by Harper Lee

MG Classic, 1960 by JB Lippincott, 323 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• There’s a lot of jumping around in time, sometimes without warning. This is intentional, an example of an episodic narrative, and it works for some readers. But if you prefer a continuous story, as I do, you may be mildly annoyed by it. Call it a content warning. 
• Repetition of names. Characters throw each other’s names around a lot. If you happen to be listening to the audiobook, you’re going to notice. It’s just not how people naturally talk to each other so it sort of rankles.
• This book seems to focus on the white characters in a story that is supposed to be about race relations. The only characters who get their page time are the WHITE characters, even in a story that tells you it is about a black man accused of a crime. Not only that, the white characters are painted as the saviors. While it may be “historically accurate” it’s not balanced. Not only that, a HUGE chunk of the story goes off on tangents and leaves what is supposed to be the meat of the story confined to a small section. Later, something that should have been important is sort of glossed over because it happens to a black man. Overall, I was frustrated at best and uncomfortable at worst with the way this one is presented.

What I Did Like:

• Of course the original intention of this book was to capture life in the South in the 1930s. It does that beautifully. From language to racial tension and everything in between, this historical fiction novel takes you back to the perspective of growing up as an affluent white child in the 1920s south. 
• The trial aspect, while only a small percentage of the actual book, is captivating. This is the part of this story that makes this memorable and long lasting. The best dialogue and the best points come from this section of the story. 
• Beautiful prose. The descriptions work, never leaving the reader wondering what we were talking about. The emotions of our main character come through, especially when Scout is angry! There’s a lot of examples here of well crafted sentences and that’s worth noting. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of classic or historical literature who aren’t bothered by stories targeting a younger audience. 

My Rating: 2 Stars

• While a classic, this one hasn’t aged well. In my opinion (which is all reviews really are) there are better books for these topics now. Want a better courtroom depiction? Try Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Want a better race relation depiction? Try Monster by Walter Dean Myers or The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.