A review by library_kb
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

challenging emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I reread this book for grad school class. I hadn't read the book since high school, when it was a whole class novel. I remembered most of the plot details from the story, but did not remember a lot of the perspective portrayed throughout the story. I definitely enjoyed the story less this time around because of the way that even the characters who are supposed to be looked up to excuse racism and even encourage it, or at least do not provide any hope towards a change in structural racism. While there are some inspirational quotables, it bugged me more when the children who are recognizing the racism around them are told to understand where the racist characters are coming from and learn to live/make comfortable the racists' lives at the expense of the black characters' lives. In addition, while very realistic, it was really frustrating to watch the white characters to quietly agree that Tom Robinson was innocent, but not be willing to actually do or even say anything about it. I guess reading it in 2021 I just realize the aspects of the story that my high school teacher really should have challenged. 
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