To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee's timeless book,  To Kill A Mockingbird turns fifty this month.   It is a cornerstone of American letters; firmly ensconced on my short list of "greatest novels".   And in the broader culture and media, it stands tied with Gone With the Wind as the greatest book/movie combination of all time.  

Lee's winsome and lyrical prose drips off the pages of Mockingbird like so much honey from a comb.   It is a masterpiece of American literature, a coming of age story, set against the backdrop of racism and the drama of the human spirit in a small southern town.  

Lee gave us one of the great fictional characters of the last half-century - Atticus Finch.  A widowed attorney doing his best to raise his two children in the aforementioned setting, ably assisted by the staunch and unbending Calpurnia; a black maid whose readiness to discipline and scold the Finch children was only exceeded by her unshakable committment to their welfare.  

And who of us that have seen the film will ever forget Gregory Peck's understated and utterly captivating portrayal of the great Atticus?  The next time you feel inclined to apply the descriptive "movie star" to someone like Brad Pitt, stop and recall Mr. Peck's performance. 
 

The book has a deeper connection for me, however; a connection to my own childhood.  It was introduced to me in elementary school by one of the two finest teachers I ever had, a woman by the name of Harriet Harper.  The other one was Miss Patricia Jones.  To these two individuals (and my parents) I owe a debt that cannot be calculated - my life-long love of reading and history.  

It has always been a curious coincidence to me that the great author and my great teacher shared the name of "Harper".  Harper Lee was a queen of American fiction.  Harriet Harper was a superb teacher; a graceful, dignified woman whose raised eyebrow could quell us such that she had no need of a raised voice.  As her students came to learn of her character and her unflagging committment to us, our primary motivation in the classroom became pleasing her.  That's how good she was.

Harriet knew that Mockingbird's content might be a reach for elementary school students, and that we might miss its deeper themes or passages.  But she focused on bringing the story down to our level, and I can still hear her saying, "you should read this book several times throughout your life".  It didn't stop her from setting the beauty of Lee's story in our minds, or discussing her writing skills and use of language.  And most of all, it didn't stop her from displaying the nobility of Atticus' character before our young and developing psyches.   

Harriet Harper was a giant, sadly felled to cancer some years ago.  More happily, I can report that I still correspond with "Miss Jones", and recently received a wonderful gift from her - a portrait book of Winston Churchill's paintings.  Though married for decades and known by a different surname, she will ever be "Miss Jones" to me.  

If you have never read this treasure don't walk - run to the library.  And while you are there see if they have the DVD of the movie as well.  

It's time for me to heed Harriet's suggestion, and read this wonderful book again.  It's time to watch the movie with our kids, and share with them the memories I have of elementary school.

And it's time to tell them about Harriet Harper, Patricia Jones, and Harper Lee.