It's an American tradition to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in middle school; it functions as a sort of passageway from childhood to adulthood.

This book explores much of the same. Scout and Jem begin the novel as young children, romping about in the glorious summer sun, spending their days devising playful plans to lure Boo Radley, a mysterious recluse, out of his house. Along the way, though, through Scout's original and genuine voice, we see Jem become a gentleman, and Scout a little lady in her own respect.

Harper Lee hit upon something that I carry in my heart every day: all people are good. We are the same. We strive to love, to do our best, and to survive, really. What is sad is how easily we forget.

  "Scout: Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks. 
Jem: That's what I thought, too, when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it's because he WANTS to stay inside."

As Scout and Jem grow up, they begin to realize that their simplistic and easy-going childish morality isn't accepted by Aunt Alexandra and other members of "society". Although Scout never becomes quite the proper princess that her Aunt desired her to be, she does recognize that there are concessions to be made: she can wear a dress, she can offer cookies and compliments to her living room's guests, and other such trivial details. But, thanks to Atticus, Scout NEVER loses her young and true sense of right and wrong.

  "Scout: An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn't done any of those things. . . Atticus, he was real nice. . .
 Atticus: Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."

What can one say about this book that hasn't already been said? I missed the hype--this is the first time I've ever picked the book up, even, at age 18--but I caught its beauty. In a few respects I'm glad that I read this book later rather than earlier. I wouldn't have had such a full appreciation for the simplicity, which sounds contradicting, but this is how I see it: as children, the world is simple. There is good and there is bad. As we become adults, though, we begin to get caught up in the nuances of morality, and prejudice, and gossip, opinion, crowd mentality, all of it.

  "I don’t know [how they could do it], but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep."

To read this book as a child is to be told the obvious. To read this book as an adult is to be gently reminded... there is beauty in this world. Don't let yourself lose sight of it.