The book I wish to introduce you to is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. It has 300 pages, which are filled with a story not found anywhere else.
This book is about the moral turmoil between Whites and Blacks in the 1930’s. Tom Robinson, a colored man, was accused of rape based solely on the word of a drunk, and his daughter. The drunken father is from a not very popular family, the Ewells. They made false accusations, bringing the reliability based solely on 'I'm white so I must be right.' Lee addressed these issues through the words of a little girl, untainted by prejudice and not biased.
The town is called as Maycomb in the book, but she based it on her own hometown, Monroeville. She plunged you into the view of a six year old girl named Scout. Scout, formally known as Jean Louise Finch, is the main character and leads the story as it is from her point of view. Her family consists of one brother, Jeremy Atticus Finch, and their father, Atticus Finch. The town is called as Maycomb in the book, but she based it on her own hometown, Monroeville.
Scout is your typical six year old girl, with an adventurous brother, and a rare father. Jem and Scout repeatedly go on adventures with Dill (Charles Baker Harris) during the summer. One of their main goals was trying to get old Boo Radley to come out of his house. Boo Radley was considered to be one of the meanest people alive, and that made him the target for many jokes and pranks.
The book fits into the fictional account. It is based on how life really was back then. Even though it never really happened, it could have. As soon as I began reading the story, I was seeing things out of Scouts' eyes. Lee has a sense of inviting into the story, beginning with a accident that happened, warming you to the characters hopes and dreams that would progress through the story. She starts from almost the future, like a storyteller, relaying all the events until you finally become immersed into the story. Her delicate writing maneuvers gave a decent outlook on Scout, nearly showing you her personality in two words.
Lee shows wonderful descriptions of everything. Her writing style makes you live the scenario, instead of just reading it. She explains things so even a small child (like Scout) can understand. She makes it stand out though, showing its importance.
"'Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
'Your father's right," she said. 'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'"
In those small statements she gives depth to a simple subject, in a minimum of words. “To kill a mockingbird is to kill something that is innocent and harmless” Lee continues so amplify that point, and by doing that, she gives you clues on Atticus's personality, without fully telling you about him.
"'If he shot fifteen times and hit fourteen doves he'd complain about wasting ammunition.'
'Wonder why he never goes huntin' now,' I said.
'If your father's anything, he's civilized in his heart. Marksmanship's a gift of God. I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God has given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today.'
'Looks like he'd be proud of it,' I said.
'People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.'"
Atticus is a very good man. Although he is not the main character he is the moral character. He stands up for what is right, which is defending Tom Robinson. He tells his children not to fight, and tells them that they should stop pestering Boo.
The book is good because Lee gives the personality of the children without being to over dramatic. Scout did some reasonable things most kids would have done, giving good descriptions of them. It's also good because it brings the problems of racism and views why it is wrong to the light. She explains how it not only affected the lawyers, the accused families, but also the children. Even through all the racism and accusations some white people had the heart to not only be friends with the blacks, but help them also.
Lee only wrote one book, but it doesn’t matter, this one is one of the best books I’ve ever read, classic or not. Lee was born in Monroeville Alabama and her father was a former newspaper editor, and a lawyer. She studied law for four years at University of Alabama for four years, and then one year at Oxford University.
This book offers insight on the oppression between the Blacks and Whites. How Blacks were limited to certain places to live, what jobs they could have. Almost all Whites were mean to the Blacks, treating them as their inferiors. It explains how blacks are reacting to the accusations, how they know they can’t do anything about it. It speaks about southern life and the racial injustice that happened there.
“The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.’
I certainly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read. It knocks the ball out of the park for classics. There is slight profanity, so I would limit the age groups, but other than that, it’s a great book. I give it five stars.
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