To Kill a Mockingbird in Generation Joshua

May 17, 2009 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-have-re-read-time-and-time, sonlight, favorites, classic-lit, classics

As Hope has brilliantly pointed out, writing a review for SUCH a fantastic classic as "To Kill A Mockingbird" is impossible. In fact, I'm slightly amazed I ever tried.
BUT, I told Tori I would post my book reviews from book club last year, and this is the first one. Though I got a 9 on the review, I offer it now a little older and a little wiser, and would probably write it much differently now, only a year later. So, without further-ado, To Kill A Mockingbird....

What 鈥榤akes鈥� a book?
Perhaps it As Hope has brilliantly pointed out, writing a review for SUCH a fantastic classic as "To Kill A Mockingbird" is impossible. In fact, I'm slightly amazed I ever tried.
BUT, I told Tori I would post my book reviews from book club last year, and this is the first one. Though I got a 9 on the review, I offer it now a little older and a little wiser, and would probably write it much differently now, only a year later. So, without further-ado, To Kill A Mockingbird....

What 鈥榤akes鈥� a book?
Perhaps it is a great plot, compelling characters, or raving reviews. Some might say a popular author, spell-binding writing, and lots of awards and recognition. I think it is a book that will take you on a journey and leave you changed by the time you reach the end.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is all this and more.
Told from the view point of six-year-old Jean Louise 鈥淪cout鈥� Finch, she recounts life in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930鈥檚. Adventures with her older brother Jem and friend Dill, nosy neighbors, and the mysterious Arthur 鈥淏oo鈥� Radley begin a tale of life growing up in a faded society of the Deep South. When lawyer Atticus Finch, Scout鈥檚 father, agrees to represent and defend a black man in the courts, childhood is set aside as society allows prejudice and discrimination to rear its ugly head and poison the minds of rational men and women.
Atticus, a lone white man, stands up to proclaim the innocence of a black man in a case that would not have entered the courtroom if it weren鈥檛 for skin color. The unspoken laws of racism and the search for equality in the court will slowly begin to develop one young girl鈥檚 understanding that life is more complicated then it initially seems, and that not all men are good or evil. As the book draws to a close, Scout declares about life, 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 much more left for us to learn except maybe Algebra.鈥�
To Kill a Mockingbird is an American classic every high-school student finds themselves reading at one point or another, and yet it is perhaps one of the most beloved and misunderstood books ever. Though it may be a tale of racism, it is equally that of growing up, of meeting the prejudice of society and men in the deepest corners of their hearts with the innocence of a child, and of defending what is right, even when you know it will fail. As Atticus says, 鈥淭hey鈥檝e done it before and they did it tonight and they鈥檒l do it again and when they do it 鈥� seems that only children weep.鈥� But you try anyway.
It is a book that explores human nature at its rawest and the morality of what sits in the human heart. Scout displays a wisdom greater than many four times her age. We watch as an eight-year-old observes the good and bad in people and determines how to deal with it while keeping faith in humankind.
Perhaps more fascinating then the story itself, is its author, Harper Lee. After publishing To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, she has published nothing else with the exception of a few short stories. She also refuses interviews, giving only a very few, and disregards the public spotlight. Though she has won many awards, everything from an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame to the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Lee refuses to speak publicly. In a break with tradition, she once wrote to Oprah Winfrey about her book-minded childhood, 鈥淣ow, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books.鈥� (published in 鈥極鈥� during July 2006) This 83-year-old woman knows her mind and will likely continue to hide herself from the limelight until the day she dies.
Why should this book be read? It is the sort of book that changes lives; a book that makes you think and look inward. It challenges your beliefs and loyalties while encouraging you to take a stand. Once you meet characters like Atticus, Scout, Boo Radley, and Bob Ewell, you will never forget them. You might not like them, you might even despise them, but you will never forget them.
Look through the eyes of a child; you might be surprised with what you see. Learn for yourself why, 鈥渋t is a sin to kill a mockingbird.鈥�
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Mar 15, 2009 Tori rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-genj-book-club, classics

For book club:

People usually don't start something unless they know that they can finish it. Often, they only start something if the prospects for success look good, if there is a chance of winning the prize at the end. Even fewer start something if they know that they are going to lose. Atticus Finch was one of those few people.
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus' children, Jean Louise (a.k.a. Scout) and her brother Jem, seem to have a quiet life ahead of them in the small Alabama For book club:

People usually don't start something unless they know that they can finish it. Often, they only start something if the prospects for success look good, if there is a chance of winning the prize at the end. Even fewer start something if they know that they are going to lose. Atticus Finch was one of those few people.
In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus' children, Jean Louise (a.k.a. Scout) and her brother Jem, seem to have a quiet life ahead of them in the small Alabama town of Maycomb. It seems that their days are filled with nothing better to do than to try to get a look at Arthur Radley who hasn't been seen out of his house for years. With their friend Dill they spend many happy hours trying to peek into the Radley house or send notes to it's inhabitant. The worst trials for them are school and dealing with their Aunt Alexandra. But at some point in everyone's life, there comes the realization that the world isn't as easy as all that. In the midst of Scout's peaceful life dark changes start to take place. Her father, being a lawyer, has always been well respected in town. This starts to change when Atticus Finch is given a new client to defend.
Tension begins to pile on, and poor Scout doesn't understand much of it at her young age. She doesn't know what people mean when they talk about her father, but she does know that what they are saying isn't nice. Countless times she wants to hit the person who is making these comments, and several times she does. Jem also has to deal with these verbal attacks. The problem is that their father's new client, Tom Robinson, happens to be a "Negro". It's Tom's word against Bob Ewell's, a white man, and very few people seem to take Tom's side. Atticus is one of the minority. He realizes from the beginning that it will be a hard battle, a losing battle. It won't be just a fight against Mr. Ewell; it will be a fight against the whole prejudiced town. He knows that very few people will take a black man's word against a white man's, but he defends Tom anyway.
The heart of the story is simple: Equality. Scout sums up the matter nicely: "I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks". Would equality in the courtroom be too much to ask? Some people thought it was. Could the trail be fair, or would they condemn Tom just because of the color of his skin? Atticus was determined not to back down, and help Tom even when the chances were so slim. Why? Because he wanted to be able to hold his head up high knowing that he did the right thing. He wanted his children to be proud of him, and in the future, to have them be able to look back and know that Atticus Finch was willing to stand for what he believed in. The town looks on in suspense as they await the verdict. But as things turn from tense to dangerous to deadly, and the quiet little town of Maycomb becomes hostile, can Atticus stay strong and still keep his family safe?
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