Paula Harting's book review!

1st Book Review


Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1960.
et al. Ninth Edition. Vol. I. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007. 906-907. Print.
Scout Finch is a lively little girl growing up in the South during a time of tense relations between blacks and whites. Life changes drastically for Scout and her brother Jem when their father, a lawyer, defends a black man in court. Scout is growing up and learning about her world through the things that are taking place in her community and the people that she interacts with.
There are several aspects of this book that I really enjoy and would like to focus on. First is Scout’s non-traditional family. Scout herself is quite a tomboy and does not act in a manner that is considered appropriate for a young girl in her society. She seems to get away with it because she does not have a mother, and her father is often busy. Making his daughter into a proper lady is not at the top of his priorities. Jem and Scout call their father by his first name, Atticus, which at first seems shocking and disrespectful. However, it is apparent through the events of the story that though Atticus’s relationship with his children is not the same as in most other families, he is a loving father and his children have great respect and admiration for him.
Secondly, I really love the authenticity of the characters in this book. Scout always says what is on her mind and is more concerned with the truth than with what is appropriate or acceptable to say. Throughout the story, Jem is becoming a young man, looking out for his younger sister and, though he does not always relate to his father, looking up to him. This could make for an interesting discussion on the meaning of manhood in our society and how it compares to the view of manhood in To Kill a Mockingbird. When Atticus is chosen to defend a black man in court, he accepts the case even though he knows it will cause many in his community to reject him. Even when his personal safety is threatened, he does not back down. But he stands for what is right and just in a quiet and humble way.
This was one of the few books I enjoyed reading in high school and I hope that my students will love it too!