We have all, or at least most of us, have read the Harper Lee award winning book To Kill a Mockingbird, set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the late 1930s. Like most of you, I was made to read the book while in school. Along with my classmates, I did bemoan the thought of having to read a nearly 400-page book. But the moment I read the first words, I was hooked, if anyone asked me of the thousands of books I have read which one is my favorite I would without question say, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Needless to say that when it was announced that a sequel will be published I was ecstatic. But now that it is out and being read does Go Set a Watchman measure up to its predecessor, a book that has been praised and lifted onto a pedestal for more than half a century?
Before we answer that question though, a bit of back history on this new novel is needed. First and foremost, the novel is not new, nor was it written as a sequel, the book was written three years before Mockingbird would be published. Many things are different, such as Tom Robinson’s trial, and there isn’t even a passing mention of Boo Radley.
Secondly, Watchman is completely untouched by an editor, and as any writer will tell you, the editing process is the smelting that turns raw material into strong steel. Watchman tends to meander a bit; there isn’t very good transition between scenes, which themselves can be clunky, too much telling not enough showing, spelling and grammar mistakes all over. It can sometimes be hard to figure who is talking to whom.
Although I see some areas for improvement, I will still recommend this book as something everyone should read. Why, well that’s because Atticus Finch, the man who adorns the pedestal of what every decent person should aspire to, is a racist.
The book for all its clunky scenes and poor grammar still manages to hammer home its core message that a person needs to find his own morals and stand for them, even if it means to stand against your own beloved family and friends when they are wrong. Atticus being a racist is the ultimate showing that even people we love and respect, people who have always been on that pedestal are not perfect. Also the book tells the audience something that I think in this modern Internet culture is hard to remember. We should not hate the man, we should hate the sin.