplicity. Realistic characters populate this unputdownable tale that, on its surface, is a coming-of-age narrative set in the midst of the Great Depression. At its core, however, it is an enduring tale of strength and decency, of humanity. The validity of its timeless, eloquent message makes this a book to be treasured, a book to be read, re-read, and read again. Highly recommended.
This book was very engaging- a page turner. I had seen the movie and followed the book quite nicely, but something about the book made the story so much more unique and classical.
Why not take some sun tea on the porch and rest a spell? This is who we are. Arrested childhood uncovers racial tension.
My own arrival was tardy. I was nearly 30 when I discovered this gem.
I've read it 2 times since. My thoughts flicker with Scout and Boo. I don't ponder Atticus. I bought this for my niece. I gave her 20 dollars to read it. She lied. I sigh.
My own arrival was tardy. I was nearly 30 when I discovered this gem.
I've read it 2 times since. My thoughts flicker with Scout and Boo. I don't ponder Atticus. I bought this for my niece. I gave her 20 dollars to read it. She lied. I sigh.
I make it a habit when reading a book I can't put down, to go to Amazon and take a look at the less than positive reviews. Imagine my surprise when reading about this CLASSIC -that someone said the novel Divergent which is listed as a child's novel (is it really?), should be substituted in school for TKaM. That Divergent would teach better life lessons. Well, I have never read Divergent nor do I want to (yet) but I can't imagine that it would teach the lessons TKaM teaches us in all of its gritty glory. TKaM is a classic and one of the things that means is that the lessons it teaches spans generations and centuries and will be as important to learn in 1950 as it is in 2050.Since I am 60 years old (ahem), I come from *near* the era this book was set in -my parents and Grandparents; exactly this era - I am still living with the repercussions of the mindset and politics of those closest to me. If you all know what I mean...At any rate, this book really teaches a hard lesson for that era and one that I was surprised to be taught. I loved this book for giving me so much -a lesson that everyone is created equal, a lesson in small-town politics (which is just as true today as it was then)that we can't really know about someone else until we walk a mile in their shoes and that when needed most, help will come from unexpected directions.I can understand that the beginning of this book can be boring to those who are used to more action, I just look at it as yet another lesson this book is teaching me -to be patient since all good things come to those who wait.Read this. I don't think you'll be sorry.
I read this again...I believe it is the 5th time I have read it...it really is that good!
On the heels of seeing a preview of the new Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, I decided to re-read the book to refresh my memory and gain some insight into the rationale for certain dramatic techniques playwright Aaron Sorkin employs in shaping this classic of American literature for the stage. This is primarily a review of the book, and secondarily a thumbnail review of the play and some of its key elements.The book is divided in two parts, with Part One, largely episodic in nature, introducing its characters and painting the portrait of life in a rather poor, sleepy town of the American South in the 1930’s, as seen through the eyes of a child (Scout). Indeed Lee has likely reconstructed the world of her own early years, with the vignettes involving Scout, her older brother Jem, and their friend Dill evoking, with a fine sense of humor, a palpable wistfulness and nostalgia for the innocence and childhood of a long gone era. While there are hints of the looming Tom Robinson trial, and the conflict, prejudice, injustice, revenge, and mayhem that ensues, Part One concentrates on beautifully capturing the era, and establishing the relationships between Scout and Jem and with their father Atticus Finch and their housekeeper Calpurnia.Rather than adhere to this structure, in which the entirety of the courtroom drama takes place in Part Two, Sorkin, for understandable dramatic purposes, shuffles the deck a bit, intermingling the early stages of the trial into Act One building its tension across the entirety of the play. While this results in many early scene shifts between the Finch house and the courtroom (a bit distracting at first), the decision soon pays off as we see characters and relationships fleshed out alongside the building momentum of Tom Robinson’s trial.In Part Two of the book, Lee brilliantly unleashes a torrent of emotions with the children learning hard lessons through Tom Robinson’s trial (and his subsequent fate), and the vengeful actions of Bob Ewell; and some tender lessons in the touching denouement involving Boo Radley, which provides a most satisfying conclusion. And though this book is not quite in the category of Bildungsroman, we do see Jem assertively edging towards manhood, and Scout slowly, but surely, growing up.As narrator, Scout is the central character in the book, but the play subtly shifts the focus to Atticus, with Jeff Daniels performing ably in an understated role of quiet strength. The play casts adults for the roles of Jem, Scout, and Dill. Here the “children” share the narration duties (occasionally speaking directly to the audience) though Scout naturally carries the bulk of that task; and then, of course they each play their respective roles in the course of the action. At the start I was skeptical of this casting, but it does work very well, each with the nuanced acting skills to pull it off.Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, recently voted America’s favorite novel, provides a beautiful and powerful reading experience. And with the inspired but judicious adjustments to the source material having been applied by Aaron Sorkin, it may well become a classic of the Broadway stage.
Simple put, I love this book, it is in my top favorites list. I read it first in my freshman year of high school, required for English, and I fell in love not just with the story but with the characters. Atticus the father who just wants best for his kids, Scout and Jem who were young and innocent. Recommend to everyone!!!
(Original review, 2004-08-27)There was a programme on the radio a few years ago which took a harsher view of the book. To summarise, Atticus Finch tried to win his case by substituting one prejudice (racism) with another (low-class women are loose and predatory). Beneath the charm, nostalgia and so on, there is a moral conflict if you like or confusion if you don't like. It's interesting that a female writer should elevate a male father-figure and denigrate a female alleged victim of rape. These are things to ponder, as a good play or novel should give us, and it isn't a children's book unless "Animal Farm" is also a children's book.I regarded this book as a tiresome wander down a garden path of implausibility until I read it again once I had become a father. Atticus Finch is both cynical and high-minded at the time, his defense of Tom Robinson essentially consisting entirely of letting the prosecution's key witness destroy her whole family's credibility in open court then letting his client (probably in a well-rehearsed manner) so that the Ewells' dirty laundry gets further airing, while on cross-examination Tom's greatest mistake is to say he "felt right sorry for her". The trial and its outcome being pretty much predestined, Atticus then puts a brave face on it (even while his face gets spit upon by Bob Ewell).I re-read the book from the perspective that Atticus conducts himself, at all times, as though his children are watching him. He really seems to act like a man on constant public parade, and sure enough, in Maycomb he probably IS just that. But he turns a legal defeat into a moral victory and inspires by example. That's why Scout can write about him as this towering example of moral rectitude. To her, he is. To himself, he's probably a fraud, but in the best of causes a fraud. He can't abide what's out there, but he doesn't give in to bitterness or nastiness the way Bob Ewell does. His quiet example is something we could all aspire towards. I think the book is about human broken-ness & frailty. It is about the choices we all make, be we black or white, male or female, young or old. Some of those choices are wise and good, some are bad; some are made willingly and some perhaps forced upon us for a myriad of reasons. Above all, it is about the need to show mercy and compassion in our dealings with ourselves and with others. (Something many of us could pay heed to today in a very broken 20th century). It is a phenomenally powerful, moving and insightful book and Ms. Lee did an astonishing job as a first time novelist.[2018 EDIT: There's also the ending; I just hope someday my children hold me in the kind of respect the Finch children hold for Atticus. A miscarriage of justice is mitigated by a sidestepping of the law in a case it is not in the public interest to prosecute. That's what would be killing a mockingbird.]
Drawing upon some of richest source material in American literature, Fred Fordham delivers a reverential adaptation. While the art can be a bit stiff and conservative, the story remains as powerful as ever in this new form. I gulped it down in one sitting.
I feel sad now that it's over.
To Kill a Mocking Bird is one of those books. The kind that isn’t full of drama, action, and dangerous situations, but you still can’t put it down. And when you find a book like that, you know it is a good one!
I LOVED this book! Such a beautiful, simplistic story of 2 little children, only it is so much more! The characters were simply amazing! I love Scout (aka Jean Louise Finch). She is just the sweetest little spitfire ever! I love her attitude, her thirst for knowledge, and her love of reading. And every time she crawled up in Atticus’s lap, my heart melted completely! <3 <3 <3 And Jem. The typical big brother. I love his imagination, his protectiveness towards Scout, and his tender heart. There were times I just wanted to wrap him in my arms and give him a hug! He reminds me so much of my own brothers, which is perhaps why I like him so much. Let’s not forget Atticus. The Best. Character. Ever. I love how he was such an amazing man, yet the author still portrayed his flaws, making him realistic and relatable. I am having a hard time describing him, because he is just so darn awesome! And Boo Radley . . . yeah. We'll just leave it at that! <3
The writing style was quite unique in this book, and I have to say, as much as I liked pretty much everything else about this book, I wasn't really a fan of the writing style. It was somewhat confusing, and I found myself rereading sentences 2 or 3 times just to comprehend what she was trying to say. Otherwise, I loved this book! Definitely something I will read again and again!
CONTENT NOTE: There was a decent amount of language in this book. Nothing absolutely terrible, but definitely a bit more than mild, and more than I am comfortable with on a regular basis. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than 15 for that reason, and because one of the main themes involves a trial about rape.
I LOVED this book! Such a beautiful, simplistic story of 2 little children, only it is so much more! The characters were simply amazing! I love Scout (aka Jean Louise Finch). She is just the sweetest little spitfire ever! I love her attitude, her thirst for knowledge, and her love of reading. And every time she crawled up in Atticus’s lap, my heart melted completely! <3 <3 <3 And Jem. The typical big brother. I love his imagination, his protectiveness towards Scout, and his tender heart. There were times I just wanted to wrap him in my arms and give him a hug! He reminds me so much of my own brothers, which is perhaps why I like him so much. Let’s not forget Atticus. The Best. Character. Ever. I love how he was such an amazing man, yet the author still portrayed his flaws, making him realistic and relatable. I am having a hard time describing him, because he is just so darn awesome! And Boo Radley . . . yeah. We'll just leave it at that! <3
The writing style was quite unique in this book, and I have to say, as much as I liked pretty much everything else about this book, I wasn't really a fan of the writing style. It was somewhat confusing, and I found myself rereading sentences 2 or 3 times just to comprehend what she was trying to say. Otherwise, I loved this book! Definitely something I will read again and again!
CONTENT NOTE: There was a decent amount of language in this book. Nothing absolutely terrible, but definitely a bit more than mild, and more than I am comfortable with on a regular basis. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than 15 for that reason, and because one of the main themes involves a trial about rape.
To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic at this point. You can find it on a million summer reading lists or school lists as required reading, and rightly so. I have not read Go Set a Watchman yet and am not sure if I ever will, simply because I think this final draft of what Harper Lee ultimately envisioned for this book should be left unspoiled. This one is the version that teaches us to love, to view others journeys from their perspective, to accept everyone as they are, to be inclusive.
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read this in my ninth grade English class and it was the only book I think I enjoyed reading that year and it was one that stayed with me. It's told through the eyes of Scout Finch, the daughter of Atticus Finch a lawyer in a small town in Alabama. She narrates about the goings on of her small town, her life with her father and older brother Jem, and events that take place. A figure that looms large in her life (other than her father) is Boo Radley, a neighbor who is reportedly insane and stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. She discovers that he may be the one leaving trinkets in the notch of an old tree. The town is rocked with scandal as a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of rape by the daughter of the town drunk. In addition, Atticus is appointed to represent Tom Robinson in court and causes a ripple in the town. This book often appears on banned or challenged book lists, it has recently come under fire for making people uncomfortable for the use of racial slurs against black people. It's a very touchy subject with a lot of grey areas but I still think the book as a whole is an important part of any school reading list. This could be a good starting point for teachers and other educators to talk to students about the banning of books but also talk about how words and prejudices can have an impact on society.
most excellent and unexpected
Classic novel of a 1935 childhood in Alabama, written from the perspective of "Scout" Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch a small town lawyer. Atticus invites local hostility by defending a young black man accused of raping a white woman in what was a largely racially prejudiced conservative community. Whilst the story is well-written it isn't the easiest of reads and required persistence to finish.
It was great to approach this book without having prior knowledge of its content. It was as fresh as it could be when I began reading it.Atticus Finch is the hero of this book, and about him revolve the lives of his 2 children. Scout- a tomboy with a strong sense of right and wrong, and Jem her older brother, who is learning to fit in to the adult world and not liking what he sees. It is through Scouts eyes that we see the world, and her mature perspective let us get both quite adult insights along with the innocent and sweet musings that are universal to children.The first half is all about growing up, long summers hanging out, new classrooms at school, negotiating parental boundaries and getting into mischief, the chief source of which is curiosity. It is a real immersion into the kids' lives, and feels so real. The second half is all about the trial of a local black man. It is about the injustice and the ingrained prejudices a society holds. It is about a lot of things. It is a smart and sensitive story, and told so well. I very much liked it.
I'm glad Ms. Eckart made me read this sophomore year of high school, but reading it after college was so much better. In class, before we started the book, we had a discussion about what makes it so that someone is acquitted before a jury. I said "if they're innocent", which I still believe. If someone is NOT innocent (and there's evidence, witnesses etc.) it will be more difficult to uphold their innocence. To Kill a Mockingbird cracked some of that idealism, but really, we HAVE taken a few steps as a nation towards equality, as many more as there are left to take. The issue/theme of justice is something our country needs to work on, but it's also something I need to work on.
There were a lot of parts of this story that I had no recollection of, like the Mrs. Dubose breaking her addiction plot. I'm still thinking about what this "means", but the first thing that struck me was how Jem ans Scout treat people based on their opinions of the people in their town, whether those opinions are accurate or not. Which is just what people did to Tom Robinson. What opinions of people do I hold that aren't accurate? Have it wronged someone without knowing all the facts? At the very least, this should make me a more patient driver.
I think quite a bit of the book went over my head. The dialogue was almost unintelligible sometimes; it took me about 5 repetitions to figure out that "Nome" means "no ma'am". And there are just some aspects of Southern culture that I will just never understand as a liberal Californian born in the 90s. I hope this book continues to be read, because as much as I didn't understand, it did give me a glimpse into a different culture. And that little glimpse is better than nothing when it comes to imagining other people complexly.
There were a lot of parts of this story that I had no recollection of, like the Mrs. Dubose breaking her addiction plot. I'm still thinking about what this "means", but the first thing that struck me was how Jem ans Scout treat people based on their opinions of the people in their town, whether those opinions are accurate or not. Which is just what people did to Tom Robinson. What opinions of people do I hold that aren't accurate? Have it wronged someone without knowing all the facts? At the very least, this should make me a more patient driver.
I think quite a bit of the book went over my head. The dialogue was almost unintelligible sometimes; it took me about 5 repetitions to figure out that "Nome" means "no ma'am". And there are just some aspects of Southern culture that I will just never understand as a liberal Californian born in the 90s. I hope this book continues to be read, because as much as I didn't understand, it did give me a glimpse into a different culture. And that little glimpse is better than nothing when it comes to imagining other people complexly.
One of my all time favorite novels which I first read in high school. Who could ever forget Atticus, Scout, Jem and Boo Radley?
Bad librarian confession: this is my first time to have read this excellent book. In my defense, I don't think I would have cared for it at the time I should have been reading it (circa 8th grade).
The setting is a small southern town, the time is the Great Depression, just before WW II. Jem and Scout are growing up without their mother, but surrounded by caring neighbors. When their father Atticus is assigned to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman, their lives are changed forever. Harper Lee is a gifted storyteller. Her sentences are so beautifully written and so layered. Her sense of humor is acute and Scout's voice is especially precocious and charming. I can't imagine getting tired of this book, ever. Every time I read it, I get something new out of it. Reading it with my son was a great experience. He often wanted to stop and discuss issues that came up in the book, and it added a lot to the experience. He did make fun of me a little when I cried at the end. It always gets me when Atticus says thank you to Boo Radley. Every time.