'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, 10/13/09

Most people probably read this book in high school, I never did.  Since I am trying to go back and read some classics, this was my next choice.

This story is told from the point of view of Scout, a young girl in a small town in Alabama, in the 1930s.  It is the story of growing up and realizing that justice is not always served, relationships between friends, family and neighbors are forever changing. 

Scout's childhood is one of innocence.  A mysterious neighbor that no one ever sees, a friend that visits only in the summer, an older brother who slowly grows away from his younger sister and the trial of an African-American man who is charged with beating and raping a poor white woman. 

Your hooked instantly from the beginning because it takes you back to all the childhood wonders you had.  It was great in the sense that you can fully imagine playing those games, being afraid of the mysterious neighbor's house and having to deal with school because the adults tell you that is part of life.  Her father is an attorney, her mother has passed away and they have a housekeeper who is just as much a part of the family as anyone.  An aunt moves in with them late in the story and turns their lives upside down.  The biggest upset is that her father is required to defend the African-American man in the trial.

Anyone reading the story who has ever watched a crime drama can tell the man is innocent.  But in 1930s Alabama, it doesn't really matter.  He is an uneducated black man.  The white woman accused him of these crimes.  The jury is made up of other white men.  End of story.  He is convicted, without a doubt and sent to jail where he is shot "trying to escape."  From today's point of view you want to jump into the story and yell at the top of your lungs that the jury is too afraid to make the right decision.  Unfortunately, its part of history that people got covicted of doing things simply for the color of their skin, their religion, their financial status in life.

I really enjoyed this book.  So much more than I thought I ever would.  I am glad that I read it because I wanted to and not because I was required to in school.  I don't think it would have had the same meaning to me 10 years ago.