-A Book Review
To Kill a Mockingbird is written off usually as a “timeless classic,” a “masterpiece,” and a “uniting book. It purports to tackle weighty issues such as racism and injustice.
Although published in June 1960, the book is set in the 30’s and became instantly successful and has to date remained very popular. A year after its release, it won the Pulitzer Prize.
Despite the high ratings on this book, I found it strikingly tedious and unenjoyable. The narrative dragged its feet through mundane scenes and trivial events failing to grapple with the complexities of the books highlighted issues, opting instead for simplistic platitudes and standard moral lessons.
There are certain degrees of the novel depicting those themes, but it absolutely is not life-changing, rebellious scenes. For instance, the author could have put more time and effort into the Tom Robinson rape case, extending it, giving the readers a better read.
This book is definitely mislabeled as a life-changing, beautiful story. It showed so much potential in it, but was written with no finesse. I don’t see why it is still pushed as an essential book in the American school curriculum to date. It might have been groundbreaking in its time, but by today’s standards, it falls short of the hype. While it may have historical significance, as a work of literature its treatment of racism lacks depth. I hope one day, kids can read a book alike this one, but modified to interest the mind and help tell the stories of silenced black people.
2/10 ⭐️ -aj
