Posted on 04/06/2007 5:32:09 AM PDT by urtax$@work
If there's one book you should read before you die, it's To Kill a Mockingbird. That's not my opinion. Apparently I was sick back in ninth grade when every other American kid read Harper Lee's novel of racism, moral courage and coming of age in 1930s Alabama. I read it for the first time only this week and have my misgivings.
But according to the Guardian newspaper's Web site, a 2006 poll of librarians — British librarians — put To Kill a Mockingbird atop the list of books every adult should read before they shuffle off. Ahead of the Bible. Ahead of Huckleberry Finn and Pride and Prejudice and even Harry "the Franchise" Potter.
Go to link to see rest of article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/4691912.html
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Was the Bible tied with to Kill a Mockingbird?
It’s a good book, but I could come up with a list of at least a hundred that are better.
Not one book by Nabokov?
Do yourself a favor, pick up his, “The Defense”, “Palefire” or “Laughter in the Dark”. Perfection.
To Kill a Mockingbird? It’s okay if you like one-dimensional, cookie-cutter characters. And a sitcom ending where everything is wrapped up neat as a pin, “Leave it to Beaver” style.
oops, cookie cutter was for the characters. eh, I still liked them. I still think I got my point across about endings
I took a lot of lit courses in college, and read a LOT of short stories. It wasn’t until at least an entire year into it that I noticed, “Hey! At least HALF of these short stories are about really, really, really, mean and racist white people, being really mean to poor, yet hard working and EXTREMELY dignified black people way down south.”
This was in the days before I was politically aware, but I still remember how stunned I was when I realized what a HUGE percentage of short story collections have this theme.
I have loved Mockingbird for more than thirty years. I always wanted Atticus to be my dad! :-D
How else will children learn about Lydia Pinkham?
I went through junior high and high school during the 70’s, in Staunton, Virginia and in the rural Augusta County. We were never assigned this book or some others that I have read kids were assigned. I read this as an adult after four years in the Navy. I liked it and I think it is well written. However, it seems to be used to say “this is what the entire south was like.” I read Black Boy by Richard Wright and thought that was more indicative of race relations during that time. After reading the review, I am now somewhat envious of Harper Lee. It would be great to write one book, and then retire for the rest of your life.
Some themes are timeless.
For 7th grade English class, we had to read Wuthering Heights. Not a good book for 7th grade boys, IMO. Never did finish it and it turned me off from gothic novels ever since.
Anything but ‘Catcher in the Rye.’ That book is awesome when you are 15 or 16, and utterly unreadable once you cross over into adulthood. Really a remarkably bad book.
Good question. And I can't believe that Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy are listed. They are dark indeed. Pullman absolutely hates the church and Christianity and uses these books to poison children's minds about them.
Amazingly, I didn’t read it until I was in my 40’s; I couldn’t put it down.
The themes are as true today as they were when it was written. Engaging storyline and terrificly fleshed-out characters.
There’s a reason it’s a classic.
Bump for later note taking. ;)
Hell yes. If it isn't the best work of fiction by an American author then it's at least in the top 10.
“Last I checked a bunch of white boys at Duke were accused the same way, but the accuser was black...”
Exactly. It’s the same story just updated so that the colors are reversed.
Yeah, but what has she written lately?
Notice how they did have the chestnuts to put any Hemmingway on the list. They’d probably die from testosterone exposure if they even walked into a room with any Hemmingway.
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