One of my favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird. I am unlikely to review it, though, since so many people have read it. I am, however, reviewing Mockingbird: A Portrait by Charles Shields. (Published in 2006). This is one of the books I read for my 100 books in a year quest.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the classic, another biography of Harper Lee was released. It was short and shallow but blessedly free from wild speculation. When I heard that Charles Shields was coming to town to speak on Mockingbird: A Portrait, I figured, hey, might as well read it.
Well! It was a treat! An overwelming number of FACTUAL details woven together to read as a story. I'm talking, a mind-blowing number of details, like Harper Lee committed a minor traffic infraction the day that she learned To Kill a Mockingbird would be published. But it wasn't in there to show-off. It helped show her frame of mind and what happened that day.
Shields also avoided wild speculations/clever theories. He suggested a few things, but ordinary sort of surmises. No libel lawsuits for him! His love for Lee and her work is clear. It reads very quickly but without a ho-hum la-dee-da recitation of biographical facts.
He's also a charming man as you might be able to see from this interview. He certainly was kind to the crowd I was in and to my friend Maggie, my sister Lillian, and I when he signed Maggie's book.
No comments:
Post a Comment