Hardcover, 323 pages
English language
Published Aug. 31, 1995 by HarperCollinsPublishers.
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mocking bird of Harper Lee's classic novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. the conscience of a town stepped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
(front flap)
This book is about as good as everyone says. Reckon I got nothin' much to add.
Why four stars? It's a solid story, well written and well told. I don't have any particular reason to begrudge it a fifth, other than p'rhaps sheer orneriness. It was a mite predictable.
Best novel of its century? Can't think of another could knock it off its hill.
1) '''Atticus, you must be wrong...'
'How's that?'
'Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong....'
'They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions,' said Atticus, 'but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.'''
2) '''She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her#-I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely โฆ
1) '''Atticus, you must be wrong...'
'How's that?'
'Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong....'
'They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions,' said Atticus, 'but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.'''
2) '''She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her#-I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.''
Interesting, compelling, and classic.
Encore!
