Such a classic, one of America's best-loved novels, and I hadn't read it yet! Off I went, without knowing much about this book beforehand.

I soon found out why many people love it so much: A steadfast and relatable first-person narrator, a young girl, who observes the world around her, especially the racist environment in her Alabama hometown, her wise father, a lawyer too!, and the plethora of neighbors and relatives, some nice, some less so. This book's central themes are clear: Narrow-mindedness and racism, growing up, innocence and threats against it.

I enjoyed reading this book, but less than I had expected. Again I realized I'm not a fan of books narrated by children, even though Scout is quite wonderful. The narration didn't thrill me - one paragraph is about one thing, the next about something different just to jump back to the first topic. Characters that are central in the first half of the novel don't show up at all until 150 pages later. It seemed to me that the actual plot of the novel only started after the 40% mark. All of these aspects lowered my pleasure while reading this book - so I can't give out the five stars that "To Kill a Mockingbird" deserves for its impact on American culture (or at least, education) and its overall positive and impactful message.

I was not too surprised to find some harsh criticism regarding the portrayal of relationship between Black and white characters in this novel - there aren't many fleshed-out Black characters, the most visible one is a household help, and then white people come along to save the day. Reading the novel with a 2022 perspective leaves a stale aftertaste, and the book probably would not be as widely known and successful if it was published today.

If you haven't read "To Kill a Mockingbird", by all means, go ahead and do it! If you do, please read [b:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|13214|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)|Maya Angelou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327957927l/13214.SY75.jpg|1413589] right afterwards. Personally, I was more captivated by it and its narrator, young Maya Angelou: Both books share many themes, and the direct comparison is striking.