I read this book sometime at the end of last year. A cousin, a lover of English Literature, recommended it to me and I had quite forgotten her recommendation until I happened upon it one day in my school library. Having not much to do at the time, I borrowed it and spent the next few days reading it.
The theme centered around the United States in the 1930’s and the general perception towards African Americans, or Niggers as they were more commonly known then, at the time. What made it stand out from most books of its kind (and trust me, there are plenty of books with similar racial themes) was that the whole story was presented through the eyes of a young child. The narrator, a little girl at that time, talks about her life at that age and the events that occurred during that period.
Perhaps what truly captivated me was how it was presented. I enjoyed reading about little Scout, her childish predicaments and about how she just did not understand why her father did the things that he did, why almost everyone they knew had turned against them and just how serious the problem really was. The side-story of Arthur Radley, or Boo Radley as he was nicknamed by the children, was interesting and added some flavour to the story. I must confess that I was more curious about Boo Radley than the central issue most of the time. However, the best part was during the court scene. How enthralling it was! And the shock I had when the African American was killed......
Overall it was an interesting read. The whole book was simply lovely. Harper Lee brought to center-stage the issue of racism and prejudice, showing us the attitudes of the average American 70 years ago and allowing us to compare the attitudes of mankind then and now. At the end of it, the question that first came to my mind was ’’Have we really changed since then?’’