To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

I thought I could read a few chapters, just enough to grab my interest, while I ate breakfast. I finished the book the same day and remembered why I stopped reading fiction for pleasure. It’s like suffering from an addiction. The characters drew me in. The pacing of the language was a pleasure. Very quickly I was surprised at how emotionally attached to the characters I was and how relatable I found their experiences, long before the book began touching on the heavier race, socioeconomic status and gender themes in the book. I was grateful that by the end Aunt Alexandra was given redeeming qualities and touching signs of humanity, as well as realizing that the primary slur thrown against the family is one the family had worn with pride for generations. How am I not being brave where I should be? What do I see in our culture today that I want to stand against quietly through my behavior? Where can I live as an example for others? May my loved ones be as proud of me as these children learned to be of Atticus. May we all remember and receive the love and support from our environs, even when not immediately obvious to our eyes.