Scott Moseley
September 30th, 2010, 02:05 AM
My daughter (14) got this book as a gift from her Auntie (who claims it to be her all time fave book). After she read it, I picked it up and read it -- I thought I had read it before, but I realized I had never read the book., but just had memories of the movie which I had seen in full and in parts umpteen times.
Excellent Read and hard to put down. Interestingly it was Harper lee's first AND ONLY novel. I was immediately drawn into the story with lee's vivid portrait of decaying depression era small town Maycomb in So. Alabama, an isolated outpost stuck in time and the characters she built.
My daughter had tons of questions about race relations back then and how the US has progressed. I had to remind her that I wasn't around back then either, but also I wasn't too far removed, either as I joined a public school system in Texas that was only 5 years removed from forced integration where the "separate but equal" school system vestiges were still very visible.
I came away with a new understanding of Atticus Finch who in the book where his character is much more fully developed shows more of his fears and weaknesses. He isn't always the super father and fantastic public defender as Gregory Peck portrayed. He is often aloof and spends little time with his children apart from dinner time table discussions. Reading, I felt Atticus did a fairly lame job in defending Tom Robinson, especially given months given him to prepare for the case. Regardless he is a very strong figure and a bit of rennaisance man. He stood for fairness and against racial bigotry. He also didn't judge the ignorance of those around him as he was firm beliver of walking in the other mans shoes before casting any judgment. In many ways I saw my own father in Atticus Finch who came out the southern rural depression era and probably had many of the same thoughts that "Scout" had in question the way things were.
It was also interesting to see how Harper Lee dealt with church and religion in small town Maycomb. You had the Methodist and the Baptist and the AME church. there is one brilliant scene of the children attending the black church. John Wesley is mentioned in describing the Finch patriarch Simon Finch "whose piety was only exceeded by his stinginess". " Mindful of John Wesley’s strictures in buying and selling.... lest he be tempted in doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on of gold and costly apparel. ".... so having forgotten his teacher's dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves...." All in all Christian love fares very well in this story where evil ciculates in the ignorance frailties of man.
How many of you have read TKAMB? any thoughts. Let your kids read it before they see the movie. I must admit I was jealous of my daughter for having the privilege to read the book without first seeing it through the lens of the Hollywood recreation. I kept visualizing all the movies characters. I wonder what it was like for her?
Excellent Read and hard to put down. Interestingly it was Harper lee's first AND ONLY novel. I was immediately drawn into the story with lee's vivid portrait of decaying depression era small town Maycomb in So. Alabama, an isolated outpost stuck in time and the characters she built.
My daughter had tons of questions about race relations back then and how the US has progressed. I had to remind her that I wasn't around back then either, but also I wasn't too far removed, either as I joined a public school system in Texas that was only 5 years removed from forced integration where the "separate but equal" school system vestiges were still very visible.
I came away with a new understanding of Atticus Finch who in the book where his character is much more fully developed shows more of his fears and weaknesses. He isn't always the super father and fantastic public defender as Gregory Peck portrayed. He is often aloof and spends little time with his children apart from dinner time table discussions. Reading, I felt Atticus did a fairly lame job in defending Tom Robinson, especially given months given him to prepare for the case. Regardless he is a very strong figure and a bit of rennaisance man. He stood for fairness and against racial bigotry. He also didn't judge the ignorance of those around him as he was firm beliver of walking in the other mans shoes before casting any judgment. In many ways I saw my own father in Atticus Finch who came out the southern rural depression era and probably had many of the same thoughts that "Scout" had in question the way things were.
It was also interesting to see how Harper Lee dealt with church and religion in small town Maycomb. You had the Methodist and the Baptist and the AME church. there is one brilliant scene of the children attending the black church. John Wesley is mentioned in describing the Finch patriarch Simon Finch "whose piety was only exceeded by his stinginess". " Mindful of John Wesley’s strictures in buying and selling.... lest he be tempted in doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on of gold and costly apparel. ".... so having forgotten his teacher's dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves...." All in all Christian love fares very well in this story where evil ciculates in the ignorance frailties of man.
How many of you have read TKAMB? any thoughts. Let your kids read it before they see the movie. I must admit I was jealous of my daughter for having the privilege to read the book without first seeing it through the lens of the Hollywood recreation. I kept visualizing all the movies characters. I wonder what it was like for her?