Thursday, April 12, 2012

(To) Kill a Mockingbird

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!
To Kill a Mockingbird

(Shhh, don’t tell anyone I cheated!!!! But the 2nd word can work for K! Right? Right! Thanks!)
I didn’t read this book until I was an adult. It wasn’t part of our Canadian curriculum. It should be. It should be part of everyone’s world. Such a POWERFUL book. So many layers. Scout. Boo. Atticus. Reading. Racism. Wisdom as opposed to knowledge. Kindness. Life. Death. Integrity. Honesty. Honour. Love. Justice. And probably a whole lot more. This is a gentle book in rhythm and in heart, but it runs so very deep and touches so very deep.
Any books you think everyone should experience?

54 comments:

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

It truly was a brilliant book. I think I read it when I was around 14 or so.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Excellent choice, I remember the film.

Yvonne.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Excellent choice, I remember the film.

Yvonne.

Anonymous said...

I love this book. I read it 3-4 times on my own and I taught it once for a class.

Nick Wilford said...

It is on the UK curriculum, at least it was when I was at school. It was my favourite book that we studied, really touches you. I want to read it again now!

Laura Pauling said...

I've never read this book but my daughter absolutely loved it!

Old Kitty said...

This is so a "K" book! :-)

I absolutely enjoyed this book but I do remember it was required reading at my school. We were a bunch of 14/15 year olds and many refused to carry on reading it because it was littered with the "n" word. My school was in North London around the Tottenham area - so race was and is a particularly prickly and sensitive subject matter. But also we were a gregarious vocal class (not me - I was ms mouse in the corner enjoying the book!)! Poor teachers! They were lovely (most of them!) and led to some very lively debates - which was all good!

:-)

Oh golly there are so many books I think everyone should read! LOL!

Take care
x

Kyra Lennon said...

This is one of the only books considered a classic that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's one of my favourites!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That one I've read.
And I don't think you were cheating.

Jemi Fraser said...

Lynda - brilliant is the perfect word for it :)

Yvonne - I don't always watch the movies - but I did like this one :)

Medeia - if I teach grade 8 again, I'll read it with them - but it's little old for my current grade :)

Nick - it really is a beautiful book! I'm glad it was on your curriculum!

Laura - it's soft and sweet and just gorgeous!

Old Kitty - there really are so many fabulous books. The n word is so offensive. I think it shows the times and the attitudes when it's used in this book. I'd explain WHY I would read it if I ever teach older kids again :)

Kyra - I'm not a big fan of a lot of classics either but this one is amazing!

Alex - yay! Glad I'm safe! :)

Natalie Aguirre said...

That's such a great book. I read it as a teenager. My daughter is in 9th grade and they read it for language arts this year and saw the movie.

Cecilia Robert said...

Hey Jemi, a great choice for K, because it reminds me I haven't read the book as yet.It's buried somewhere in by TBR. embarrasing,. Will definitely put it on top now.:)
Thanks for commenting on my I and following me. Following you back. :)

Cecilia

Tara Tyler said...

the hobbit, which i am excited that my son is reading it in 7th grade english =)

Tara Tyler said...

which i see you have on your h post! good show!

Unknown said...

I haven't read it. I know, I know, I'm terrible. I just feel it will be so sad and I'm not sure I'm emotionally up for sad right now.

Julie Dao said...

I LOVED this book! The movie was pretty great, too - we got to watch it in our high school English class.

Shelley Sly said...

Loooove this book! Like many others, I was required to read it at 14 and it was the first GOOD book I'd read for school. Everything about it was fascinating.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I love this book. It's one of the best ever written. I names a character Harper after Harper Lee.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

That is a GREAT choice, Jemi! I think everyone should experience The Phantom Tollbooth and Huckleberry Finn. :)

cleemckenzie said...

Loved the book and even the movie, which is rare for me. Somehow the screenwriters captured the essence of Harper Lee's story and translated it to the screen beautifully.

You're forgiven for the second word thing! :-)

Beth said...

Great choice for 'K'. I think everyone should read this classic. My daughter read it a few years ago in eighth grade and loved it too.

Cathy said...

I think this book resonates with virtually everyone.

Jemi Fraser said...

Natalie - I just love it too! It's one of those books with so many layers to love :)

Cecilia - hi and welcome! :) My TBR pile is gigantic - I bet yours it's the same. It's hard to get to them all.

Tara - love it! That's one of my all time favourite books!

Clarissa - I know how you feel. I need to be in the right mood for the books I read. There is a lot of joy and hope in this book too :)

Julie - it really is a great book - and they did a good job of casting in the movie :)

Shelley - I agree - it's so sad though that so many books we're forced to read aren't great!

SL - that's so cool! I think that's a great idea!

Shannon - I haven't read Phantom Tollbooth - I can't get past the cover! I really have to pick it up one day :)

Lee - thanks! Glad to be forgiven :) It's such a well crafted story!

Beth - I love that they're still teaching this book - it's definitely timeless!

Cathy - it really does. There are so many vivid characters and story lines in it! :)

Mary said...

A classic! But we decided as a district to move it out of 8th grade and into high school. They're a bit too immature to fully appreciate the story.

Jemi Fraser said...

Mary - yes - I agree. I've discouraged my kids from reading it yet. I tell them they'll find it too heavy yet - they'll enjoy it so much more in a few years. :)

Anonymous said...

This was a book at high school tht helped me fall in love with reading novels all over again. It was part of our curriculum

Jemi Fraser said...

Michelle - it's such a powerful book - kind of seeps into your being! :)

Patricia Stoltey said...

Brilliant choice for "K" (and second word works fine for me). A book I would consider a must read is Fahrenheit 451.

Jemi Fraser said...

Pat - thanks! :) I love F 451 too - another powerful book!

Unknown said...

Hi, you have focussed on some great classic novels for your posts, well done.

Danette said...

It's a classic! I read it in college for pleasure. I don't think they added it to Lit classes until mu-- later. (almost said, but that might indicate I am old and I don't want to admit that! lol)

Sharkbytes said...

I think it's one of the best books ever written. Just about perfect.I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month.

Jemi Fraser said...

CM - thank you! I read a lot of these books in high school and they've stayed with me for a lot of years. Powerful writing!

Danette - I'm with you on that! We don't ever have to go in that direction :) I'm thrilled to have found the book at all. It's awesome :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Sharkbytes - you are a very brave soul!!! Good luck with your quest :)

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

I am ashamed to admit this, but I'm not positive I've read this. I think I might have in high school, but I don't remember for sure. Must add it to my to-read or to-re-read list. :) Maybe once I start I'll remember.

Jemi Fraser said...

Amy - I'm sure you'll remember! So many amazing characters - and I love the weaving storylines. So well done! :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I also didn't read this until I was an adult. You're right, everyone should read it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Susan - I agree. It's such an incredibly told story. So many wonderful layers :)

Deniz Bevan said...

Funny, I guess I didn't read this book in school either. I do love it though, and have read it a few times since I was a kid.

Jemi Fraser said...

Deniz - it really is worth reading more than once. I didn't catch a lot of the nuances the first time through! :)

J.L. Campbell said...

We used it in literature here. Haven't read it since though.

Jemi Fraser said...

JL - I just loved it - so many stories in there - so much to think about! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Jemi! Great choice for the letter K. I've read this book several times over the years and have seen the movie a couple of times.

Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER

Margo Berendsen said...

This book is one I consider to be one of the top 5 greatest books ever written. You touched on the main reasons why - and yet, I don't think anybody can really get how great it is until they've read it!

Margo Berendsen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jemi Fraser said...

Susanne - it's a beautiful book - I love the interweaving stories!

Margo - I agree. It can actually sound kind of lame when you try to explain some of the plots within it - but it works so beautifully well!

vic caswell said...

this was the book that made me fall in love with books. i think i first read it when i was seven? with my sister who was nine?
and i've read it several times since.
a truly great story.

Jemi Fraser said...

Vic - it really is a truly great story. One of the best ever :)

Ghadeer said...

I read this book when I was 14 and it still hit me in so many ways. It's a beautiful story that I should re-visit now that I'll be able to appreciate the lessons inside it even more.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jnana - that's exactly how I feel about it. So many great layers to it. A story of great value for sure. :)

blissflower1969 said...

This was one of my Grandma's favorite books, so I read it in junior high. I love both the book and the movie. Gregory Peck is the perfect Atticus.

Jemi Fraser said...

Bliss - Gregory Peck did a fabulous job portraying Atticus! It's a really beautiful book. :)

Afsaneh said...

I think there can be no more inspiring male character than Atticus Finch. He embodies all that is good in man and I never fail to cry when I read this book. For one written from a child's point of view with such simple language it delivers so much to a reader.
One of my favourite books. Glad that you read it!

Jemi Fraser said...

Afsaneh - I agree. Atticus is one of my favourite all-time characters! His dignity and grace move me.