What makes a book a classic? Well, of course it must me well written and edited, it’s got to reach a wide audience, and it has to stand the test of time. All those things are true, but what’s even truer of classic literature is that a book has to reach a lot of different people and impact them each as individuals to be considered a classic. The books that people know automatically—books like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird—are books that make us think, make us wonder, bring us together to consider something that’s important to us all.
There are rarely follow ups to classic
books. It just doesn’t happen. When a book like To Kill a Mockingbird makes the kind of splash it did in the
literary world, it stands alone, a tribute in time. That’s why what’s about to happen on July 14
is kind of phenomenal. You see, it seems
that Harper Lee’s only book is not her only book at all. Lee actually wrote another book before she
wrote and published Mockingbird and
that book was titled Go Set a Watchman. When Harper took Watchman to her published,
she was advised to rewrite the story from the point of view of a child going
through day-to-day life during the time period that her first book detailed
from an adult’s view looking back on the events. Thus, the book many of us have known since
childhood, To Kill a Mockingbird, was
crafted. So, what happened to Go Set a Watchman? In the possession of Lee’s attorney, many
assumed the work was lost, but recently Harper Lee has given her blessing for
the book to be published in its entirety and without revision. The “new” work will be released on July 14,
2015, and it has caused quite a stir in the literary world.
Folks who love literature are simple on the
edges of their seats, waiting to learn the fallout from the fictional trial of
the decade that was the focus of To Kill
a Mockingbird. They are asking questions like, “What happened
to Atticus and Scout Finch?” and “Did things really change in Maycomb County,
Alabama?”
The truth is we’re waiting with baited
breath, too, because we want to know, and because, of course, it’s quite
possible that this might be another classic in the making. We know the sort of impact Lee’s words have had
on literary history and civics, and we’re waiting and wondering what kind of
power Watchman will have.
If you’d like to order a certified copy of
the book before it hits shelves on July 14, you are welcome to visit Harper
Lee’s hometown bookstore, Ol’ Curiosities and Book Shoppe, located in
Monroeville AL—yes, it was absolutely the little town Maycomb County, AL of
Mockingbird fame was modeled upon-- and make sure
a first edition copy is reserved in your name.
You’re welcome for the good news. Happy reading and Enjoy Go Set a Watchman!
