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To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

January 27, 2015 by Elmien Ackerman

“LORELAI: But he’s our Boo Radley, and we don’t have a Boo Radley, unless you count the troubadour or Pete the pizza guy or the guy who talks to mailboxes. 

RORY: Well, I think the point is that every town needs as many Boo Radley’s as they can get.”                                                                        

Gilmore Girls Season 3 Episode 6 – Take the Deviled Eggs.

to-kill-a-mockingbird-goodreads

The only thing I knew about To Kill a Mockingbird before reading the novel was that it involved a recluse named Boo Radley. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930s and the story is told by 6-year-old Scout Finch. Scout’s father Atticus Finch is defending Tom Robinson, a black man, accused of raping a young white woman in Maycomb County, Alabama. But the story is about so much more than that.

Every town needs a Boo Radley

The novel begins when Scout recalls the events that led up to her brother’s arm being broken. From the narrative one gathers that Scout is now much older and looking back on the events of her childhood. Scout tells us that the story begins when Charles Baker Harris, better known as Dill, arrives in Maycomb to spend the summer. Scout and her brother Jem soon befriend Dill and the three of them have various adventures. Most of them involve the house across the street where the Radley family lives. Scout, Jem and Dill are fascinated by the youngest son of the Radley family. His name is Arthur Radley but the children refer to him as Boo as he has not been seen outside for many years. The three of them play games in which they try to get the enigmatic Boo to come outside but they have no luck.

It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird

Scout, Jem and Dill’s childhood games later become a thing of the past as the narrative focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson. At Christmas, Scout and Jem receive air rifles as presents from Atticus but he warns them:

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

The Finch’s neighbour Miss Maudie Atkinson later explains that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird as they do no harm to anyone and that all they do is sing for the delight of those who hear them.

SPOILER ALERT

Figuratively in the novel Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Scout and Jem can all be seen as mockingbirds. Robinson is seen as a mockingbird as he is wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. Scout and Jem’s surname, Finch (which refers to a small, seed-eating songbird), alludes to the idea that they are also mockingbirds as their childhood innocence is lost during the course of the novel. Boo Radley is a mockingbird as the town has made up many stories about him, which in the end turn out not to be true. Boo is wronged by the stereotypical views of society without having done anything to deserve it.

wingtip-314964_640Radley’s point of view

Throughout the novel Atticus tries to teach his children to put themselves in other people’s shoes in order to see their point of view. Toward the end of the novel Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell, the father of the young woman who accused Robinson of raping her. Jem’s arm is broken in the attack but the children are saved by Boo Radley. Scout later walks Boo home and as she leaves his porch she stops to look at Maycomb from Radley’s point of view.

The novel ends on a hopeful note with Atticus telling Scout that most people are nice when you finally see them. In the case of Boo Radley it meant when Scout literally saw him but figuratively Atticus was saying that most people are nice when you see things from their perspective. Even though Scout experiences many injustices during her childhood it has not diminished her believe in goodness.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I was captivated by the naive account of events as Scout explains the events she experienced as she understood them at the time. The southern accent took some getting used to but once you’re accustomed to it, it’s easy enough. In the end I have to agree with Rory that every town needs as many Boo Radley’s as they can get.

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An obsession with reading and a love for the show Gilmore Girls has led to Where Books Lead.

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South African book blogger
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"The people who stand before kings may look like t "The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot.” – Malcolm Gladwell
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“The best kind of writer – the kind who makes “The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius.” – Dominic Maxwell, The Times 
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Dominic Maxwell perfectly sums up how I feel about Malcolm Gladwell's writing.
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Read my full review of Outliers on Where Books Lead (link in bio).

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“Successful people don’t do it alone. Where th “Successful people don’t do it alone. Where they come from matters. They’re products of particular places and environments.” – Malcolm Gladwell 
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Still busy devouring all things Gladwell. I’ve just finished his podcast Revisionist History, and I’m anxiously awaiting season 6. If you haven’t listened yet, I highly recommend it. Gladwell’s soothing voice, captivating anecdotes, and fascinating historical facts are bound to provide you with a new perspective on the past.
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Have you listened to Revisionist History? What's your favourite podcast? I love Revisionist History and Armchair Expert – they're my favourites.

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I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Rec I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Recently finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – it was so good (link in bio for my full review). Blink is on my list as my next Gladwell read and I'm currently reading Lost Connections by Johann Hari (and loving it).
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Do you read a lot of non-fiction? If so, please share your recommendations with me?
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"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." – Malcolm Gladwell.
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In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell found that practice does make perfect. Through a unique set of circumstances and extraordinary opportunities, Mozart, Bill Gates, and The Beatles had extra time to practise and hone their skills, which allowed them to become a musical prodigy, an innovative visionary, and the most influential band of all time, respectively.
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“Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinat “Orange is the happiest colour.” - Frank Sinatra
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Have you read any of these? What’s your favourite orange book?
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I love all of these - an orange book for every mood.
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How much preparation is needed to achieve success? How much preparation is needed to achieve success? 
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“Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” - Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers: The Story of Success 
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Read my full review of #malcolmgladwelloutliers on the blog. Link in bio.

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BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO) Outliers: The Story of S BOOK REVIEW (LINK IN BIO)
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
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In Outliers, Gladwell examines our understanding of success by looking at a successful person’s circumstances. From discovering that most all-star hockey players in Canada are born in January to finding out why successful lawyers in New York in the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s were almost all Jewish, Gladwell shows how when we are born influences our chances of achieving success.
📈 📈 📈 
Your place of birth is just as important as the decade in which you are born. Gladwell looks at why Korean Air had a track record of plane crashes in the 1990s, and what role cultural legacy had to play. Of course, when and where you are born, and the language you speak is not the only indicator of success. Gladwell explains that not every hockey player born in January ends up playing at a professional level. “Achievement is talent plus preparation,” Gladwell writes. But exactly how much preparation is needed? “Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours,” Gladwell explains. 
📈 📈 📈
In Outliers, Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman). Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. The factor we do have control over, however, is how hard we work. None of the outliers achieved success without putting in at least ten thousand hours.
📈 📈 📈
If you've read my blog, you'll know that I think #malcolmgladwellisagenius 
Dominic Maxwell explains it best: "The best kind of writer – the kind who makes you feel like you’re a genius, rather than he’s a genius." So, if you want to learn something new (and feel really smart🤓) read a Malcolm Gladwell book. 

Outliers gets 🦋🦋🦋🦋/5 from me.

Blink is next on my list.
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that there is no such thing as a self-made man (or woman) – there are many factors that influence our chances of success. Our place in history, our culture, language, geographic location, and circumstances, all influence the opportunities available to us. Read the latest book review on the blog (link in bio) to learn why successful people are products of particular places and environments.

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