Re-read of To Kill A Mockingbird - July 2015

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

This thread is for those reading Mockingbird prior to our August read of Go Set a Watchman.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

That's me, that's me! Finished in tears on the beach. It's an emotional read for me. Now I'm going to rewatch the movie. It had been 20 years since I first read this book. I appreciated it so much more at my current age!

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I think the character of Dill hit me differently for this reread. How he was drawn to the Finch family seemed more natural this time around. More like a family member than a summer visitor. Also, his quote about becoming a clown.....need to look up exact wording but it had more impact on me.

[LA]

Thanks for this TKAM section, Diane!

Part One of the book seemed to be intentionally geared toward middle school aged children (and am reading this w my 12 year old). Scout's fist fights, hidden treasures in the hollow tree, Jem's terror in finding his mended breeches folded over the Radley's barbed wire, Dill and his pathetic tall tales, the fire (and Boo's blanket), and the horrifying Mrs Dubose - all this appeals to the child in us. Jem & Scout's innocence was slowly being shadowed by racial tensions, but Atticus was portrayed nearly Christ-like in his purity.

I confess to never having studied TKAM in school (we read Chaucer, Beowulf, etc instead), so is there some structural technique that everyone knows about except me? We are starting Part Two tomorrow, but knowing that the first incarnation of Atticus was different is giving me a different perspective reading TKAM. Was it the publisher who told young Harper Lee to turn Atticus into this? Just pondering!

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

From what I've read, her editor suggested she pull out the childhood flashbacks and write from that point of view. I don't know that she was given any guidance on Atticus' portrayal.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

I've seen the movie so many times I can quote lines from it. Favorite line: "Hey, Boo."

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Diane wrote: "I've seen the movie so many times I can quote lines from it. Favorite line: "Hey, Boo.""

You mean you can choose a favorite? My favorite lines are the ones between 'When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken' and 'He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.'

[Kirk]

Laura wrote: "I think the character of Dill hit me differently for this reread. How he was drawn to the Finch family seemed more natural this time around. More like a family member than a summer visitor. Also, h..."
Dill did have a tendency to run away(escape to the circus)and was wonderfully imaginative. One of many of the perfect intricate parts that add up to make it amazing.**Not the first time, but this time as I read it I pictured a young Truman Capote in the role of Dill. The image fit perfectly so I want to believe they are one and the same. I saw your list of what? 9 wonderful quotes from the book. It could be closer to twenty.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Agree, 20 quotes may be too few as well.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Kirk wrote: "Dill did have a tendency to run away(escape to the circus)and was wonderfully imaginative. One of many of the perfect intricate parts that add up to make it amazing.**Not the first time, but this time as I read it I pictured a young Truman Capote in the role of Dill. The image fit perfectly so I want to believe they are one and the same. "

Harper and Truman were lifelong friends and it is my understanding that Dill is based on Truman. Per IMDB: "The character of Dill is purportedly based upon Truman Capote, who had been a childhood friend of Harper Lee when he was sent to live with relatives in Lee's hometown each summer. Truman Capote, in turn, based one of his characters in his literary work "Other Voices, Other Rooms" upon his recollection of Harper Lee."

[Kirk]

Thanks Tom for backing that up. As much as I enjoyed her depiction of Capote, now I'm eager to see how he viewed her. I have Other Voices " " on my list to read. Thanks for that great bit of info!

[Tina]

Quote away. There are so many good lines in this book.I don't have my book in front of me and my last reading was well over a year now, but I always loved the line about never knowing a man until you stood in his shoes. Will have to find the exact wording.

[LA]

Here you go! We just put a marker on this one!

"If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I've always been fond of:

"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

I love both of those quotes!

[Kirk]

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

[Tina]

Kirk wrote: ""The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.""

Good one!

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

There are a bunch of great ones. At lunch I was laughing at her description that women 'were like teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum'.

[Franky]

I'll have to find my copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and reread this. Agree with you guys about the quotes. So many that are memorable. Tom, that one about courage is such a fitting quote for this book. It really typifies everything Atticus stands for. Great one!

[Camie]

Loved my re-read what a déjà vu !!

[Lawyer, "Moderator Emeritus"]

Diane wrote: "This thread is for those reading Mockingbird prior to our August read of Go Set a Watchman."

Diane, what an excellent idea! I'v been in Monroeville, Ala bama, the last few days for the release of Go Set a Watchman. I had the opportunity to participate in the public marathon read in the court room of the old Monroe County Courthouse. Quite an experience! Now that I'm back, I'll be joining y'all in this read. Great discussion folks.

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Cool, Mike! Did you get video? I had wondered if you might get there for the release.

[Lawyer, "Moderator Emeritus"]

Diane wrote: "Cool, Mike! Did you get video? I had wondered if you might get there for the release."

Actually, I'm on video. On interviews, and reading from Go Set a Watchman. I'll be posting photos and links to the interview and the read. It was a very exhilarating experience!

[Suzy]

Mike wrote: "Diane wrote: "Cool, Mike! Did you get video? I had wondered if you might get there for the release."

Actually, I'm on video. On interviews, and reading from Go Set a Watchman. ..."

Excited to hear this - will look for your posts. Finishing TKAM today.

[Angela M]

Mike, how exciting. Looking forward to the links.

[Suzy]

I'm so glad I stumbled on this thread, seeing Mike's comment show up in my newsfeed - agree that this is an excellent idea. I'm just finishing up TKAM today - listening to the audio powerfully read by the great Sissy Spacek. Amazing experience to listen to her bring it to life. I also watched the movie this week with a friend.

I have not read the book before now, but have seen the movie many many times. I see that I missed out by just watching the movie. The book is so much richer, even thought the movie is an outstanding classic.

I'm loving this conversation and all the quotes. A downside of listening is not capturing the quotes, so love seeing them in the thread.

[Beverly]

Mike wrote: "Diane wrote: "This thread is for those reading Mockingbird prior to our August read of Go Set a Watchman."

Diane, what an excellent idea! I'v been in Monroeville, Ala bama, the la..."

Mike, That sounds so exciting. Looking forward to your video!

Diane, Thank you for setting up this thread. TKAM is my all time favorite book and I am considering listening to the Audible version of it before reading Go Set a Watchman.

[LA]

If any of you haven't started TKAM yet and have a tween/young teen around, you might consider reading it aloud to/with him. I am having THE best time w my 12 year old son!

I also bought the Blu Ray of the movie, so we will view it together after we finish reading. My hope is to make memories for him and that he will one day do the same sort of thing with his children.

My copy of "Watchman" has been here for days, but I am unexpectedly in no hurry to open it up. You have to love a child who reads <3

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Leanne wrote: "If any of you haven't started TKAM yet and have a tween/young teen around, you might consider reading it aloud to/with him. I am having THE best time w my 12 year old son!"

I agree! I read it with my daughters when the youngest was about that age and they loved it!

[Howard]

I paid my 12-year-old daughter a dollar to read it. After she finished, she gave me back my dollar -- and an extra one. It became her all-time favorite book -- and still is.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Howard wrote: "I paid my 12-year-old daughter a dollar to read it. After she finished, she gave me back my dollar -- and an extra one. It became her all-time favorite book -- and still is."

Mine would have offered to read it 10 more times for $10. I always told them they need to find work they enjoy.

[Camie]

What an awesome experience , Mike. Looking forward to your "share." !!!

[Suzy]

Beverly wrote: "Mike wrote: "Diane wrote: "This thread is for those reading Mockingbird prior to our August read of Go Set a Watchman."

Diane, what an excellent idea! I'v been in Monroeville, Ala..."

I'm listening to Audible's offering with Sissy Spacek narrating - highly recommended. Only 30 minutes left; I'm going to be sad when it ends.

[Suzy]

A friend posted this interview with Alice Randall, a professor of African-American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University. Worth a listen about why TKAM still has such an impact. http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-w...

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Suzy wrote: "A friend posted this interview with Alice Randall, a professor of African-American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University. Worth a listen about why TKAM still has such an impact. http://www...."

An excellent interview. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[Suzy]

Tom wrote: "Suzy wrote: "A friend posted this interview with Alice Randall, a professor of African-American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University. Worth a listen about why TKAM still has such an impact..."

Thanks, I liked hearing a viewpoint from an African American, especially her observations of how her white and black students see very different things in the book.

[Angela M]

Omg - just a few minutes ago I finished my reread of TKAM ! After I get my thoughts together I'll read the posts here and come back to comment .
"Hey Boo"

"Thank you for my children, Arthur ."

I wish I hadn't waited so long to reread this . I'm talking long - over 45 years !

I think I'm going to wait a bit before I read GSAW.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Dumb Yankee question time: What is crackling bread?

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I had a very disturbing dream last night. I guess I shouldn't read TKaM just before bedtime.

I dreamed that aliens had invaded Maycomb and, ala The Faculty, decided to "consider things from the humans' point of view - by climbing into their skins and walk around in them."

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Tom, cracklin's are made of rendered pork fat, ( think pork rinds) and then they are added to cornbread batter. It's wonderful, but not really health food.

[Angela M]

Sounds good !

[Diane, "Miss Scarlett"]

Angela I re-read TKAM every few years, 5 or 6 times so far. I just like to go back to that little world for a while. It never gets old.

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

Diane wrote: "Tom, cracklin's are made of rendered pork fat, ( think pork rinds) and then they are added to cornbread batter. It's wonderful, but not really health food."

I can feel my arteries clogging just by reading this.

[Angela M]

Diane , I am sure I will be rereading it again !

[Suzy]

"let the dead bury the dead" a favorite quote as I was finishing the book.

[Suzy]

"let the dead bury the dead" a favorite quote as I was finishing the book.

[Laura, "The Tall Woman"]

Suzy
A favorite!

[Tina]

Suzy, that's a great quote!

[Angela M]

I finished rereading To Kill a Mockingbird 10 stars - 5 for the first and 5 for the second time around . My review :https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tom, "Big Daddy"]

I've always been fascinated with why authors name their characters what they do. For example, I just read a new book that deals largely with death and the author gave her main character the name Newbury (New-bury, get it?). So I got a chuckle when I read that the name of the owner/operator of the Maycomb Tribune was named Underwood. What better name for someone who spends his life at a typewriter. For that matter, Lee herself could have found the name right in front of her.

I also found it interesting that Harper Lee is both a Finch and a Cunningham on her mother's side.