And now there’s talk about a possible third Harper Lee novel.
The story mentions the American Masters PBS show featuring Harper Lee’s story, which aired July 10th. Did anyone see it?
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4) Finally, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman are set at completely different times in Scout’s life. Atticus doesn’t change that much in the time that passes between those tow novels, but Scout does just as Nelle Harper Lee did.
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Who’s to say he didn’t change? It is possible for people who were idealistic and enlightened in their youth to turn into bitter bigoted bastards when they’re old (of course, sometimes dementia plays a role in that).
Who is to say that they are not two different characters written in two different books? 
I enjoyed this book immensely when I read it. 40 years ago.
I knew this new book was approaching and saw this amusing t shirt online. I bought one.
So far people have either looked at it blankly as though Atticus Finch is a real attorney and why is this guy in NYC advertising the services of someone in Maycomb, Alabama. OR- and this has been a precious handful- people have stopped and smiled and exclaimed in delight over it.
All of this in the last month or so. Now that details are emerging about the characters as they were originally writ, I suspect there will be MANY different reactions to the shirt.
I don’t plan to stop wearing it. Not because I support what I have read is a narrow minded, bigoted and frightened view of the world he inhabited, but because I am so completely fascinated by what this turn of events says to us about the power of written made-up characters. About our emotional investment in the characters. About how we feel inside when we believe we have emulated traits of a completely made-up person in our daily behaviors.
And what it means to people who have always proudly connected with the character of Atticus Finch.
I’m eager to hold the book in my hand and read it through. Of all of the novels I can imagine purchasing for an e-reader, this one doesn’t even come close to living on the list.
It is a book to be held.
I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about this, and I’m still not sure at this point how I feel about the whole thing. I’m not planning on owning the book, but I am on the reserve list at the library, so I will read it.
The local effect this is having is understandably big. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the country, but here in Alabama, the book is a VERY BIG DEAL. I’m in the Montgomery area, which is about a hundred miles up the interstate from Monroeville. One of the local tv stations here in Montgomery had a (I believe 3 hours long) live broadcast on their website of a public reading of the book. Today is “Go Set a Watchman” day in Alabama. VERY BIG DEAL.
But what is bothering me about all of this whole thing is comments that have been made in some of the articles I’ve read. The articles mention how the attorney was “moved” to go look at Ms. Lee’s safe deposit box. In an article she herself wrote, the attorney said she was “curious” or that “curiosity” caused her to look around. (I believe that article was behind a pay wall so I only got to read the first paragraph or so.)
And that’s what I have a problem with. Powers of Attorney don’t typically do things out of “curiosity” or being “moved” to look through their clients’ stuff. There’s always a much more concrete reason to go through their things, such as looking for necessary medical records, or needing to find a copy of a deed or a will, or finding prior tax records. Things like that. In my experience, it’s never about just curiosity.
Powers of Attorney documents do give authority for someone to conduct business for and act on behalf of someone else. But the attorney herself in what I read doesn’t give any reason for looking around other than being curious.
And that’s my problem with this. Does anyone else have a problem with this? What about attorneys here on the board?
Someone else upthread said the attorney was going to gain financially from the publication of this book. To that person, do you know how much the attorney is getting? Is she getting a percentage of sales or royalties for herself? I’m really not liking that point most of all. I would greatly appreciate a reference or link about that. I would hate for that to be true.
I’m not sure “power of attorney” is the right term, because she was an ACTUAL attorney who had recently been hired to oversee Lee’s affairs. So the suggestion is that she was poking around to familiarize herself with documents what she’s be dealing with.
There is another story that Lee’s sister hid the book because she didn’t want it published.
No idea which if either story is true, but I do plan to read the book.
Oddly, I looked for an ebook version on Amazon and didn’t find one. Maybe they’re concerned about piracy?
Amazon has a kindle version.
Interesting. I search by the title yesterday and the Kindle edition didn’t show up in the search.
Thank you!
I’ve now ordered it! Once I’m home from work and flip on my Kindle, I’ll be able to get started.
Thanks, I didn’t realize I wasn’t clear. Sorry about that. I know that the attorney is a real licensed attorney. I was talking about her role as a “Power of Attorney,” which anyone can hold. You don’t have to be a licensed attorney to hold Power of Attorney for someone. And just being hired as an attorney for someone doesn’t automatically grant you Power of Attorney over their affairs. In this case, the attorney is an actual licensed attorney who also holds a Power of Attorney for Ms. Lee.
This wasn’t directed at you, Boyo Jim, it was just to clarify what I kind of muddied up in my other post.
I didn’t realize that the attorney had been recently hired. I thought she had been working for Ms. Lee for several years. Still, I don’t like her saying she went looking around because she was curious. If she was taking an inventory of Ms. Lee’s documents, stuff and storage places for her (attorney’s) records, I think she would have stated that. Not that she was curious so she went looking around and just happened upon the book.
You are very welcome.
That’s pretty much my problem with this story. From all I’ve heard, Lee said she would never publish it. She wrote it, probably knew it was inferior to Mockingbird and this whole thing is a disingenuous cash-grab on somebody’s part.
Somebody is gonna get rich off this, to be sure. :rolleyes: And I don’t think Lee needed/cared about money.
I agree, but there is nothing I can do about it, aside from downloading a pirate copy some where, but I bought a hardcopy from Amazon. It will be very interesting to read it, and compare it to Mockingbird.
I’ll loan it to a friend who wants to read it, and keep $20 out of the miscreant’s hands.
Maybe its an ingenuous cash grab.
Can anyone explain the title?
I heard it is a snippit of a bible verse. Something about the watchman being a moral compass or similar concept.
How is that for a half-ass answer? 
“Every man’s island,
Jean Louise,
Every man’s watchman,
is his conscience.”
On the back of the book cover.
Isaiah 21:6
“For thus has the LORD said to me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees.”
I’m looking forward to the Third Novel in the trilogy.