Summer Reading; 50th Anniversary Special

My copy was a paperback printed in 1962. It deteriorated as I read it, so that by the time I finished, I had a pile of loose pages.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Marvelous. It's not just about race, it's about growing up, about age, gender, disability, religion, economic class, social and familial status, ignorance and intellect, fear and trust. It's about discovering how often your assumptions and prejudices are unsubstantiated. It took me a while to get into it at first, but I'm glad I read it. I really love this book. I don't understand why between high school and college, no teacher ever had me read it before. This deserves to be in the pantheon of great classics- and it's a helluva lot easier to read than Moby Dick. I recommend it to everyone. Harper Lee wrote the ultimate novel of American values; empathy, compassion, community, and responsibility. Everyone who's decided that tolerance is a dirty word needs to read or re-read this book.

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