To Kill a Mockingbird

Firstly, before starting this post, I would like to recognize that Harper Lee was a fantastic author and way ahead of her time, may she rest in peace. 

So, let's talk about To Kill a Mockingbird. We all read it in high school and I learned one thing from that experience. You either love it or hate it, there is no in between. For me, it was love at first word. Basically, if it takes place in the old south, it's a book for me! 

To Kill a Mockingbird begins with our narrator Scout Finch, daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in their small Alabama town, telling us about the haunted house near her own. The Radley house. Home of the hulking, and very scary, Boo Radley. Boo Radley is more of a myth than anything else to the town. A ghost for all intents and purposes. But more on him later.

On the day of their dad's trial, Scout and her brother Jem go to the courthouse to watch everything go down. Personally, this is one of my favorite scenes in the book. Atticus Finch is defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. (And the whole town is mad at him for defending a black man, as you can imagine.) But, as the trial rages on, the truth becomes clear to Scout, Jem, and the readers. The white woman and her father--who are accusing the black man--are lying about the encounter entirely. Can Atticus win his case? Sorry, you'll have to read the book to find that out!

Meanwhile, on their way to and from school, Scout and Jem regularly pass the Radley place and have noticed that there are several things hidden in the hollow of a tree on the property. There are even soap carvings of Jem and Scout. Creepy or heartwarming? You decide! At any rate, the reader is left knowing who must have done these carvings but Scout and Jem, being quite young, are left in the dark. Then, one night, a nearby house burns down, and as Scout is freezing outside trying to catch a glimpse of the occurrence, she notices that someone has put a blanket on her. Boo Radley at your service, ladies and gents!

The novel takes a wild turn when the children are attacked, but that's all I can really tell you without giving too much away. So, I'll leave you with that!

I have to give Harper Lee her props! This novel is so well thought-out. She leaves you feeling philosophical and more sensitive to how you treat people in the future. Writing the book from the perspective of a young girl was borderline genius. It gives the reader a different way of looking at things because the events that take place in the novel are easy to understand for the reader, but not so much for its narrator. It was a very bold move that paid off in my opinion.

Furthermore, Lee gets into the discussion of racism. A touchy subject even in today's world. She breaks down barriers and destroys cultural norms with this novel. She shows us how the world really works against the minority. Whether it be a black man, or someone who is disabled. 

This novel was written very mindfully and with great care, its ending is practically perfect, and its narrator is fantastic. For these reasons, I give this novel 5/5 stars.


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Photo Credit #02: http://www.globalpovertyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/quote4.png