After fifty years, Harper Lee is set to release the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird called Go Set a Watchman.  Lee wrote Go set a Watchman fifty years ago before writing To Kill a Mockingbird. The book was found in a safety deposit box that was being cleaned out after Lee’s sister passed away.  Lee’s lawyer found it attached to the original manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird.  The story takes place in Maycomb with Scout and Atticus Finch. Scout is a adult who is returning to Maycomb. The story includes several flashbacks to Scout’s childhood so Lee’s editor persuaded her to instead write a story with Scout as a child.

“I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn’t realized it [the original book] had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it. After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.”

When Scout, Jean Louise, Finch returns to Maycomb she is forced to deal with both personal and political problems as she tries to understand her father’s and her own feelings towards the society of her hometown. The book will be released on July 14th of this year.  The book was written in the 1950’s and To kill a Mockingbird  was published in the 1950’s. Until now it has been the only book published by Lee.  Mockingbird is based in Maycomb, Alabama where Scout and Jem Finch live with their upright lawyer father, Atticus Finch. As Scout and Jem grow up in their small town they begin to learn how their society works. In 1960, the book won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a beloved 1962 film. Gregory Peck won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. The book is read in high schools all over the country.

“The existence of Go Set a Watchman was unknown until recently, and its discovery is an extraordinary gift to the many readers and fans of To Kill a Mockingbird,”Jonathan Burnham, Harper’s senior vice president and publisher said in a statement. “Reading in many ways like a sequel to Harper Lee’s classic novel, it is a compelling and ultimately moving narrative about a father and a daughter’s relationship, and the life of a small Alabama town living through the racial tensions of the 1950s.”

 

Selected Bibliography:

“Harper Lee to Publish Sequel to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ after More than 50 Years.” Fox17. N.p., 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.