To Kill a Mockingbird

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Summary: fending off prejudism
Review: As a young child (probably age 5 or 6), my mother took me to see the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird". It had a tremendous impact on me. I was terrified of the tree where Scout & Jem received their gifts. I was terrified of the house where Boo lived. I was afraid of the useless arm of Tom Robinson and the mean, drunken father of May Ella. I had led a very sheltered life in a small town. When I was old enough, I read the book. I am firmly convinced that through Miss Lee's accounting (coupled with my belief in God and Christ who died for all), I was able to look at others with unprejudiced eyes. I learned that people can be good or bad no matter what their station in life, no matter what color, or no matter what financial or physical level. Tom Robinson was a good man even though he was in a minority race, was poor, and was handicapped. I learned to be kind to others not as fortunate as myself. I see a lot of Scout in myself. I looked upon everyone as my equal and often put my foot in my mouth just as she did with the Jimson (Was that the name? - It escapes me) boy. I also learned to try not to be afraid of that with which I was not familiar. My sons are growing up now. I had them to watch the movie when they were younger. Now, I am encouraging them to read the book. My son was to read it his sophomore year at high school. He read the Cliffs Notes! He just doesn't have time or the love to read books. He did love the movie though, and has watched it again. I am trying to instill them with unprejudiced eyes. So far, so good.

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Summary: We really enjoyed this book and reccomend it highly.
Review: We read the book last year in school and even though we live in Africa we understood it. Harper Lee has written a brilliant book

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Summary: A wonderfully written novel good enough for any reader
Review: To kill a mockingbird is a excellent high quality novel written by a great author. The book does a good job in painting a picture of historical america. The author does a fine work creating wonderful characters who seem stuck in an ever unfair world. The events in the novel cause one to think about what a cruel world this is and how our attitudes and behaviour affect our children so deeply

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Summary: A tale to make you feel. Sad and Happy and Inbetween
Review: It takes me back to that age when i first read that book, when i was young and dreamy, and longed for a father like Atticus and a brother like Jem. I could identify so much with Scout, inspite of coming from a different culture and background. It speaks a lot for the book - for the universal concepts of justice and fairness that it brought out unconciously. And of hope, and confusion and joy and simple pleasures, and introduction and comprehension of the world of adults

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is a book which is indeed timeless. It needs to be read by all. I am surprised that Oprah hasn't had it on her book club list. If you are vaguely familar with the book, it may seem that it is only a book for small time southerners, or perhaps it was written before the civil rights movement and therefore doesn't need to be read today. Wrong! A clear message for all races is in this book. How could you not read it. Remember Demi Moore named her daughter after one of the characters.

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Summary: The plot was good, but at the same time it was perverted
Review: I thought that the main idea of this was very good. In the beginning it was very stupid though. I don't really care that these people want to get a look at Boo Radley. That is so stupid. However towards the end, teh trail and the action sfollowing were very good. This book was perverted though. The author of this book was sick, I am sorry to say

Rating:
Summary: I liked it, but at the same time it made me sick
Review: I enjoyed parts of To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved the story line of getting Boo Radley out of the house. I thought it was cute and seemed like something curiose kids would do at that age. I liked learning about Scout, Jem, Dill, Atticus, Calpurnia and all the other characters. The part though that really turned me off from the book was all the prejudice and racism. I know that that was simply the life of Maycomb, but I feel that the dialogue at some point came to an extreme. Other than this I did enjoy this book, but I would only reccomend it to mature adults.

Rating:
Summary: A book that has epiphanous messages on many levels.
Review: Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is not just a novel but a journey of life through the eyes of a 6-year old tomboy named Scout. Scout's observations are devastatingly honest and on target. Lee has taken the social rubble known as life and transformed this miasma of emotion and action into a comprehensible, moving tale. The truths and perceptions in this novel compare to the distrubing truths in such major modern works as Heller's "Catch-22" and Saul Bellow's "Humbolt's Gift," although Lee has less of an obvious jagged edge to her work. This novel is a must read for any serious student of literature. Delbert Griffith 12-12-96

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Summary: Sensitive, complex, gentle,caring, worthwhile, evolving.....
Review: In the scene where Atticus leaves the courtroom and the child ren are told to rise in their father's honor along with the black people, I tear up everytime. I find it to be a quiet memorial to his diligence in the name of justice, truth, honesty, dignity and the equality of all. It is a show of re spect for a man of immense honor and fairness. It is an act of quiet desperation in the face of overwhelming injustice, prejudice, racism and bigotry. It is all they can give to him but it speaks volumes. I share the novel each year with my 10th grade students and each year, they say, "I love this book". I am honored to be in the presence of students who perhaps for the first time in their lives "feel" the injustice and prejudice that far too many prople have been subjected to for numerous reasons. I also love the evolving maturity and love in the unusual Finch family. I see the family representing many feel ings that are unspoken in my students' eyes. Through the eyes of Scout and out of the mouth of a babe we see and hear about our educational and judical system. We see prejudice, love, family, neighborhood, life, death, mystery, uniqueness, kind ness, hatred, ignorance, mistrust. We feel the depth and breadth of emotion. It is a story worth telling, reading, dis cussing more than once. When Scout says "Heh, Boo." She sees inside of him. She sees the inner man and looks beyond the exterior delivering the message to all of us...."Heh, Boo.""

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Summary: Felt the feelings; sensed the sorrow; joined in the joys!
Review: One of the few books I've ever read and movies I've ever seen where I "experienced" the feelings, the emotions, the highs, and the lows for each and every character. I "lived" each person's life and enjoyed every minute of the time I shared with the To Kill a Mockingbird cast, both reading and watching