Somehow I made it through both high school and college without reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Recently, I decided to fix that oversight, and I am glad I did.
Most enjoyable to me was the main character, "Scout" Finch, because, in many ways, she reminded me of myself: a young tomboy who spends the majority of her time with her older brother. The age gap between Jem and Scout is also similar to my brother and me, so I could relate to some of Scout's feelings as Jem grew older and, in some ways, left her behind. Of course, from my own experience, I also knew that Jem would still always be there for her and, as time continues to pass, Scout will catch back up.
Since the events of the book -- the mysterious Radley house, Tom Robinson's trial, the stigma of Atticus defending a black man, the situation of the Ewell family -- are viewed from Scout's eyes, the reader is left to gather the significance of what is going on for themselves. At the trial, Jem repeatedly says that Scout doesn't know what's going on because "she's not nine yet." However, Harper Lee does a masterful job of providing all the information through the eyes of a child, and Scout understands more than her brother gives her credit for. Interspersed among these serious issues are the more lighthearted events of childhood, such as Scout's attempts to get out of school and the children's plot to get Boo Radley out of the house.
It is easy to see how To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic and well worth the read.
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