h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don’t remember ever reading a book that was actually classed as a classic, so I thought it was time to give one or two a try. To Kill a Mockingbird was a choice I made because I thought the theme of this book was pretty much along the lines of my usual choice of reading – crime.

The story of a lawyer given the difficult task of defending a hardworking honest black man, who allegedly raped a white girl in the Deep South, sounded like a book I just had to read. The story, being told by the lawyers’ daughter Scout Finch, takes the reader through the everyday antics of Scout, her brother Jem, and their close friend Dill. The children take great interest in their mysterious next door neighbour Boo Radley, a person they have never seen. The only information available to them is the strange and scary rumours surrounding Boo’s existence.

I didn’t find this book an easy read, and disappointment began to sink in when I found myself almost three-quarters of the way through this book, and still hardly any mention of the pending trial. On the positive side though, there were a few surprises to follow, and I must confess, I found Scout to be a likeable little girl and her way with words amusing at times. I’m not saying I hated this book, because that would be unfair, I just wish the author had based the book more on the trial and not on the children.

I don’t for a minute feel I wasted my time reading this book, in fact, I’m pleased I did. It was certainly worth the time spent, and of course being a “classic”, I would still recommend it to anyone who asked. Unfortunately, for me, it’s just not a book I would read again.

Adrian.

thanks for the review adrian its brill -
i love this book and it was a joy to re read it - as i think i said before, on re reading it i was suprised that the rape and trial actually are not as predominant as i thought - although it is generally the thing that most people associate with the book it is merely ( in the context of the book its self ) an incident - a very powerful one but in the over all scheme of things not the driving force - boo radley of course is and the lives of the children - it is hard for people not of my generation to see what the fuss was about i guess but at the time was very radical

does that make any kind of sense ?

NOPE

oookkkkaaayyy - i will go away and re think then

try this then -
I believe this book is a classic not because of the subject matter although of course with hindsight that does have a bearing , but because of the manner of the writing and the way it gives a very clear insight to society in the Deep South , the structure - black people trying to make a decent life for themselves with enslavement still close to the surface - white landowners and benefactors and then the families known as “white trash “ . As well as the politics and prevailing thoughts of the day. Not least of which is the fact that Atticus is raising 2 children alone after the death of his wife, an unusual situation for the time to say the least.
In my previous post I tried to say that whilst I think that Harper Lee’s intention was to raise the subject of discrimination it was done in a very low key way - the trial its self was not the central tenet of the book - discrimination and inequality ran through the book - the way that Atticus and the children interacted with Calpurnia was certainly not the norm for the times and the way that other families treated the black people who worked for them was more usual - witness the way that the “white trash “ viewed the black people who lived near them .
Of course we also witness another kind of discrimination being born with the children’s view of Boo Radley and the Radley family, yet another strand in the tapestry that Harper Lee is weaving .
At the time this book was written the Civil Rights movement was in its infancy in the USA but there is no doubt in my mind that the way the author portrays the sheer inhumanitarianism of the situation was a push in the right direction .

i have just been reading a review of a book called Tulia by Nate Blakeslee - its about a drugs bust in a town of that name in Texas - 46 people were arrested of which 40 were black all of which on the testimony of a white man with links to kkk - the review says that this book ( its a true story by the way forgot to say ) is a "jawdroppingly modern day "to kill a mockingbird "
sounds really good and i am just off to get me a copy from amaz ( my second purchase today ) am gonna put that website on my banned list i swear