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To Kill a Mockingbird
by: Harper Lee |
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780446310789 ISBN: 0446310786 Label: Grand Central Publishing Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 288 Publication Date: October 11, 1988 Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Studio: Grand Central Publishing
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  - Ben Felton -- Review Harper Lee's 1960 novel, To Kill A Mocking Bird, is one of the most important pieces of American literature to date. Aside from being enormously important, it is also an excellent read. Every middle-schooler should read this book. Lee's novel takes place in small-town Alabama during the Great Depression. The narrator is Scout Fitch, the daughter of Atticus Fitch who is a local attorney. Atticus is assigned to defend a local black, Tom Robinson, man who has been charged with raping a white woman. Much of the town disagrees with Atticus' decision to defend Robinson, and vehemently taunts Scout for his father's actions. Atticus is able to prove Robinson's innocence, but Robinson is convicted of the crime anyway. Robinson is later killed while trying to escape from prison. The alleged victim's father, Bob Ewell, is humiliated by the trial and menaces Atticus' family. In the end, Ewell attacks Scout and then dies in the confusion of the attack, probably killed by Fitch's mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley, who the children in the community have been fascinated by for years. This incredible piece of literature broaches many important topics in our society: racial tensions and race relations(especially in the South), injustice in the legal system, class, sex crimes and the importance of courage and integrity. The book deals extensively with these issues, but is still very light-hearted and humorous. Above all else, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a poignant reminder to all who read it about the importance of humanity and good will towards all. The book is one of my favorites because it reminds me of what is good and just in this world, and can be, even in our darkest hours of moral ambiguity. It is a reminder that there are always people out there, in the face of impossible odds and situations, striving to do what is right and just. I treasure this book and hope everyone reading this review will buy a copy and read it. It will better your soul! Rating:  - Overrated, underwrittenThis book is one of the quintessential "high school classics." It appears classic and deep only to those who lack the art and intellect to grasp the shallowness of it. It seems like there is a lot there up until the point where you begin to understand it. Apparently, the vast majority of people never do. It is a shame really, but I suppose that is the way it is. So much time and energy poured into books which are simply bad. Sorry to ramble like this, but it verges on heart-breaking to see so many good reviews for a book that barely approaches passable. Its imagery is poor, its premise is shallow, and the attempt to "enlighten the human condition" is a flimsy pretense to draw out the phony intellectuals who cannot see 10 inches past their own lies long to see that agreeing with the crowd doesn't make you an intellectual. The problem lies in the fact that the book is a triumph of vagueness. It has a certain undefinable characteristic that many mistake for art, but which is, in fact, a simple lack of talent. The reason it is vague is not because there is a truth behind the words, but rather that there is a *story* behind the words that the author lacks the talent to draw out. A bad story, by the way. A rambling, pointlessly morose, insipid story lacking any value either in entertainment or art. Let us not even approach any further the lack of intellectual content, or otherwise I fear I may vomit. This book is, however, a certain kind of triumph. It is a triumph of marketing. It is a triumph in the manipulation of plebian minds yearning to appear, or perhaps be, more than they are. I beg of you, do not deride your own intelligences by attempting to force them to heights they are not capable of. If you cannot go beyond a certain point, do not do so. If books like this continue to sell in such immense quantities, I fear for the fate of all art. Rating: - Great book for Middle Schoolers Title: To Kill A Mocking Bird Publisher: Warner Books Author: Harper E. Lee Date: 1960 Reading Level: 8th Grade Reading Level Number of Pages: 281 Pages Genre: Fiction To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper E. Lee deals with issues such as, racism, innocence and empathy. Scout Finch and her brother Jem live in a small town in Alabama where they become obsessed with Boo Radley. Boo leaves present under a tree that Scout and Finch continue to visit until Boo's brother fills the hole with cement. At the same time as this story develops Attacus Finch (Scout's father) decided to defend Tom Robinson who is a black man who is accused of raping a white female. Racial tensions then develop in the story. Scout is then picked on at school and is forced to deal with racial issues at a young age. Tom Rabinson is later falsely convicted of the crime by an all white jury and tries to escape from jail and is shot dead. Later in the novel Tom Robinison's accuser is embarrassed because Attacus embarrasses him in the courtroom and harasses Jem and Scout when Boo comes to their rescue. As a current teacher I firmly believe that this book should be read at the end of middle school. It is a fantastic novel that teachers young adults some very important lessons. It is a coming of age novel that provides very valuable lessons at a middle school age. The book provides characters that are very relatable and the reader develops strong feelings for the character. This is a book that should be read by people of all ages. This book is typically read by freshmen in high school, however, I strongly believe that this book can do a great amount of good if read at a middle school level. The books issues and themes are so prevalent to a middle school world. To see Jem and Scout grow up throughout the novel just as many young middle schoolers are. The only negative aspect of this book for middle schoolers is that the characters in the beginning of the novel may be hard to relate to. Scout is too young and Atticus may be too old. However, I believe that the issues that are handled in the book are issues that typical teenagers care about. I have found that issues like racism always spark debate in the middle school classroom. Another problem with this novel is that despite the 8th grade reading levels it deals with a complicated plot and takes in-depth analysis to fully understand all of its meaning which may make it hard for a middle schooler to fully comprehend. Rating: - Great Novel (plus great satire of educators)A friend in New York called to say, "I just listened to To Kill A Mockingbird on tape. There's a lot of funny stuff about education and John Dewey. I wouldn't have understood it if I hadn't read all those articles on your site." Now I had to order this book. I had avoided it all these decades because it was such a Teacher's Pet; kids are made to read this novel because it says all the right things about racial injustice. Well, I read it, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's good history (Alabama, 1935); good sociology; and good story-telling, lightning in a bottle, actually, But you probably know that. So let me mention a funny irony. Public schools make kids read TKAM, but TKAM is a touch critic of those schools. My friend exaggerated; the bits about education hardly add up to three pages. But they are delicious! The set-up is that the narrator, Scout Finch, age six, is off to her first day of school on page 15, with this thought: "I had never looked forward more to anything in my life." But there's a problem: she can already read, at a high level. The teacher, discovering this fact, looked at Scout "with more than faint distaste. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading...'It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage...Your father does not know how to teach.'" That's so pretty, you might want to cry. An entire cosmos of educational stupidity is right there. Scout goes on: "I mumbled that I was sorry and retired meditating upon my crime. I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily papers." At lunch Scout tells her brother she wants to quit school. He reassures her, "Don't worry...Our teacher says Miss Caroline's introducing a new way of teaching. She learned about it in college...It's the Dewey Decimal System." According to Scout, this consisted "of Miss Caroline waving cards at us on which were printed `the,' `cat,' `rat,' `man,' and `you.'" That, of course, is Whole Word; and we are still fighting this crabgrass 70 years later. Scout is bored so she writes a letter to a friend. Miss Caroline catches her and says: "We don't write in first grade. We print. You won't learn to write until you're in the third grade." You can see what a deft touch Harper Lee has. It's sweet, and sly, and scathing. Melvil Dewey, by the way, created the Dewey Decimal System. That little inside joke is one example of what I mean by "sly." As for Professor John Dewey, he has caused a lot of trouble. I like to think that Harper Lee and I are in total accord about this guy. Discussing Miss Caroline's origins, Scout notes that the teacher was from a part of Alabama that was full of "Liquor Interests, Big Mules, steel companies, Republicans, professors, and other persons of no background." Rating: - favorite book- EVERI have read this book many times over the years since I was a child. It is a wonderful story with vivid characters and an engrossing plot. I read a lot- a whole lot. Probably 3 or 4 books a week since I learned how. This is simply my favorite book of all time- for too many reasons to tell. I haven't ever met anyone who DIDN't like this book. I can't wait to read it to my children- its well worth your time and money- even if you've already seen the movie. |
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