This book has been on my list forever; I just got to it a month ago, and finished within a couple days. It is absolutely amazing to me how a book that was written almost 60 years ago manages to captivate and grip a 17 year old teenager. 60 years may not sound like an extremely long time, but just think about how much has happened since then: the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, the World Wide Web, deciphering the human genome, etc. The list goes on. But I was still captivated by this book, and could relate easily to a tiny six year old girl. To be fair, I did have to read much slower since the language and slang has certainly changed since then, but the emotions and empathy I felt while reading were unmatched. Let me dive into the review now. One thing that really stood out to me was the prose. The whole book is told from the point of view of Scout, a six year old girl. However, the language, grammar, and style was much more advanced (although it did make for a better read). The book's setting is during the Great Depression, in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Throughout this read, the reader is made to empathize with the characters through each and every written word. The book centres around a very unusual trial: an African-American man is charged with rape against a poor Caucasian girl. In Maycomb, regardless of who is right and wrong, black men with charges against them are always found guilty. But this case is much different, since Scout's father, Atticus, is the defense attorney for the accused. The way this story pans out is beyond interesting, and you don't need to be familiar with lawyer lingo or fluent in this Old Southern dialect. Another reason that this narrative is especially gripping is because Scout and her brother witness this trial and form opinions on their own. You can almost see their world of prevalent racism and segregation through their eyes. Throughout this story, my favourite character ended up being Atticus Finch. His demeanor and opinions seemed to be well past his time, which I believe says something about Harper Lee as well. Unlike other young girls, Scout was allowed to run free and read as much as she wanted to. Atticus impacted Scout and Jem (her brother) so much through his words and the values he instilled in them. Since the story is told from Scout's point of view, it also shows the genuine love, affection, and respect that the children gave their father, and thus I was equally impacted by his words as well. This book is a must read for everyone at some point in their lives, but I strongly urge that that point comes sooner rather than later. Personally, I don't understand why I put this book off for so long. I guess it's only when you're on a 22 hour flight that picking up a book you've had forever but never read becomes an option.
