lilac, that's what my english teacher is doing now in our class, and I can see the effects already. It's a shame how english class, which should teach appreciation of literature, can turn students off on books so beautiful and rich as To Kill a Mockingbird! They just milk the story to death, and focus on the wrong things. For instance, he's making this book all about racial prejudice! I can't stand it, I'm just glad I've already read it and it'll always be in my favorites.
Ditto Grits.
Personally, I loved the story and picked it up of my own volition as a teenager. Loved it. I'm glad no one forced me to read it. The characters were expertly realized, the prose well written. It wasn't long-winded and I dont recall anything terribly heavy that dragged on for ages (though heavy conversation sometimes follow any classic, I don't recall much of that happening during the book).
"Art=Life+Bullshit."
--Chris Miller
"Ammonia will disinfect sin."
--adrianhayter
I'll be perfectly honest: I hated that book. I read it because it was assigned, and it's fairly easy to understand, but Scout drove me nuts. I could not stand her; she annoyed the absolute heck out of me.
On the other hand, just about every classmate I talked to said they adored the book. To each their own and all.
Surprisingly good, but then that's why it's a classic.
Atticus and Boo are probably two of the best characters in literary history. Right up there with Heathcliff, Scrooge, and Ahab. This was one of my favorite books as a kid, as well as Red Fern Grows.
I watched that Capote movie with Phillip S. Hoffman, and learned that Harper worked with Capote and wrote the book as kind of a side project. Most of the literary community at the time wrote it off as a joke and didn't take it seriously. She seemed to be Capote's anchor and did a lot of the practical stuff while they researched In Cold Blood.
To Kill a Mockingbird was one of my top two all-time favourite books that I had to read in high school (Fahrenheit 451 was the other). The only way I can describe it is: brilliant.
http://www.alongstoryshort.net/THEWISDOMOFGOLDFISH.htmlOriginally Posted by Chris Miller
http://www.anotherealm.com/2009/ar111509.php
To Kill a Mockingbird is my favourite book. I just reread it recently and fell even more in love with it. I have been harassing people in bars to read it. I'm glad it wasn't assigned school reading and I picked it up out of my own curiousity, but I can't imagine not loving it.
Scout is my favourite character of all the books I've ever read.
That is definitely my favorite novel. I love the characters to death. Atticus is full of this patient wisdom, yet has a bit of mystery to him concerning the death of his wife, his way with a gun, and even the way he ruffles Jem's hair out of affection. Miss Maudie is amazing. Arthur "Boo" Radley is my favorite character though. I wish I could have been Scout leading him around the house, and when he went back to his own, I could have cried.
I think I subconciously based my first story off of this book's style when I started writing. When I realized it, I went back and read the book again to find out what made me do that. Most of it was the small-town feel and semi-light-heartenedness of the first half of the book.
Too bad Harper Lee didn't write another book...
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
--John Keating, Dead Poets Society
It is now. We've been given it for our GCSE Closed book exam. It sucks I have to read it with the likes of my class, and I'd rather read it first to my preference and then re-read it with the teacher to discover some points I may have missed. Altogether though, the great stuff I've heard about it has got me on the edge of my seat.
Tom.
The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and instead writes another.
You'll love it no matter what, Tom. I re-read it recently. So fucking good.
You were right Malone.
I ended up skipping ahead and reading it at home. Three reads later and I am, truly a fan. Very inspiring, clever and enjoyable, and unlike past books, the analysing of certain parts helped to understand the real 'affect' of the book.
The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and instead writes another.
In fact, the character Dil in To Kill A Mockingbird is based on Capote. They were childhood friends, Capote being raised by his aunts who lived next door to Lee.
"I believe that all things aspire to the state of music."
Tom Waits
Not my type of book and still I liked it. We had to read it for english, we analized it deeply and all. It's quite good in its own way.
I was disappointed in Flannery O'Connor -- one of my favorite authors -- when I recenlty read what she had to say about it. She ripped it -- called it a "children's book." I think a little less of her now.
"Some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love."
-- Albert Einstein
"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor
I've recently read it with my English class at school and to be honest (you're all going to kill me) I found it quite tedious. I enjoyed the ending scene and the court case but found the main part of the book quite dull. Sorry!
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
~ Ernest Hemingway
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