To Kill a Mockingbird - And Revitalize a Brand

My original review of To Kill a Mockingbird

Updated review: It was all a dream, Atticus NEVER read Word Up Magazine.

So in case you haven't heard, and of course you have, Harper Lee has a "new" book out.  It reads as a sequel to her classic 'To Kill a Mockingbird', showing us an adult Scout and a very much changed Atticus. The lawyer with a heart of gold who championed the cause of justice in a racist society is now a bitter, garden variety bigot. You probably also already know that Go Set a Watchman was not written as a sequel to Mockingbird, but is actually its first draft.  At editorial suggestion Harper Lee focused on a flashback to Scout's childhood, and from that piece of advice the book we all read in school was born.

Harper Lee famously said that she did not want to publish another book. So why at age 89 would she decide to let Mockingbird's first draft be published as a book in its own right after the missing manuscript was supposedly discovered by her lawyer?  Your guess is as good as mine.  The purpose of this post is not conjecture about whether Harper Lee had a late in life change of heart or is being taken advantage of by a publishing giant.  Let others shout "Liar Liar - pants on fire" if they wish.  I'll buy this version of the story until/unless someone proves it to be false: From Mockingbird to Watchman

And perhaps there is more to come, for here is A New Account of ‘Watchman’s’ Origin and Hints of a Third Book

See Where ‘Go Set a Watchman’ Overlaps with ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Word-for-Word http://t.co/1XlfNV0gfG pic.twitter.com/oBweho1MTa— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) July 15, 2015

Some readers are conflicted:

I am not at all tempted to read 'Go Set a Watchman'. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was a significant book in my journey... http://t.co/kBQi5R8k3e— Susan Whelan (@ReadUpsideDown) July 14, 2015

Reasonable. I'm torn. Will likely read it as a writer doing research on the draft revision process > as a reader. https://t.co/4OBEx5Fifx— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 14, 2015

But perhaps we should simply read Watchman and judge it on its own merits. Doing so without comparison to Mockingbird is of course pretty much impossible. Harper Lee's 'Watchman' Is A Mess That Makes Us Reconsider A Masterpiece

Not that this is preventing it from selling like hotcakes. Go Set a Watchman Breaks Book Selling Records

The release of Watchman has people re-examining Mockingbird with new eyes. In the #BlackLivesMatter era does Atticus Finch still come across as a civil rights hero?

Publishers Weekly: Rethinking ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ http://t.co/ijAhtUBpIU #books— The Oakenquill Blog (@Oakenquill) July 17, 2015

Namely, it never crossed my mind that Atticus was any kind of hero.— Monica Odom (@modomodom) July 16, 2015

Probably because I was focused on the black characters and how they were portrayed and what that meant for me and my family in present day— Monica Odom (@modomodom) July 16, 2015

Can't say I felt the same. Anyone willing to oppose popular commonly held opinions that are WRONG, to stand alone in being RIGHT, is heroic— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

But I do agree that the point of a narrative is not necessarily who the hero is, but the cause they are being heroic for. Equality. Justice.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

@AuthorofPatches But also, justice is his job, that he was getting paid to do. The complexity of it all is very much with exploring!— Monica Odom (@modomodom) July 16, 2015

@modomodom I always saw the point as being if 1 generation (Atticus) simply did its job, next generation (Scout) would actually be > humane.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

It's also tough to think about Mockingbird the book without comparing it to Mockingbird the movie.

@AuthorofPatches Good way to put it. I think there's also a discussion about realism vs. idealism to be had here.— Monica Odom (@modomodom) July 16, 2015

Yep. The book (especially 1st draft it now seems) featured more realism, movie won hearts with more idealism https://t.co/lmcC1zkXW8— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

My favorite thing about release of Go Set a Watchman by far is that the main topic of conversation in publishing right now is a BOOK.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

I'm tired of print vs ebook debate, could care less that soccer moms are into poorly written fan fic erotica & definitely sick of downsizing— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

A "new" Harper Lee title with Mockingbird characters comes out & for a few days at least book news isn't what bookstore/publisher went under— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

For the past couple days a portion of my timeline has been a ginormous bookclub discussion and that's A-OK with me.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 16, 2015

A search for more hidden gems may now be underway as result of the discovery of Watchman:

What's the Next 'Go Set a Watchman'? Lost works of Joan Didion, Marilynne Robinson and other writers | New Republic http://t.co/VbdhGnl6EL— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) July 17, 2015

Instead of publishing books by established authors that they did not want to see light of day, perhaps pub something worthy by an unknown?— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 17, 2015

Just a thought— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 17, 2015

After all, if an author chose to stick manuscript in a drawer rather than sending to agent, maybe there was a good reason we should respect.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) July 17, 2015

Number of times people in the store this week have referred to "To Kill A Mockingjay" - more than you'd expect— Josh Christie (@jchristie) July 17, 2015

LOL

Watch the critics clobber GO SET A WATCHMAN. "Thou shalt not monkey with our scared literary cows." For the rest of us: you go, girl!— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 11, 2015

Chapter One of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee