To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Or "Pass The Damn Ham"

I finished all my new books and grabbed this one off the shelf as a tried-and-true-I-know-I'll-love-it-book to read in the interim before I can go back to the library. As I began it again, I realized (much to my embarrassment) that I had not actually read To Kill A Mockingbird cover to cover since high school, when it was required reading. I had read it several times prior to Berit Lindboe's ninth grade English class, but must not have ever made it all the way through again because all of my post-it notes from age 14 were still in place.

I spent most of this time rereading To Kill A Mockingbird trying to keep the tears out of my eyes enough to still actually be able to see the print clearly. I remember that I loved it deeply from the first time I read it, and I remember the movie really vividly, but for some reason this book really snuck up on me this time, sucker punching me in all the most wonderful ways. We've all read it before, so there's no need to over-explain. I'll just say do yourself a favor and read it again. And also that the moment of Reverend Sykes saying "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'." is, in my estimation, one of the most perfect moments in all of literary history.

My sister and I had a big talk about this novel last night. Well, not so much about the novel itself, but about our personal experiences relating to the novel. They are all surprisingly clear - we both remember the minute details of our surroundings the first time we read it and the subsequent readings, which elements we related the most to at which stages in our lives. And that seems to be pretty much the norm for everyone who has read To Kill A Mockingbird. Ultimately, Macy and I landed on this: When all is said and done, if you really dig down, is anyone's favorite book not To Kill a Mockingbird?