Paperback, 323 pages
English language
Published Aug. 13, 2003 by Perennial Classics.
One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its oritinal publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century. (back cover)
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!
