To Kill a Mockingbird

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: Scout Finch, the daughter of a southern lawyer, reflects upon her childhood years in the classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. With child narration reminiscent of that in BARK OF THE DOGWOOD (though that novel came later), Lee give us a tour-de-force gem that remains as powerful today as the day it was written. In a series of engrossing events the tale of life in a small southern town unfolds. Never slow, the narrative moves swiftly from one action to another in highly fluid form. From the eyes of a little girl, the reader witnesses the unfolding of a series of events through which she is brought face to face with prejudice and bigotry. The forms that this prejudice takes are both subtle and obvious. Black and white, old and young, rich and poor, cultured and earthy, educated and ignorant, Scout encounters hatred and fear in almost all the people around her. Her world is shown in a series of expanding circles with herself in the center, her brother and friend next, her father and housekeeper next, then neighbors, teachers, schoolmates etc. in ever widening circles. Starting with the outermost people and working inward, the innermost hatreds of the human heart are revealed to her. As she awakens to more and more varieties of prejudice she seeks to separate herself from them. During the climax of the book, Scout is shown, for the first time, her own heart and the prejudice within. In a moving final narrative, she admits her own failing and awakens to true compassion and empathy. Must also recommend the following books for reading: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Children's Corner by McCrae, and Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: I never saw the movie with Gregory Peck and knew very little about the plot but I knew the book and movie have been regarded as classics. So I was expecting a great read and I wasn't disappointed. The old south's racial code of ethics, were written with a great deal of insight and I thought it was very interesting comparing it with our current day struggles with race relations. Needless to say we've come along way, thanks to people's attitudes like the character Atticus portrayed in this book. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: A classic which ought to be read
Review: I was an English major and had never read some of the classics, such as this book is. So, I read it. I hate novels but found this text to be a delightful read. It is slow to get going but once you arrive at the courtroom scenes, it is all worth it. The characters are fun to get to know and the central message of the book is great. It is an easy book to read; thus, its prominence in high schools, and its a quick read too.
Sometimes you read a novel and hope that there are some undertones present from which you can make some strong conclusions about what the author is trying to say. Some books fail at this entirely; this one doesn't. It is filled with subtle meaning and revelation. If you want to read a text that is simple to read and full of meaning, a true American classic, this is the one for you!