Sometimes I get hesitant to read books of what I'd consider a more intellectual bent. I guess the challenge is a little bit scary. Afterall, who wants to end up in a book slump after struggling to get through your current read? And so, even though I initially was excited about Why To Kill A Mockingbird Matters by Tom Santopietro I put it off. As it turns out though, changing up my reading pattern and branching out to something new just really worked for me. I feel like taking on this bit of non-fiction lead to some reader growth for me.

Tom Santopietro's Why To Kill A Mockingbird Matters basically is about Harper Lee's process of writing To Kill A Mockingbird, the making of the movie and reception, and the legacy of that book and film. It also has a chapter that delves into the racism of To Kill A Mockingbird as well. I will say that I really enjoyed how in depth this book went. Lee's book is one of my favorites. It is hard for me to articulate why TKAM speaks to me but this book really helped me to distill and clarify it. The book gets into a literary analysis of how adults impact the world of children and loss of innocence and well, the morality of Atticus Finch. 

I find myself really wanting to watch the film after reading Why To Kill A Mockingbird Matters. I would say that the vast majority of Santopietro's book focuses on the film with a big spotlight on Gregory Peck. So as a person who likes black and white films, there's just more and more appeal to watching the classic. I loved that this book brought new knowledge to me about Harper Lee and her classic. I'd definitely recommend it if you're doing research or if you just want to expand your knowledge and try something that is a little bit out of your wheelhouse.

Thanks go to Tom Santopietro, St. Martin Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. Harper Lee wrote the quintessential Southern novel. It's still read today in schools. It was relevant in the 60s, and it's relevant now. But why is it relevant? That's the question Santopietro answers in this book. He starts with Harper's childhood and progresses through the filming of the movie onto "racial vitriol" of the 21st century. This is quite a moving reference of all things Mockingbird. Gregory Peck sounds like he was born to play Atticus Finch. It does have me questioning the point of Go Set a Watchman though. I've yet to read that book, but it seems to me that it's rather placed a tarnish on a once bright shine. I almost want to sell my copy and never, ever open it. I was impressed by the people involved in bringing Mockingbird to life. They breathed the air that made the book what it became. And literature was never the same.

I chose this book as a companion for our book discussion group when we read TKAM and Go Set a Watchman. The background information on Harper Lee, the character profiles and development aspects, the books themselves make up the first third of "Why." We really appreciated the author's conversational style and the thoroughness of his research. "Why" goes on to talk about the film and it's casting, creation and reception. Once again the author impressed us with his strong industry knowledge and familiarity with the subject. The final chapters dealt with the social aspect and the times, as well as the current atmosphere and how the book is still relateable. We wished there was more on the topic of racism and current applications, but there was enough to spark a lively conversation.
I would recommend this book for the same purpose as I chose - to be a companion piece for the novel and any discussion, debate or dissection of it.

I recently re-read To Kill A Mockingbird. The classic novel is one of 100 books chosen for The Great American Read. I remembered loving the book when I read it in high school and again in college. I think I liked it even more re-reading it as a middle-aged adult.

Tom Santpietro's book delves into the impact that the novel and the 1962 film version have had, touching on whether the book is racist and how it relates to the current culture in America. I loved this in-depth look at one of my favorite classic books (and classic film). I liked how the author pinpointed why this book is still relevant today. I didn't necessarily agree with all of his points and the discussion of whether this book is racist went on a little too long in my opinion. But, I thought it was a thoughtful and well-researched look into the novel and the impact it had on American, and global, culture.

Reading this book has given me the strength to finally read the copy of Go Set a Watchman that has been sitting on my TBR shelf since it's publication. I haven't been able to gather up the courage to read it since I know it changes the story somewhat (Atticus is racist and other major changes), and because I felt it might have been exploitation of the author to publish what is basically her first unpublished version of the story. I think I'm ready to brave it now.....and then spend some time thinking about how I feel about it.

This is the first book by Tom Santopietro that I have read. He's written several other books about films and culture including The Godfather Effect, Considering Doris Day, The Sound of Music Story, and The Importance of Being Barbra. I'm definitely going to read more of his books. This one was incredibly thought provoking for me and I enjoy how he relates literature and film to our culture.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

It will take me longer than initially planned to finish. However, it is worth the time. A title discussing why an iconic book matters is worth the energy when it is written as well as this particular title.

4+ Enlightening Stars for me! HARPER LEE - April 28, 1926 - Feb 19, 2016

It's all here.....How it all came to be....the novel, the screenplay, the movie, and discussion of "America's Original National Sin......Slavery."

Perhaps I'm the only one, but did NOT know TKAM was a semi-autobiographical work....that Lee's attorney father, A. C. Lee was the inspiration for Atticus....that he actually defended two African American men accused of murdering a white man and really was much like the character in real life....did NOT know why there was no maternal presence....that actor's Jem and Scout despised each other....that Truman Capote lived next door to Lee as a child and inspired the character Dill....that Lee played a big part in the writing of IN COLD BLOOD....And Holy Crap!....WOW!....how the character Boo and the presents in the knothole of a tree ended up a "key plot element."

Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, the youngest of four, a tomboy, a child of the depression era. She had a somewhat uneasy childhood, and as she grew older knew she wanted out of stifling small town life. She studied law at Oxford for a bit to please her beloved father, hated it, decided to try to become a writer and moved to Manhattan.

First published July 11, 1960, a now 33 year old Lee struggled over a decade to complete TKAM during a volatile time in America when the civil rights movement was hot and heavy, and little did she know that over time her success would be one of both pride and misery. She disliked the spotlight and interviews with a passion even giving a big NO to Oprah....but they did have lunch.

"My book had a universal theme. It's not a "racial" novel. It portrays an aspect of civilization, not necessarily southern civilization....It's a novel of a man's conscience....universal in the sense it could happen to anybody, anywhere people live together." - - - Harper Lee, The Birmingham

Oh so many fun tidbits of trivia here: How Lee came by Harper as a middle name....why she decided to use it instead of Nelle at time of publication....that the entire town of an atmospheric 1932 Maycomb was built and filmed on a 15 acre back lot of universal for $225k...and if you own the flick, check out the reflection of a crew member in the marble playing scene....I intend to. Fun stuff!

So.....Interesting, VERY informative, VERY DETAILED to include casting, actors, producers, directors, their personal lives, etc. etc. etc. and there's even a breakdown of EACH scene in the movie with much discussion of WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS.

TKAM began "a multi-generational national discussion of race in a way no one anticipated" that is still so very relevant today.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC "AVAILABLE NOW" in exchange

Admittedly I wanted to read this after reading Roxane Gay’s review - To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) is a very special book in my life and for all its faults is one of the most icononic books of its time. I’ve read quite a lot around the context of the novel, Harper Lee and the film adaptation, and I think readers looking for more about these topics will find this book interesting. Personally, I felt like I was left at the end of this still unsure of what the author’s central thesis was (why does TKAM matter?), however it did raise a lot of interesting questions. The chapter looking at whether TKAM is racist is probably the best example of this, and I think it would make an excellent book club choice for that reason.

The author perfectly summarized how relevant To Kill a Mockingbird is in the present day. Unfortunately, many schools do not require students to read this anymore, so hopefully this book will get some educators to rethink that decision.

Every discussion of a great piece of literature should be welcome by the audience, especially if the subject is handled fairly and respectfully. Santopietro does both: he studies the book and film version of To Kill a Mockingbird with a respect for the subject material and he gives a fair explanation for everything he says. I have to admit to not having read the novel yet - I had hoped that this study would whet my appetite to do so, and it did! To Kill a Mockingbird is now on my to-be-read list.

Valuable insight into why everyone should read To Kill a Mockingbird and the lessons to be taught and learned from this book.

I've enjoyed Tom Santopietro's books about the movies and the stars (The Sound of Music Story, Considering Doris Day, etc.), so I was looking forward to his treatment of To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to give him credit, he tackled all the controversial aspects of the book and the movie and didn't shy away from discussing them from all angles.

The first part of the book details Harper Lee's life and her writing of the novel. Following the "discovery" of Go Set a Watchman, we all learned many of the details he writes about here, but there's still a few tidbits I didn't know about. The movie then takes up the bulk of the book, and then there's some film and literary criticism.

As usual, Santopietro includes lots of interesting facts such as who was considered for the big roles (Atticus Finch -- Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner(!), how everyone got along on the set, why Harper Lee didn't write the screenplay, and what happened to the cast following the massive success of the movie.

Where the book gets bogged down, in my opinion, is the serious discussion of whether To Kill a Mockingbird (book and film) is racist, why it has resonated for so many years, and if it still has the power to do so. It seems clear from the book's title that Santopietro wanted to make the case that the story is important and relevant, and I had never questioned that...until I read this book. Surely the time has come and gone that a hero against racism is a white man who, while admirable in his intentions, fails to win acquittal for his client and then fails to prevent him from being murdered. The black characters in the story have virtually no power at all to exert. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the black characters are just sketches, not fully developed, although in Go Set a Watchman, we see Calpurnia in her own home, shockingly failing to be grateful to her white employers.

While I did not agree with all of Santopietro's analysis of movie and novel, I very much enjoyed having my own opinions rearranged through reading this book.

(Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy.)