Between the Lines discussion

I have read this book at least four times. Wonderful book especially when you look at what was going on in the United States when the book was written, 1960.

Harper Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for this book.

I think we can learn from this book how to avoid racial prejudice and injustice.

Written from the standpoint of a young girl and her perceptions of the world around her and the heroism of her father trying to find justice in a time and place that it didn't exist.

Many great values are taught; honesty, love, the importance of family, and importance for standing up for truth. Very controversal issues addressed such as rape and racial injustice.

I think it is extremely sad that this book has been banned in many parts of the United States. A very Precious book. A must read!

I agree, it's a wonderful book! It took me a long time to getting around to read it but finally did so when my daughter has it assigned as a school read. She loved it!

I've read this book multiple times and taught it last year during one of my long-term subs. One of the aspects that I enjoy about it and taught about is all of the allusions that are in the book. There are so many great topics to teach about in this book--prejudice, injustice, honor, love, family, Jim Crow laws, friendship--that help students see how far our country had to come in racial matters. It is especially meaningful now that we have elected the first African-American President. Students sometimes find it hard to believe how horrible things once were for African-Americans.

Zoe, I agree with many critics that the movie version of TKAM is one of the best adaptations of a movie ever. A funny note on the movie is that when I was teaching TKAM last January, I showed the movie following discussion of the book, and when the courtroom scene got to Mayella shouting, a teacher next door came by to make sure everything was OK. He had heard the yelling and thought it was a student. Now, I know to turn the volume down a bit on that part.

I really enjoyed this novel when I read it in school, and it has definitely earned a place on my Keepers Shelf.