Kim J., one of the staff at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, considers the original
To Kill a Mockingbird to be one of her all-time favorite novels. On the occasion of the release of Harper Lee's new novel related to Mockingbird,
Go Set a Watchman, she submitted the following trio of related reviews:
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the greatest books written in the
20th Century. Set in the 1930s, the reader sees life in the small town
of Maycomb, Alabama through the eyes of young Jean Louise Finch
(nicknamed Scout), daughter of attorney Atticus Finch. Scout’s mother
died when Scout was just a toddler, so she has no memory of her mother.
Instead, she is brought up by her father, Atticus, and older brother
Jeremy, whom she refers to as Jem. Scout is a tomboy in all respects and
spends her time playing with her brother Jem and their friend, Dill.
Life in Maycomb revolves around the social structure of the Deep South.
Relationships between upper society and lower society as well as Blacks
and Whites are at the heart of this story. When Atticus chooses to
represent a black man accused of raping a white woman, Scout faces harsh
treatment from people within her school and the town in general. The
trial of Tom Robinson is one of the greatest stories included in this
book. As a teacher, I used this book to teach students about racial
prejudice and sexual stereotypes. There is also much to learn about
compassion, honor and respect. I recommend this book as one of the best
books I have ever read.
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee,
To Kill a Mockingbird – the feature film adaptation of the novel,
Huckleberry Finn and
Tom Sawyer, both by Mark Twain (a.k.a. Samuel Clemens).]
[ official
Harper Lee web site ]
Recommended by
Kim J. Bennett Martin Public Library
adapted from the novel by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird was nominated for many Academy Awards in 1963,
including Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Screenplay, Best
Cinematography and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Gregory Peck won
the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his outstanding
portrayal of Atticus Finch, a Southern lawyer who chooses to represent a
Black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama. Mary Badham
does a wonderful job portraying Scout Finch, tomboy daughter of
Atticus, who tells us the story as seen through the eyes of a young girl
in a town torn apart by racial tensions in the fictional town of
Maycomb, Alabama. Horton Foote won the Academy Award for his excellent
screenplay adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel. My favorite
performance in the movie is the short glimpse of a young Robert Duvall
as the mysterious Boo Radley. This is a wonderful film and well worth
seeing.
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.]
[
Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official
To Kill a Mockingbird Facebook page ]
Recommended by
Kim J. Bennett Martin Public Library
by Harper Lee
As a lifelong fan of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I was
thrilled when I heard the news that another book by Harper Lee had been
discovered and was set to come out in hardback this month. Like many
people, I rushed to the bookstore and purchased a copy so that I could
devour the book before other people could tell me their opinion of the
book and reveal important plot points. I knew enough about the book to
know that it featured an adult version of Scout reminiscing about her
childhood. This book, written before Lee’s masterpiece “To Kill a
Mockingbird,” has stories of Scout’s childhood and coming of age which
would have been an excellent book to follow up her earlier success.
However, the stories pale in comparison to the changes in the adult
characters: Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, and the family’s cook,
Calpurnia, in particular, are almost unrecognizable. The adult Scout
finds herself in the midst of racial tensions and family turmoil when
she goes back home in the late 1950s. I agree with other reviewers who
have said that the book would have been better if there had been some
editing prior to publishing. Although I felt comfortable using “To Kill a
Mockingbird” in the classroom to teach about prejudice, I would not use
this book in a Middle School classroom. However, this book would make
an excellent book to discuss as a One Book One Lincoln title in the
future. This title will not be remembered as a classic in my opinion. I
choose to remember Atticus as he was viewed by the young Scout.
[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.]
[ official
Harper Lee web site ]
Recommended by
Kim J. Bennett Martin Public Library
Have you read or seen these? What did you think? Did you find these reviews helpful?New reviews appear every month on the
Staff Recommendations
page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all,
or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the
course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see
more of this reviewers recommendations!
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