books

books

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Classic Book Club: To Kill A Mockingbird


“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Welcome to the Classic Book Club! 

What character did you connect to the most?

Stephanie- When I first read this book in 8th grade I felt I connected with Scout the most. Probably because the story is seen from her point of view and I was a tomboy growing up, so I could relate to how she felt about the events happening in her small town. Rereading the book as an adult, I definitely felt a stronger connection to Atticus Finch. He was a quiet father who let his children learn and explore on their own. He stepped in when he felt he needed to, but preferred to let Scout and Jem figure things out for themselves. I don’t have any children, but I respect his parenting decisions and think it helped his kids figure out who they were on their own. When he was appointed as the lawyer for Tom Robinson, Atticus knew his job would be tough on his whole family. I was impressed with the way Atticus carried himself throughout the trial and the fact that he tried to do what he knew was right. 

Jess- Reading this book as adult definitely gave me a new perspective on the story and characters. I still relate the most to Scout, but it’s through a lens of lost innocence, and it has a different texture. It’s easy to see the underlying truth in her simplistic way of dealing with people, and even though her thoughts are guided by the society in which she lives, she maintains a strong understanding of what’s fair and what’s not. I admire her bravery and love that she’s always able to forgive and follow her heart. I also had a connection to the character Boo Radley, just because he’s so mysterious!

Do you think the story transcends time? Why do you think it is considered a classic?

Stephanie- I think the themes in the book carry over from generation to generation. Good and evil are themes people can relate to at any time in history. When I read the story I felt it had a dated feel to it because it was written so long ago and takes place about 80 years ago. The language used and the lifestyles of the characters stood out as definitely different from life today, but the novel does a good job of showing the reader what life was like in the early 1930s. I think it is considered a classic because of the court case and the way many people in a small town treated Tom Robinson, simply because of the color of his skin. The storyline gives people a way to discuss racism and topics that have been sensitive throughout history.

Jess- The story is written well, with good character development, but I thought the imagery was a bit scattered, and found that I had to reread certain parts to gather the scope of what was happening. The story is unique in that it brings to light a part of our history, showing injustices from the perspective of an innocent child, and in doing this, the book does transcend time. There is one scene that I thought was particularly powerful, where Scout casually reminds an angry mob that they're all human, and she's able to dispel violence with her words. She's braver than she realizes, and I was on the edge of my seat reading along. I also love the correlation between the message the story brings and the title of the book. 

Did you enjoy the book? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Why or why not?

Stephanie- The book took me a little while to get into because the language and sentence structure didn’t flow in my mind. After reading about twenty pages the story seemed to pick up. I enjoyed reading it, but I wasn’t anxious to get to the story each night. It was a book that I read over a month and even read other books in between. I liked the story, but it didn’t pull me in and beg for me to finish it. I am glad to have reread it again as adult because it is interesting to see how my thoughts changed and stayed the same from 25 years ago.

Jess- I was taken in after a little while, but had to make myself pick it up- I wasn't reaching for it in every spare moment, which is what happens when I'm into a riveting read. I agree with Stephanie that the story is rough in the beginning, but once you’ve adjusted, the writing smoothes out and flows easier. I also agree that it was interesting to experience my thoughts on this book as an adult and remember how I felt about it years ago when I first read it. 

Has anyone else read To Kill a Mockingbird? We'd love to hear your thoughts! 

~ Jess & Stephanie

“They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... 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.”

 Harper LeeTo Kill a Mockingbird


18 comments:

  1. I bought this book and loaned it to a student, so I haven't got the chance to read it yet. The plot and characters sound good though I understand the language might not suck me in rightaway. Still, I'd like to give it a go. Great hearing both your takes on Mockingbird, Jess & Stephanie!

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    1. Hi Claudine, Thanks for stopping by! It's an interesting story. In addressing topics, such as racism, from a child's perspective, it shows them in a different light, which opens up thoughts and ideas about where we as people have been in our history, and what we're capable of recognizing now. Always lovely to hear from you! ~ Jess

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  2. Such a classic book! Reading your comments makes me want to go back and read it again. I definitely remember relating to Scout and loving the suspense and heartbreak of the story. Atticus is a marvelous character, too--and I now have a nephew named after him :)

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    1. Hi Meradeth, It was a great book to reread as an adult. The story is heartbreaking, but through the tragedy of events that occur, there is understanding that is brought by reading about them from the perspective of a young girl. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~ Jess

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  3. Love this book. I study it with my Year 10s every year. They always hate it at the beginning, then fall in love with the story.

    Denise:)

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    1. Hi Denise, Thanks for stopping by the book chat. It's definitely a book that takes a little diligence to get into, but it's an eye opening book and you real feel as though your a part of the story. ~ Jess

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  4. I loved the book and the movie. Choosing Gregory Peck as Mr. Finch was smack on. I was forever changed by the thought that people actually hated someone for the colour of their skin. I was brought up in Canada. A bit naive, to say the least.

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    1. Hi Joylene, I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's on my list of movies to watch. It's amazing to think that this type of thinking still exists today, given our understanding of the world through science and reason. Hating someone for any physical attribute has never made any sense to me. Thank you for stopping by the book club! It's great to hear from you. :) ~ Jess

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  5. It's been so long since I've read this excellent novel. I sometimes think I need to read it again as an adult. Excellent book chat, Jess!

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    1. Hi Suze, It's a good book to reread, as it gives you a whole new perspective on the story. This was one of the reasons Stephanie and I fired up the classic book club; to see what we think about classics that we've read in our younger years. Thanks so much for stopping by the book chat! ~ Jess

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  6. I am from India, so my kids had to explain to me about the book. I really liked the movie too. Thanks for the discussion here.

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    1. Hi Munir, Thank you for stopping by! If you read the book, Stephanie and I hope you enjoy it. I am looking forward to watching the movie. ~ Jess

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  7. I have never read it :/ Many classics still to read

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    1. Blodeuedd- We still have a lot on our classics list to read too! :)

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  8. I liked seeing your opinion of this book! I have read it myself and it seems to be a lot of peoples favourites. But I didn't like it much :/ I thought the beginning was too slow and I didn't relate to the characters more. It was alright though, and I liked the ending most of all.

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    1. Olivia-Savannah- I agree with you that the beginning was slow. It took a while for me to get into it. I thought the ending was the best part. :) I am glad to have read it, but It wasn't my favorite.

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  9. Hi Jess, thanks for visiting my blog , I wish you a very happy 2015 :)

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    1. Celeste- You are welcome! Happy 2015! :)

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