Book Groups Welcome!
A Personal Message from Susan Swagler
To Kill a Mockingbird is required reading for most 9th graders in the
Birmingham area. And that’s a wonderful thing!
Perhaps this book with its lasting life lessons of honor and justice and
understanding and acceptance should be required reading for all of us.
There’s no denying that To Kill a Mockingbird is a perfect book for book
groups. The only problem with a group discussion of this book might be how to
end it. I say let’s keep talking. The Big Read is
offering book groups the opportunity to keep the Mockingbird conversation
going—within your own group or with a new bunch of readers.
You’ll find thoughtful discussion questions and valuable background information
on the book to facilitate smart, focused, thoughtful group discussions. Not part
of an established book group? Check out The Big Read calendar of events to find a scheduled discussion of To Kill a
Mockingbird at a library near you. (This is how many successful book groups in
our area got started.)
We’ll offer a Project
Mockingbird blog where you can get noteworthy and timely information about
the book and The Big Read.
You’ll also find the
Project Mockingbird Forum where we can enjoy some real back and forth. A
clever topic of conversation is just a click away. I’ll be posting to this
often, and I’ll be happy to address any book group-related questions you might
have.
Finally, be sure to register your book group with the JCLC,
and you’ll get advance notice of special events.
So start a Mockingbird discussion with your book-loving friends, and then let
the conversation continue here at ProjectMockingbird.org. Let’s come together
with this very special book and perhaps even turn a page to find a better
Birmingham for all of us.
Susan Swagler
Book Editor for Portico magazine
How to Register Your Book Group
In order to sign up your book group, please register in the
forum and select 'Book Group Registration' from the menu once you have logged
in. Click here to go to the
Project Mockingbird Forum.
Discussion Questions for Your Group
- Why do you think Harper Lee chose as her novel's epigraph this quote from Charles Lamb: "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once"?
- Why does the adult Scout begin her narrative with Jem's broken arm and a brief family history?
- How does Boo Radley 's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout? Does this aggression make him more, or less, of a sympathetic character?
- How does the town of Maycomb function as a character with its own personality, rather than merely as a backdrop for the novel's events?
- Atticus teaches Scout that compromise is not bending the law, but "an agreement reached by mutual consent." Does she apply or reject this definition of compromise? What are examples of her obedience to and defiance of this principle?
- The novel takes place during the Great Depression. How do the class divisions and family quarrels highlight racial tensions in Maycomb?
- Atticus believes that to understand life from someone else's perspective, we must "walk in his or her shoes." From what other perspectives does Scout see her fellow townspeople?
- How does Atticus quietly protest Jim Crow laws even before Tom Robinson's trial?
- What does Jem learn when Atticus forces him to read to Mrs. Dubose as a punishment? Why does the lawyer regard this woman as the "bravest person" he ever knew?
- Since their mother is dead, several women-Calpurnia, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra- function as mother figures to Scout and Jem. Discuss the ways these three women influence Scout's growing understanding of what it means to be a Southern "lady."
- Why does Atticus Finch risk his reputation, his friendships, and his career to take Tom Robinson's case? Do you think he risks too much by putting his children in harm's way?
- What elements of this novel did you find funny, memorable, or inspiring? Are there any characters whose beliefs or actions impressed or surprised you? Did any events lead you to revisit childhood memories or see them in a new light?
- Adult readers may focus so much on the novel's politics that they may neglect the coming-of-age story. What does Scout learn, and how does she change in the course of her narrative?