camillagluh gives props to the best (and probably only) book to include characters named "Scout," "Atticus," and "Boo Radley." —Sparkitors
I'm supposed to be reading classic literature for my AP English Lit class next year, but as of last week I had read exactly zero books. So when my mom suggested To Kill a Mockingbird, I took my gun and went out hunting.
(Just kidding. I went to the bookstore. Without a gun. I don't even have one.) Not long after, I finished the book with a big, fat smile on my face. My sister looked at me and asked “Didn't you just start that?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered, cradling the book in my lap like a strange rectangular baby.
You might be asking yourselves, how did I blow through a boring, obsolete classic so fast? And why did I finish with a huge smile on my face? The answer is simple, folks...
1. It's not boring or obsolete. Unlike most classics, To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't written a million years ago. It was published in the 1960s, which is actually pretty recently—especially when compared to the time period Shakespeare was writing. What a geezer. Anyway, this book has a plot that's fun and exciting yet deep and thought-provoking. The characters are some of the most real and relatable I've ever seen. The book made me laugh, and though it didn't make me cry, it came close. It also had a certain something that I can't explain (because I don't know what it is), but when you read it, you'll see what I'm saying. People have kept reading this book for a reason; it's earned its spot as a much-loved classic.
2. It's a Great Depression book that's not depressing! If any of you have read The Grapes of Wrath, you know what I mean.
The book is set in the 1930s, but it's not about how much peoples' lives suck. Endless misfortune is no fun. So the next time your teacher tries to get you down by making you read a book about the Great Depression, throw down The Grapes of Wrath and pick up To Kill a Mockingbird instead! Ka-POW!
3. Memorable characters. My mom read this book in high school and she's read a lot of books since, but she can still remember Scout and Boo Radley (but really, with names like that, who wouldn't?). Like I said earlier, the characters are like real people that got trapped in a book by an evil witch, except this witch is named Harper Lee and she's not actually evil (as far as I know).
By the way, did anyone else know that Harper Lee is a girl? Because I didn't.
4. It's still relevant. As much as I hate to say it, prejudice and hate still exist in our society today. Open this book and see what a bunch of lying hypocrites we really are.
5. Atticus Finch! Who doesn't love Atticus Finch, lawyer-hero? With his neat dressing and kind manners he will intimidate yet befriend the opposition! With his mighty cross-examination powers he will reveal truth and justice! (Never mind the jury—they're a bunch of morons.) But seriously though, he actually made me want to be a lawyer for a minute.
The point is that To Kill a Mockingbird is great. It's a classic for people who don't like classics. It's also a classic for people who do like classics. You've really got no excuse not to read it.
Is To Kill a Mockingbird one of your favorites?
Related post: Blogging To Kill a Mockingbird
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