To Kill a Mockingbird: NO spoilers

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Yes for spoilers use the other threads.

[Meg]

This is my favorite book of all time. First read it in 8th grade, then taught it during my first year teaching, and continue to love it each time I read it. The message is so beautiful and so simple. I enjoy teaching it because there is so much rich material to explore and kids really like it. I think it's one of those stories that anyone can relate to, whether it is through a character or a theme or a part of the plot. Harper Lee does such a good job of making it real and making it meaningful. I can't express how much I love it!

[Loretta]

I read this in 2014. Once was enough for me!

[Brina]

Finished part I. Reads like a cross between southern fiction and historical fiction. Harper Lee has painted strong characters that have stood the test of time.

[Lisa]

At the point that Harper Lee wrote it, it was contemporary. She was writing in current times but because the characters are so well written, people can still relate to the story.

[Phil]

It was written post WWII and set in the '30s, so it was slightly more historical than contemporary.

[Emerson]

Not sure I'll be joining you, I didn't like it, or more like, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. It made me think of The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

[Loretta]

Emerson wrote: "Not sure I'll be joining you, I didn't like it, or more like, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. It made me think of The Little Friend by Donna Tartt."

I'm not a fan either Emerson...

[Lisa]

Sorry. I stand corrected.

[Melissa]

I just started reading this book for the second time. I'm pretty sure I read it in school, but I can't remember! So far, I am enjoying it very much!

[Tytti]

I really should read this one day but I might have to wait until July. I just started a book group for Finns here (because there were none) and as the dictat... sorry, the only moderator decided that July's theme will be an American classic and this has a good chance to be chosen as the group read. (Because it will be 240 years since the declaration of independence and I'm not sure if the group will exist 10 years from now...)

But I have actually seen the movie, so I am not that eager to read this as I would be otherwise. For example Native Son is about a similar subject and looks very interesting. (I suggested that to the group members who have already read Mockingbird.) Has anyone compared the two novels?

[Melanti]

Tytti wrote: "For example Native Son is about a similar subject and looks very interesting. (I suggested that to the group members who have already read Mockingbird.) Has anyone compared the two novels? ..."

Oh, they're WORLDS apart!
Similar subject matter (racism) but a whole different feel to them.

I should re-read To Kill a Mockingbird so I can comment in more detail. I read it in Jr. High, and I remember liking it, and but not a whole lot more... I'd intended to re-read it this month, but with The Idiot taking so long to read, I don't know if I'll have time.

Native Son has to do with how a racist society (including a corrupt judicial system) sort of sets up and perpetuates a cycle of violence and crime - which leads to more racism, which leads to more of the societal situation that causes violence and crime. It's an interesting book that I'm glad I read, but I can't say I really enjoyed the process of reading it.

Wright's critique is a more detailed and far-reaching, but Lee's is more palatable.

(view spoiler)[
It's worth noting that a major difference is that Bigger is not innocent. He's guilty of manslaughter (it was an accident), and of covering up the death by dismembering and burning the body. And though not guilty of rape, he certainly contemplated it.

Lee's message (as I recall it) is "Hey, we're prosecuting and convicting innocent people!"
Wright's message is "Hey, this guy is innocent because society is arranged in such a way that this is the inevitable conclusion of all of the racism. He's not guilty! The racist society is!"
(hide spoiler)]

[Phil]

I would argue that Native Son focuses more on racism as an effect of economic inequality, whereas Mockingbird is more about courage and character, with racism as part of the setting.

[Tytti]

I sort of guessed that they would be different but I think that's why they would be interesting to compare because they are still about trials of black men. After all they are set in the same era but written from completely different POVs and by people who have experienced the time differently.

[Melissa]

Tytti, I am the same way about reading books that I've seen the movie to! I wish I'd read all the Harry Potter books before seeing the movie :( Although, I enjoyed the movies IMMENSELY and did enjoy not knowing what was going to happen ;)

[Tytti]

Hah, I'm not always that picky, it depends on the movie/book and the subject. If I like the subject, I might want to read the book as soon as possible. But in this case I am not sure if the subject interests me enough. I can't even remember the movie that well, it was probably at least 20 years ago when I saw it. But I haven't been able to watch the Potter movies, they just don't hold my interest.

[Kim]

I've read this a couple of times already, a long time ago, but am rereading it for the group. I'm not far into it yet, but I've noticed that with each reread my concern and empathy for Boo Radley has increased. Kind of embarrassed as to how much I've forgotten about what happens in this novel, though, to be honest. But that's what rereading is for...

[Phil]

Kim wrote: "I've read this a couple of times already, a long time ago, but am rereading it for the group. I'm not far into it yet, but I've noticed that with each reread my concern and empathy for Boo Radley h..."

One of my questions after students read the first two chapters is, "Is playing the Boo Radley game a brave thing to do?" Most of them say, "Yes, because that house is haunted!" or "Yes, because Jem could get punished for playing it!" Those responses show why this book is still relevant.

[Kim]

Phil wrote: "Those responses show why this book is still relevant. "

Indeed! I just finished it today, and I'm really struck by how profound the book is, in its observations of how people are, etc. The struggles and limitations of people... to show all of this through the observations of a little kid, wow.

[Jackie]

I'm somewhat late, but am finally reading the book as well (I'm about halfway through now). It's my first time reading it, and I'm really happy to finally do so!

[K Rae]

One of my all-time faves!!

[Cindy]

Wanted to read TKAM for some time now, but always seem to bypass it for something else. After reading chapter one I'm sorry I waited so long,

[[deleted user]]

Cindy wrote: "Wanted to read TKAM for some time now, but always seem to bypass it for something else. After reading chapter one I'm sorry I waited so long,"

It's never too late :) but it's a good sign you're enjoying it! yay!

[Daniel]

Abandoned about 1/3 in. It really failed to keep my interest, and as much as I would like to read it as a work that has had a huge impact on the literary world, I just can't.

* the one star is obligatory for books I cannot finish.

[Loretta]

Daniel wrote: "Abandoned about 1/3 in. It really failed to keep my interest, and as much as I would like to read it as a work that has had a huge impact on the literary world, I just can't.

* the one star is ob..."

Daniel, don't sweat it! I didn't much like the book either. I had to force myself to finish it because it's suppose to be this great classic, blah, blah, blah. It wasn't. There are far better classics out there, trust me! :)

[Josh]

Starting this book for the first time as I neglected to read when I was a child. Hopefully it's not a disappointment. I've read a couple chapters and so far I'm engaged.

[Steve]

One of my favorite novels. Read and listened to it at least a dozen times in various formats. My audio version is narrated by Roses Pritchard. She nails it! I've got a thing for small towns and tight-knit neighborhoods, having grown up in one in NE Portland, OR (the same neighborhood Beverly Cleary set her stories in; my grade school playground bordered Klickitat Street). when I first read To Kill a Mockingbird way back when, I told my mom that I wished Atticus Finch was our next door neighbor.

[Kim]

I just watched the movie, with Gregory Peck, yesterday! It wasn't too bad. Much better than the movie version of Little Women (tried to race through too many of the book's events in too short a time frame), and the cartoon movie version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (completely changed - i.e. butchered - the story, although considering it's a kid's movie, that's probably a good thing), to compare to my recent book to film movies I've seen recently.

[Kat]

Kim wrote: "I just watched the movie, with Gregory Peck"

Ooooooh, I must watch that!

[Phil]

The movie is excellent. If you look at the GR thread, it's clear a lot of the reviewers are crushing on Peck.

[Flybyreader]

I started reading the novel, well to be more precise, listening to it. The audiobook version is captivating. The voice and accent of Sissy Spacek fits perfectly with the book. So far, I am really enjoying it.

[Brina]

You are making me tempted to get film and audio version of the book. Have read a few times and is one of my favorites. Hope you are enjoying.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

One I read in high school and enjoyed, I need to revisit this one soon.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of our 4th Quarter 2025 Moderator Runs Amok reads. Remember, only discuss your non-spoiler Mockingbird thoughts in this thread.

[sabagrey]

such a long time since I have read this book! - the group read would be a good incentive to revisit it.

[Eleanor]

I first read this in school and have loved it ever since!

[Lori]

I just reread this at the end of last year. It is such a wonderful book and hopefully I can follow along with the comments and those who are reading it again.

[Jane]

I am really looking forward to reading this again! I read it in high school and loved it, but it's been 20 years.

[Indeneri]

I read this in secondary school, and I'm looking forward to reading it again and seeing what everyone else thinks of it.

[Teri-K]

I'm another one who has wanted to reread this for some time but never gotten around to it, so I'm happy to have this nudge. I do remember being impressed with how well Lee caught that time in childhood where you're growing up, but still all your concerns are very self-focused. There may be big things going on around you, but you're only concerned with your friends, or your Halloween costume. :)

[Kathleen]

I'm excited to re-read this too.

In his Moderator's Run Amok-A Study of Greatness thread (here), Bob asked some wonderful questions, including these:
-Kim Stanley was the uncredited narrator in the film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). As the narrator, Stanley is the voice of Jean Louise Finch ("Scout") as an adult. Having seen the movie her voice is captivating.
-Do people who have seen the movie hear her voice while reading?
-Does Stanley's voice subconsciously affect a person's liking it?

I read the book when I was still pretty young, but after seeing the movie many times. I have to say I cannot separate that narrative voice from the story. It is magical, especially if you were first exposed to it when very young. My favorite part of the book is the last line, and I will never know if this is true because of the beauty of the line, or because of the way it was narrated in the movie.

I don't think I've re-read this as an adult, so we're talking many decades! I'm anxious to see if when I re-read, I'll still hear that voice throughout the book. I expect so.

[Cynda]

What sticks in my mind is the song that Scout hums to herself. . . .I do not so much hear the narrator's voice as much as I hear the actor's voices of most the main characters and I see their faces too.

[Cynda]

I first read this novel when I first moved to Jackson, MS. I read it three (3) times in a row! Only later would I watch the movie. Having watched the movie, the movie actors inform my reading.

[Teri-K]

Kathleen wrote: "I'm excited to re-read this too.

In his Moderator's Run Amok-A Study of Greatness thread (here), Bob asked some wonderful questions, including these:
-Kim Stanley was the uncredited narrator in t..."

For me it's the images from the movie that stand out in my mind - Boo Radley and the house next door, Atticus in the courtroom, and Scout at Halloween.

[Kathleen]

Those images are definitely memorable, Teri-K. Such great scenes!

And Cynda, I love that whole opening sequence.