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Atticus Finch taught me to compromise and not judge people based on the outcome, but more on their situation. Here are five reasons why I am excited to read Harper Lee’s new novel, Go Set a Watchman:
• It is NOT a continuation of the story
Despite the book being set twenty years after the initial time period in Mockingbird, the Watchman was written prior to the 1960 book. Confused? Well, Harper started working on Go Set a Watchman in the mid-1950s and her editor persuaded her to alter the book to Scout’s viewpoint, which eventually turned it into the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, To Kill the Mockingbird. ‘Watchman’ is unedited and is nothing more than a first draft, so breathe ‘Mockingbird’ fans...
• The surprises to the beloved characters
Although it is unclear on what happened to all characters in the ‘Mockingbird’ book, according to the Daily Mail, the fates of Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, Jem Finch, Tom Robinson, Boo Radley and Scout’s boyfriend Henry Clinton are told. Main story plots of ‘Mockingbird’ are recounted in ‘Watchman’ with surprisingly racist remarks from her now 72-year-old father.
• Everybody loves Atticus
When Harper created this character, neither the world nor Harper knew, the power that exuded from Atticus Finch. He became the perfect man – a loving father, a brave, astute, noble and just man. However, according to the New York Times, Atticus’s true imperfections are brought out in her ‘new’ novel, as Scout revisits her old town and ailing father.
• The relevance of it today
Injustice, inequality and race issues are still prevalent today and the arrival of this book might reopen some discussions about race and segregation around the world.
• It’s going to be huge
Despite what all the critics and frustrated fans might think, this book release is going to be huge. The first chapter was released on 10 July 2015 and ran on both The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal’s sites. It’s been 55 years since we’ve heard from the small town called Maycomb and many are anxious to find out what all the hype is about. According to the BBC, the book has become the most pre-ordered on Amazon since the final instalment of the Harry Potter series.
Would you read ‘Go Set a Watchman’, despite the fact that Atticus from Mockingbird is now a different man?
Keen on reading this book? Buy your copy now.
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