Patty Pick for 9/10/15 is "Go Set A Watchman" by Harper Lee

This new book by Harper Lee, Go Set A Watchman, has been surrounded by controversy since it was found by her longtime lawyer in a safety deposit box. Through an interview, Harper Lee stated she had actually written this book first, before To Kill A Mockingbird.  Her editor told her to go back and write something with Scout as a younger girl and we are all the richer for what followed. 

In  To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout is 6-9 years old but in 
Go Set A Watchman, Scout is now 26. She is looking at the world and the past from a different perspective. Scout still has her fresh, brave outlook 

on life but she has been effected by death and the events that happened after we left her in TKAM. 

While making a visit home to see her family during the mid 1950's, Scout is faced with a changing Maycomb and the world around her exploding with racial tension. Scout still adheres to the some of the town's expected norms but chooses to ignore what she wants to. As she attends church with her family, we catch a hint of the title's meaning when the new minister, Mr. Stone, opens his bible to read. He reads from Isaiah 21:6 - "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." What we see, is an independent, intelligent young woman struggling to find her place in the world but not afraid to push her limits! Scout, our watchman, leads us through what has happened in the interim and we get to meet new characters like her sometimes boyfriend, Hank Clinton.   

I know everyone is up in arms over the rumors they have heard about Atticus and what type of person he has turned into during this book. He is aging and struggling with his health. As an old man in a changing world - he is uncertain to what is happening around him. Scout reiterates in GSAW, that whatever decision she makes in life,she asks herself, "What would Atticus do?" That will hold true through this entire story.

We are lucky enough to meet new characters and find out what has been happening to old characters. Go Set a Watchman definitely reads as a first novel, much more than TKAM. The world, all most 20 years after we first meet Scout, has changed radically. Maycomb and many of it's citizens are struggling to figure out what is the right direction to take. There will be parts you don't like and parts you love, but don't miss it. You need to read this for yourself. And you will love Scout, she always has an opinion and she will let you will know what it is.  

Patty PIck for 8/27/15 is "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

Harper Lee's classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, has always been one of my favorite books, as I am sure it is for many others. I can not count the times I have read and re-read it over the years, which is a rare thing for me to do. I had forgotten how much I liked it, until I read it again recently. It is a timely reminder that race relations have been effecting our lives in this country for many years unfortunately. 

Scout is one of the best female characters, which has been written into life by an author, in any decade. She is fearless, smart and vulnerable at the same time. Throw in Jem, Atticus, Dill and Calpurnia and the cast is one you will not be able to forget. 
Scout's father, Atticus, usually gets all the attention, but I feel that Scout steals the show. 

While Atticus, the small town lawyer and state congressman, is busy trying to raise his motherless children in small town Alabama, he is assigned the task of representing an innocent black man in a no-win trial. Parts of this book could have taken place in any small town in the South during this time period of our history. While many people concentrate on the lesson of fairness this part of the book relates, the empowerment of women and the discovery of one's true self should be the themes we discuss as much. Unfortunately this book too accurately portrays the truths of the South and other parts of our country during this time in our history concerning the color of one's skin.

But more importantly it shows us the special time of innocence many of us were lucky enough to experience in our youth. How many of you slept with your doors unlocked? Were you ever inside during your summer in daylight hours except to eat? School pageants that the whole town would attend were once standard fair in small town life.

I choose to concentrate on the well-written story of one family living through a special time in their lives, when the kids were innocent and walking to school was the norm. While the famous movie concentrates on the trial and the rescue of the kids by Boo Radley, I think the best part was Scout and her brave outlook on life. The thought of not studying to be a lawyer just because of the norms of the day, did not stand in Scout's way.

Next blog post on 9/10/15 will be on the recently released prequel by Harper Lee, 
"Go Set a Watchman".

Patty Pick for 2/5/15 is "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been one of my favorite books since I read it many years ago. I'm sure it makes many other reader's favorites list! It is so hard to believe that Harper Lee had never chosen to write another book after the success of it. 
The story of Scout, Atticus , Jem and Dill as they interact with the other characters in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama touched a cord with me and many other people. As a true Southerner, born in a North Carolina small town, I could personally relate to some of the eccentric people who populated this town. I thought of my father while reading about Atticus' brave fight against racism. The humor and detailed characters made this book come alive for me.     
Now, we find out that she actually wrote another book before To Kill A Mockingbird! 
It was announced this week that Harper Lee has a sequel coming out in July. 
Go Set a Watchman brings us the adult Scout as she returns home to Maycomb for a visit with her father, Atticus. This will be one of the most anticipated novels of it's time. It does have a hard act to follow in the first novel, but Harper Lee has her own voice and I 
can't wait to read it.