Why I refuse to kill a mockingbird

We're all born the same but I think it's what happens to us during our lifetime that shapes who we become. Certain experiences and ideas stay with us and influence our approach to things.

I left school 11 years ago. 

School is such a big part of life - the idea of  13 or 14 years spent learning a curriculum set by our peers has always seemed strange to me but I enjoyed school. I was a pretty average student and English was my favourite subject.

I've always loved reading. There's something about a good read that can take your imagination to other worlds like nothing else can. There are no rules; except for me - it's got to be on paper. Reading Kindles & IBooks just isn't the same! Even when I was a little kid, my favourite part of the summer holidays was the prospect of endless trips to the library and the mass of books I could read during the vast weeks of free time ahead of me. I remember vividly being giddy when the MS Readathon was held every year and trying to beat my record each year. The Babysitter's Club, Goosebumps and Horrible Histories were some of my favourites.

Teenage years brought different reading tastes but when I was 15, a book came into my life that, to this day, I still re-read. For my Junior Cert, we studied To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

via imgur

I'd never heard of the book before but we were told by our teacher it was a 'classic' so I looking forward to seeing what the fuss was about. We did readings in every class and characters were assigned to a few people to keep everybody's attention from waning. It felt like a play which I loved as I always did Speech & Drama growing up. The character of Scout (whose real name was Jean-Louise) was assigned to me for the simple fact that my name was Louise.  Easy casting logic but I was delighted!
Growing up in Cavan in 2003 was a far cry from Alabama in the 1930's (where the book is set) but I quickly fell in love with the characters. A young girl's view of the world that goes from her imagination and innocent quest to meet the town's mysterious Boo Radley to watching the adults around her embroiled in a moral debate on racism, tolerance all the while trying to find her place in the world.

To Kill A Mockingbird won a Pulitzer Prize and broke publishing records when it was released 55 years ago. It was the only book ever published by Harper Lee much to the annoyance of some readers.

However last year, the announcement that a sequel was 'discovered' and a release date set. Immediately I was dubious. Soon enough stories emerged that only raised my concerns that this new book was the result of Miss Lee being taken advantage of in her elderly age and poor health. I couldn't help thinking of her as the quintessential Mockingbird in this scenario. That thought alone made the decision for me. I wasn't going to read Go Set A Watchman - ever.

I've read mixed reviews since it was released last week along with the news that Atticus Finch, the hero of Mockingbird, was now racist. Although I can't deny I'm curious, the love for Mockingbird stops me from purchasing a copy. The fact being, I'm not willing to let my curiosity jeopardise my love for the original characters from Mockingbird. I learn something new every time I read it at different points in my life but most of all I learnt at 15 years of age;

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Forever in the Sky

Lucy x