Sunday, July 11th marks the 50 Anniversary of
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
In researching a biography of the author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' the writer uncovers a wealth of stories, though not always the ones she was seeking.
By Kerry Madden
In her last in-depth interview about writing, Harper Lee talked about her hometown, Monroeville, Ala., in 1964, telling Roy Newquist:
We simply entertained each other by talking. It's quite a thing, if you've never been in or known a small Southern town. The people are not particularly sophisticated, naturally. They're not worldly wise in any way. But they tell you a story whenever they see you. We're oral types — we talk.
Sunday is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," and Monroeville is still a place rich with stories and storytellers. Lee's oldest sister, Miss Alice Lee, 98, has been a lawyer in town for the last six decades at Bugg, Barnett & Lee, where her father, Mr. A.C. Lee, the inspiration for Atticus Finch, worked. There is a saying in Monroeville that if you don't know the answer, "Go ask Alice."
To read more click on the link.
*http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-madden-harperlee-20100711,0,5082038.story
**Mothers and Fathers and Mockingbirds
(July 11) -- Everyone who has read "To Kill a Mockingbird" has a "To Kill a Mockingbird" story. Just as each of us can say exactly where we were at the moment we learned that 9/11 was not an accident, just as each of us remembers with indelible lucidity our first kiss, all of us who have read that novel have a story that makes the book uniquely our own.
Here's my son Martin's: His sophomore English teacher was reading aloud the passage in which the reverend admonishes Scout Finch, "Stand up, Miss Jean Louise. Your father's passin'." Martin's teacher then began to cry and Martin began to laugh. In the ineffable style of every teacher, she said, "Is there something funny about this, Mr. Brent?." Helplessly, Martin answered, "Yes. Well, no. Well, yes. It's that my mother has read that to us 50 times and she can't get through it without crying."
To read more, click on the link..
**http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/mothers-and-fathers-and-mockingbirds-reflections-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-to-kill-a-mockingbird/19549237
