I just read this novel, considered a classic of American literature, like "Tom Sawyer", another novel about childhood that comes to mind while reading. TKAM, written in the early 1960s and before the great advances for civil rights is now being studied in schools and commented many times in high school and students. The Scout history (Jean Louise) Jem (Jeremy), and their friend Dill (Charles) takes place in a town in the Deep South in the 1930s where there is racial segregation. Their typical childhood games in the streets of their neighborhoods consist mostly to scare !! And with a bit of nostalgia, the player said, "Yes I did this also with my brothers, my sisters, my cousins, my friends." But the author makes us understand that there are other children in other parts of Maycomb, and in the country not so far who do not play but try to survive. (The economic crisis is over there too!) It makes us understand the four basic categories of the social system of this corner of Alabama - white "as it should", rather poor whites "recoverable", the poor white "trash" and bottom of the ladder blacks. We also see the complexity of relations between whites and blacks. Some whites recognize the existence of the Ku Klux Klan Klan but for them the targets are Catholics and Jews. Other white cohabiting with black and mixed race children have rejected by both communities. With the eyes of the girl, tomboy, always in overalls one sees colorful characters of the neighborhood; I especially enjoyed a Miss Maudie and I wonder if the producers and writers of "Desperate Housewives" have not figured it out by creating Karen McClusky !! I will not comment on the story of the trial where Atticus, Scout and Jem's father defends a Tom Robinson, a black falsely accused of rape because other players have done before me. Unfortunately since the novel is written in the first person one never has the view of Tom himself. What I especially appreciated in this novel is the theme of the loss of innocence on the part of children, theme treated with subtlety, emotion and humanism by Harper Lee. I am a bit more reserved regarding the theme of the fight against racial segregation. But where is the novel that was treated to perfection?
