#62: Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Before I begin, if you haven't read; To Kill A Mockingbird, go and do it now. You really are missing out on one of the best books of all time.

From Harper Lee comes a landmark new novel set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch—"Scout"—returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can only be guided by one's own conscience.

Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor, and effortless precision—a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context, and new meaning to an American classic.

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperLuxe; Lrg edition (July 14, 2015)
• ISBN: 9780062433657

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My review for To Kill A Mockingbird

Author Bio:
Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She attended Huntington College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Pulitzer Prize, and many other accolades. 

REVIEW:

I had my introduction to this author in 2010 and felt like I was missing something, having not read it for so long. I didn't wait to read this one, despite the mild controversy and opinions on it all. I had one comment saying she didn't think Harper Lee wanted the public to read this book. I think if that's true, she shouldn't have written it, or at least made those wishes known.  Regardless, I chose to read it, and I hope you do too before you formulate an opinion.

This book is profound.

Those who disagree might have expected too much from it. 

This story gives us a deeper insight into the life of Atticus Finch and his daughter, Jean Louise. Much like the readers of, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jean Louise followed the case, and others her father worked on, believing he was a man of high moral ground. Which he is, but as any man, he is also flawed. So when he is viewed with a different ideal than she is accustomed to, she handles herself rather poorly.

The book, and the story itself, still gives us a deep look into racism and the old South. It is still trying to get across the morals of equality, which I believe it accomplished.

I'm so glad I read this book. It didn't have the same effect as, To Kill A mockingbird, but it still resonates in me.

I love this quote:

Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common; they both begin where reason ends. ~ Page 332

So, while the story is set before you, it's the thought-provoking statements that pull you in and leave you thinking about how it fits today, which it sadly still does. Maybe African-Americans are not being 'segregated' anymore, but racism is still going strong, here, there and everywhere. Books like this help to remember that and see what changes I can do in my own life to help stop the cycle of hate. Shouldn't that be a lesson to us all....

5/5

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