by Harper Lee
audiobook read by Sissy Spacek
The thrill of the unexpected is what keeps me reading and movie going, and the very best thrill comes when I have no idea what I'm about to see. When I went to see Saving Mr. Banks or Gravity, I had no expectations at all and was wowed by the results. And when I picked up this book--don't remember why--all I expected was a rather dry courtroom drama with historical significance.
Don't think it for a minute--it's the story of a family. A girl and her family--and them's the best kinds a' stories.
It was on the high school's reading lists, but somehow missed both kids. I'm sorry it did, even if all they might have got from it was, "People were weird back then." But I don't think so--the lessons it teaches are many, both obvious and subtle. The irony of the teacher who pointed out how wrong it was for Nazis to persecute the Jews while in America, a democracy, all men were free and equal--well, that was pretty much in your face. The "smaller" lessons in honesty and honor just kind of seeped in, mostly unnoticed. But there.
One warning--if you grew up in Kentucky and have a tendency to lapse back into southern twang when you're speaking to friends, don't listen to Sissy Spacek's reading of the audiobook. You'll talk funny for a while.
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