Book Club: To Kill A Mockingbird

I first read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in highschool - I think it was Grade 11. And I have to be honest and say that I don't think I got it back then. I am not entirely sure that I "get it" now but I think it is more of a possibility at least.

All I really remember from that first reading and in class analysis is a lot of talk about Boo Radley ... the rape trial and the subsequent attack on the Finch children were blurrily familiar but no more than that. And I definitely think I missed more of the subtler nuances - like how the title of the book made sense with the plot of the novel itself.

Again I feel like I am stumbling along and not really adequately expressing what I want to say. I guess I feel that I have been mostly sheltered from extreme prejudice. I don't know that that actually means the world is becoming a more accepting place, only that the cruelties don't seem to be happening/hitting close to home. I attended a concert in honor of Black History Month last weekend; the choir had travelled to Namibia and South Africa. It reminded me that although sometimes it feels like the persecution of Black people and Black culture was ages ago it really was not that long ago. They related that in some of the smaller African communities there were still 4 public washrooms - one for white men, one for non-white women, one for non-white men and one for non-white women - a silent testimony that aparteid in some of those countries ended only 14 years ago. I have been brought up to respect people of all races and all cultures and that kind of persecution seems so foreign to me. I can't comprehend how you could hate, or look down on someone simply because the color of their skin is different than your own. I know that it happens and I am sure that sometimes it happens on an unconcious level ... and it makes me wonder if I am always as fair and as open minded as I try to be. I guess the point is that I am trying?

The other thing that surprises me is that this beautiful book is still on a list of frequently challenged/banned books. I guess that means we haven't come as far as we need to if people can still fear the power of these words. In my opinion, any book that challenges our world view and makes us think about how we are treating others now, and how we have treated others in the past is worth reading, is worth praising, is worth passing on.

And so we have a tale of friendship and love and human dignity that moved me so much more the second time I read it that it will stay on my shelf to be re-read a third and maybe a fourth time. Maybe on those readings I will be able to find better words to express myself with.