Review by Gina Rae Mitchell
Jan Notzon’s To Sing Like a Mockingbird isn’t just a story—it’s a gut punch. It pulls you into a world where morality isn’t black and white, idealism gets tested at every turn, and where the weight of our choices and circumstances shapes who we become.
Set in the harsh environment of an impoverished area of Texas, the novel’s main protagonist is Justin Kopekne, a teacher who truly believes in the power of education to change lives. But when his brightest student, Míriam, is murdered, his faith in the system—and in himself—starts to crumble. After the school is shut down, Justin needs time to process his grief. He retreats to his brother and sister-in-law’s home, only to find himself confronting an even deeper reckoning: the starkly different paths he and his childhood friends have taken.
Set in the harsh environment of an impoverished area of Texas, the novel’s main protagonist is Justin Kopekne, a teacher who truly believes in the power of education to change lives. But when his brightest student, Míriam, is murdered, his faith in the system—and in himself—starts to crumble. After the school is shut down, Justin needs time to process his grief. He retreats to his brother and sister-in-law’s home, only to find himself confronting an even deeper reckoning: the starkly different paths he and his childhood friends have taken.
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