Community to explore same novel
in countywide reading experience
simple honesty, she relates events over three years
during the 1930s in the sleepy Alabama town of
Maycomb. As Scout and her friends ponder the
mystery of reclusive Boo Radley, the town is shaken
by allegations of a brutal crime and its raciallyModeled after successful library-sponsored
charged aftermath. The novel, published in 1960, won
community reading programs in Greensboro and
Winston-Salem, Randolph Reads will give everyone in the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and became an instant
classic.
the county the chance to explore
Randolph Reads is sponsored by
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, at
“The
one
thing
that
the
Friends of the Library and
the same time.
organized
by a committee consisting
doesn’t
abide
by
The idea is to bring people together
of Friends President Donna Hall;
through reading — to allow people
majority rule is a
Arlene Smith, library staff liaison to
from all walks of life to have a common person’s conscience”
the Friends; Asheboro High School
literary experience and share their
—Harper
Lee
English teacher Pam Haga; Randolph
views on themes and issues raised in
Arts Guild Executive Director Philip
the novel.
Shore;
Randolph
Community College history and
From May through October, copies of the novel
religion instructor Tim Allen; Eastern Randolph High
will be available in quantity from all seven libraries
(including in audio and large print formats). It will be a School English teacher Jane Rhodes; and
mainstay of school reading lists, book club selections Southwestern Randolph High School English teacher
Janice Mills.
and Randolph Community College English classes.
The committee chose To Kill A Mockingbird
As fall begins, special events will explore aspects
because
of its readability and universal appeal. “We
of the book, culminating in a community discussion
and a screening of the Academy Award-winning film. felt the novel touched on many timeless themes, such
as love of family, loyalty, prejudice, justice and
To Kill a Mockingbird features one of the great
ignorance. Everyone on the committee had fond
narrators in all literature, six-year-old tomboy Jean
memories of reading the book for the first time, as well
Louise “Scout” Finch. With a child’s wonder and
as sincere anticipation of reading it again,” Hall says.
♣ All Randolph County will be reading on the
same page as Randolph Reads gets
underway.
Discussions, 1930s films and music to highlight Randolph Reads
Here is a tentative schedule of Randolph Reads special
events. Other activities may be added later — keep an eye on
the newsletter for details.
• May 1: Kick-off of Randolph Reads (pick up your copy at your
local library)
• September 25: 1930s Movie Fest, Stagecoach with John
Wayne
• October 2: 1930s Movie Fest, Grapes of Wrath with Henry
Fonda
• October 9: 1930s Movie Fest, Duck Soup with the Marx
Brothers
• October 16: Community discussion of "To Kill a Mockingbird"
lead by Philip Shore
• October 23, 2003: Screening of To Kill A Mockingbird with
Gregory Peck.
• Also planned: a Randolph Community College humanities
course, more discussion groups and a concert of 1930s era
music. Look for more details in upcoming newsletters.
Lee’s only book became
an American classic
♣ It’s the only book (so far) by white woman. Justice is wanting,
author Harper Lee… but what however, and the trial begets
violence that ultimately threatens
a book!
Atticus’s family. When help is
needed most, it arrives from an
Published in 1960, To Kill a
Mockingbird stormed the bestseller entirely unexpected source.
As the novel lays bare the
lists, claimed the Pulitzer Prize for
community’s
hypocrisy and racism,
fiction, was made into an Academy
Scout
learns
from her father’s
Award-winning film and was
example
about
tolerance, courage
critically acclaimed as “a novel of
and
empathy.
strong contemporary national
As a child, Nell Harper Lee was
significance.”
much like Scout, a tomboy and the
Lee’s semi-autobiographical
daughter of an attorney in the small
tale explores the seemingly idyllic
Alabama town of Monroeville. She
childhood of the narrator, Jean
Louise “Scout” Finch in Maycomb, attended Huntingdon College and
the University of Alabama, where
Alabama, during the 1930s. With
she left the study of law to pursue
her brother Jem and their friend
Dill, Scout ‘s life is full of childhood writing.
A celebrity following the
adventure, which includes
amazing
initial success of To Kill a
investigating the mystery of
Mockingbird,
Lee has since stayed
reclusive neighbor Boo Radley.
out
of
the
public
eye and published
Their idyll is shattered when
only
a
handful
of
magazine articles,
Scout’s father, attorney Atticus
although there is speculation that a
Finch, takes on the cause of
second novel might one day
defending Tom Robinson, a black
appear.
man falsely accused of raping a
Forsyth lends
extra copies
♣ Our gratitude goes to the
Forsyth County Public
Library for their generosity
in sharing 150 copies of To
Kill a Mockingbird with us.
When Dave Fergusson,
longtime headquarters librarian
of Forsyth’s central library in
Winston Salem, learned
Randolph was using To Kill a
Mockingbird, he called and
offered us books leftover from
FCPL’s “On the Same Page”
community reading program.
Needless to say, we are
thrilled! This is the best way to
recycle a book: get it into the
hands of people who want it.
This generosity on Forsyth’s
part relieves a substantial
burden from the Randolph
Friends in not having to
purchase many copies. I hope
we can repay this graciousness
someday.
—Richard Wells
Mockingbird inspires trivia, tidbits
♣ Here are some things you
may not know about To Kill a
Mockingbird.
• There are 15 million copies in
print in 10 languages.
• The model for Scout and Jem’s
“summer friend” Dill was Truman
Capote, who a as a child was a
guest of Lee’s next door
Seattle pioneered
community
reading programs
neighbor; his In Cold Blood was
nine black Alabama youths
dedicated in part to Lee.
falsely accused in the early 1930s
• Scout’s father was named
of raping two white girls.
Atticus; Lee’s was named Amasa. • A first edition copy of To Kill a
• Lee worked for an airline in New
Mockingbird may be worth as
much as $5,000.
York City while writing short
stories, but quit to write full time
• The book draws its title from
when she started her novel.
Atticus’s instruction to Scout:
“Shoot all the bluejays you want,
• The novel’s story of Tom
if you can hit ‘em, but remember
Robinson echoes the real-life
it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
cases of the “Scottsboro Boys,”
Community reading programs
like Randolph Reads began in
Seattle in 1998. Since then, they
have spread nationwide.
Last year, the Greensboro
Public Library used Ernest J.
Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying
for its “One City One Book” project;
more than 10,000 people
participated. The Forsyth County
Public Library had similar success
with “On the Same Page.”