|
Join our e-mail list! |
|
Just type your e-mail address below and
press submit.
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
To Kill A Mockingbird
By Harper Lee, HarperCollins, 1995 (35th
Anniversary Edition), 323 pages
Reviewed by Nita K Curry
February 28, 2000
We just knew him as Lurkey. He was our neighborhood spook and we spent the
better part of our childhood working up the nerve to get close to him, then
running for our lives. This was my neighborhood and I thought my experience was
unique¾ until I read To Kill a Mockingbird.
This book mirrors the days when our childhood melts into adulthood; how it is
never a clear and concise transition, but sometimes a painful and confusing
time. Lee uses 6 year-old Scout and her brother Jem to examine the convergence
of single-parenthood, racism, and small town ideas into a theme of how we see
people and what character entails.
As is the case with all small towns, everyone knows almost everything about
each other. Unfortunately, too often, it is only enough to draw conclusions, but
not fully understand someone. Scout is too young to understand people and Jem,
four years her elder, is on the brink, which creates a slight wedge between
brother and sister. Lee does a masterful job of intertwining their wonderful
little stories starring into the larger theme. While they are young, smart, and
very mischievous, they often exude an innocence that is all too often absent
from today’s youth. For, while succumbing to their more mischievous side, they
never mean to really hurt anyone. They can’t resist doing the things grown-ups
would love to do, like making a snowman in the likeness of one of their
neighbors, or dissembling a mob by talking to each as individuals and that we
all need each other regardless of position or pride. It is during these scenes
(and many more) that Lee produces conviction without preaching and happiness
without joy.
Although we think that we have come so far from this particular story of the
1930s and the prejudices that it holds, sometimes I think we haven’t made real
headway. We still put people in their little classes or color groups and develop
our own set of ideas about them. The unfortunate part is that too often this
happens in our churches. We see the saint who barely takes a bath or doesn’t
have an education and never speak to them, hug them, or shake their hand. We
just don’t know them, but regardless of our knowledge of them we
indiscriminately put them into a preset societal model. We leave them alone
until they bother us.
I cannot possibly say more and ruin the story for you. It is an experience
that you should enjoy on your own. Few books have as many characters as this
one.
Maybe I am a little different, but I don’t just read Christian books. They
can be wonderful, uplifting and educational, but they are not all I read. I read
all sorts of books and when I do, I apply the morals and themes to my life, but
more importantly to my Christian walk. To Kill a Mockingbird mentions
that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they don’t do any harm to
anything, but provide something beautiful for us to hear. I wonder how many
mockingbirds there are in our congregations, streets that we live, and stores
where we shop that we kill with our treatment of them? It is a wonderful book,
but it is more than just a book; it is a truth that helps us become better
Christians and better people. I hope you take the time to read it.
ninetyandnine.com
© Nita K. Curry, 2000
--------
Nita K. Curry reads books incredibly fast when they’re as good as this
one. This one took three days to complete, but then it’s now in her Top Five
favorites of all time (right after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback
& fill us in. |
