To Kill a Mockingbird (Book Review‪)‬

"I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain't so sure now!" (1) These days, most of us Americans first encounter To Kill a Mockingbird during our time in junior high or high school. (2) A favorite among English teachers of adolescents, (3) perhaps these educators find that the novel tenderly conveys a message well-suited to students in their most formative years. And though teenagers often dismiss the tastes of adults as out-of-touch with prevailing fashions, Harper Lee's Depression-era Maycomb County has, nevertheless, served as generational common ground for decades of classroom discussions. Taking a few hours of the school day to show 1962's film version (4)--a familiar and appreciated practice among teachers--goes a long way toward endearing Mockingbird to students, as well.