In Search of Mockingbird Review

[Deb]

I always pick a short book for December, and this one certainly fit the bill. It was a quick read, but quite delightful. The main character has an obsession with To Kill a Mockingbird--because her mother's tattered copy of the book is her only connection to her. She loves to read her mother's scribbled notes in the margin of the book. But then on her 16th birthday her Dad, who never even talks about her Mom, gives her a copy of her diary. She is thrilled to see that her mother talks about To Kill a Mockingbird, and that she even wrote to the author, Harper Lee. The diary makes Erin even more determined to put her secret plan into action. She wants to travel to Monroeville, Alabama where Harper Lee lives and somehow try to meet her. Erin loves to write, just like her Mom did, but her Dad and brothers only seem to care about sports and don't understand her need to know her mother. She thinks that somehow this journey will help her find the connections she seeks. So off she goes, on a Greyhound bus, where she meets some interesting folks along the way and eventually finds what she is looking for--sort of.
My thoughts and questions:
(Spoiler alert, only read these if you've read the book or don't care about finding out how it ends!)

I did find parts of the story far-fetched. It was really great that all the people on the bus were so supportive and helped her in her quest but that was the hardest part for me to believe, did anyone else have doubts about that?
Here are some other questions that came to mind:
*Have you ever gotten to read a diary, journal, or letters from a ancestor like Erin did? How did it make you feel about that person?
*Could this have worked with any other book? Could a future "Erin" go on the same journey to meet J.K. Rowling, for example?
*The author had a debate with her editor about whether or not Erin should actually meet Harper Lee. Did that need to happen for the book to end well?
*Has a book ever inspired you to travel anywhere?

[Melanie]

I actually read this book twice. The first time I loved it. 2nd time I did like it but didn't love it.

We got 5 year diary of my great-grandmother (maternal). Usually she put in the notes who visited, and letters received. One day had "kids cranky" which made me laugh. I need to get the letters and the diarys and do a family history through their writings.

I think for a future "Erin" there would need to be a reclusive author. Most now do interviews and social media to promote their writings.

[Melanie]

Having lost my dad at a young age there is a curiousity to know him, so I understood Erin wanting to know her mom. My dad really didn't read much, so I don't know if he even had a favorite book. During the 2nd reading I found her obsession a bit weird because you really don't get to know someone through an object. I do tell myself she was 15 turning 16.

[Deb]

Great comments Melanie!