Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?
KIP ~ I’m a published author of women’s
fiction novels, and I’ve always loved reading books. My ‘day job’ is as staff
writer at a real American castle.
Title of Fiction book and year it was published
To Kill a Mockingbird,
published in 1960
Author name
Harper Lee
Type of book
Literary Fiction
What is it about this book that pulled you in?
KIP ~ I first read To Kill a
Mockingbird as a homework assignment in 7th grade. The simple
narrative voice of Scout, the six year old girl who tells the story, hooked me
from the start. I immediately settled in to immerse myself in the childhood world
of Scout, her brother Jem, their friend Dill, and the idea they have of making
the town’s mysterious recluse, Boo Radley, come out. Set during the Great
Depression in the sleepy little southern town of Macomb ,
Alabama , the
story revolves around the adventures of the three children while also telling
the tale of a trial which consumes the town. Tom Robinson, a black man, has
been charged with raping a white woman, and is put on trial. Scout’s father, Atticus
Finch (probably the best known lawyer in the world, fictional or not), agrees
to defend Robinson.
Is there a relationship in the story that
resonated with you?
KIP ~ Scout’s relationship with her father (‘Atticus’, as she and
Jem call him) is very special. He loves his children dearly and wants to
protect them from the horrors of the adult world, including racial prejudice,
ignorance, poverty, social inequality and injustice. But in accepting the duty
of defending a black man charged with raping a white woman, Atticus knows he
can protect his children only so far; they’ll hear and see things before,
during and after the trial that will affect them forever. Scout, too, is very
protective of her father. She even defends his honor one day by fighting a
young boy in the schoolyard.
Do you think that relationship was portrayed
realistically?
KIP ~ Absolutely. Atticus remains the
father figure, but his heart is wide open, and he learns from his children,
especially from Scout. And by watching and listening as Atticus takes on the
challenge of defending a man no one else will, Scout (plus her brother Jem)
learns what true courage and compassion mean. Author Harper Lee modeled the
character of Attitus after her own father, a southern trial lawyer in the
sleepy little town of Monroeville , Alabama . My husband and
I visited Monroeville in September 2014. The
original courthouse and courtroom where Lee’s father practiced law has been
preserved, and now houses a museum.
Anything else you want to tell us about the book
without giving away too much of the plot?
To Kill a Mockingbird
was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.
If author or writer, your social media links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KPaterka
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kathleenpaterka/
Website: http://www.kathleenirenepaterka.com
JHA ~ Thank you so much, Kathleen, for taking the time to recommend a classic. I'm probably the last person on earth who hasn't read it - yet! I promise to add it to my TBR stack of books!
Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book? If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!
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