Review: To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Classic Literature
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Plot Summary:

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into ten languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

Review:

Re-reading this book so many years after I read it in high school, has only transformed my once hazy, fond recollection of this memorable book, into an adoration of it's simple, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a 1930s Southern town.  There's a uniquely American aspect to this way of life, and also something appealing and saddening about the people and their lives.  This truly is a wondrous examination of humanity and decency.

In spite of the tragedy and prejudice rampant in the town of Maycomb, the actions and beliefs of a few good and decent people begin to make a difference, and it's that sense of hope in humanity that makes this such a touching read for me.  While it's narrated by Scout, the real star is her father, Atticus Finch, who is so gloriously paternal and wise, that I'm sure most everyone wishes they had an Atticus Finch in their life.  But Scout herself is such an integral part of the story.  Seeing the drama through her childhood lenses gives me such a sense of nostalgia, while also highlighting how simple right and wrong can be, when stripped of preconceptions.  That aspect of stripping away prejudice to just seeing the truth makes this such a powerful story.

There are many great nuggets of wisdom in this book that are sometimes unexpected glimpses into a real truth of the human condition that it's no wonder this book has endured as a classic, and is still so highly regarded.  The story feels like a series of vignettes at times - especially when Scout gives snapshots of her childhood antics with her brother and their friend Dill, but it all adds up to a momentous portrait of life, and a glimpse of an era that can seem different to modern times in some ways, but in many ways is no different at all.

Postscript:
I re-read this book in anticipation of reading Go Set A Watchman, but after reading some reviews about it, I 100% have no interest in reading it and seeing Atticus through an altered lens.  I love this book too much, and I already feel depressed about Go Set A Watchman from reading other's thoughts on it.