Mockingbird...Verdict's In!

Mockingbird, Abi and Me in Lauderdale by the Sea
 Feb 2012

Just back from a 2 week vacation in Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida and I was able to relax, get some sun, play with the kids, and read 3 books! The perfect break!


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is March's Book Club selection so I started with it. As you may already know (for a previous post), I was not looking forward to reading it again. I had read it in high school, (like most Canadian teenagers do) and I don't remember it being one of my favorites.

This novel is hailed as one of America's greatest works, and I often cringe when this kind of tag line is handed out. When I first read it as a fifteen year old, I was fascinated by the reclusive neighbour "Boo" Radley. I remember wanting to know about the strange man who lived next door and who's mere existence terrified everyone.


Having read it again at 41, I see that Lee's novel captures a feeling of social tension and oppression in the deep south during the 1930's. Through the eyes of a young girl, we see a black man stand trial for a rape that his does not commit, and yet is ultimately convicted.  Atticus, the defending attorney and father of "Scout", represents the moral standard that is revered by all. He remains aloof of the community's weaknesses and personifies justice and tolerance.

Harper Lee in the Court House, Alabama

Written in 1960, Lee's novel is a social commentary that is intended for the current state of racial tension in the USA. Although she sets the novel in the south during the 1930's, her message is clearly geared to the racial tensions of 1960 is the US.

Well, here's where I say what I think...I agree that the message that Lee puts forth is incredibly important: it was important in 1960 and it continues to be important. Mockingbird is an enjoyable read, but it's simplistic and in relation to today's fiction, I found it simplistic. It's not one of my favorites, but it's worth a read.

Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush
(he seems to be having a hard time with it!)

Lee won the Pultizer for Mockingbird, but I think the success of this novel was a real curse for her. She attempted but never published again, and found herself living in the shadow of her first work. Nonetheless, she continues to be celebrated as a monumental author.


My bet is that Bush has never read it!!!