Why haven't I read this before?
A Good Classic
I know there is a whole list of books that are classics that I should read but often I find that I really don't like them. There, I said it out loud. I do not like a lot of the classics. Pride and Prejudice? Don't get me started about Jane Austen. Romeo and Juliet? I am just not into Shakespeare.
To Kill a Mockingbird is just not like those other "classics". Not only is it a tale that kept me interested, the cadence of the writing was melodic as it tells the story with the voice of a young girl. What's brilliant about this book as we discover what is going on through her eyes, as she tells the story as it unfolds for her. Being a child, she is often not in the middle of the action but uncovers facts by listening to adults, or being on the periphery of what is going on. It is also interesting to see how she sees things as her perspective is often not the same as the adults. Themes about racism, elitism and family are revealed as Scout encounters them and it's an interesting narrative.
Scout Finch lives with her older brother Jem, her father Atticus, and their housekeeper in a small town in Alabama during the Depression. Her rather is a state representative who is charged with the task to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. As this story unfolds, we see so many layers to a town with classes, prejudice and tradition. Scout learns life lessons on so many levels as she witnesses the actions of people and learns that not everything is how it seems.
This is a wonderful story on so many levels.
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