As a teenager, I was forced to read many books in high school. There had been really nothing I had liked. Most of them, I had to force myself to read for tests or find those delightful cliffnote books you could get just to trudge through them. This book was different. This book with it's characters, storyline of injustice and prejudism captivated me. I had actually enjoyed a book I was forced to read by the teachers. A rare fete upon itself.

With the last of the year only days away and fresh snow on the ground, I decided to revisit my favorite novel once more. I had not picked it up since my time in high school. It was like reconnecting with old friends again and listening to a story being told once more around a table with hot chocolate in mugs and a grandmother who had lived during this time and had been part of the world.

I am not sure what made me like this book. I think it was the fact that here was a man accused of a crime that he did not do. No matter how the law says "innocent until proven guilty". he was still guilty because of the color of his skin. this was a time still of segregation and people of color were still a long ways from gaining any rights of an American citizen.

If a teacher hands you this book to read, take a moment and enter into this world. Listen to what all the characters have to say and observe a decade where people who were different from others struggled for their rights.