You may find it hard to believe that I’ve never read this week’s selection. To Kill a Mockingbird, which you probably read in tenth grade, is one of those books that I always felt I needed to read but could never quite push myself to start. I finally took the plunge this week, literally – it was so easy to get through I read nearly one hundred pages in one sitting (my attention span is usually equivalent to an eight-year-old’s)!
My favorite thing about To Kill a Mockingbird was the relationship between Scout and her father Atticus, which is threaded throughout the novel. From the introduction of his character, Atticus appeared to me the best kind of parent – not perfect, but so inclined to always do what is right, teaching his children by example rather than by force.
Quite a transition from the contemporary novels I’ve been reading for the past few months,To Kill a Mockingbird kind of brought me back to a high school English class state of mind (consider this my book report). The characters, the language and the unmistakable Americanness of the novel reminded me of a few things I actually did read in tenth grade. I didn’t realize how much I had missed those characteristics of “classic novels,” especially those epic, overarching symbols like the mockingbird that just aren’t done as well by modern authors. Simply put, if I were a tenth grade teacher, To Kill a Mockingbird would be first on my required reading list.