Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee, author, Reese Witherspoon, narrator
Atticus Finch, Jean Louise who was better known as Scout, and Henry (Hank), return in “Go Set A Watchman”. Although promoted as a sequel, it was actually written prior to “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Still, the story does begin several years in the future when Jean Louise, now an adult, returns home for her two week vacation. At 26, she now lives and works in New York City. Her old childhood friend and possibly even her sweetheart, Hank, now 30, is waiting to pick her up. Atticus, her father, has arthritis. He was not up to meeting her at the station as he usually did. In the years that have passed, Hank has gone to law school and entered the law practice of her father who has embraced him as a son.
For the first part of the book, there is really little new to learn, about the goings on in Maycomb, apart from the passing of some family members and the presence, in her old home, of her spinster aunt Alexandra, who now lives with her father to help him manage. Just about half way through the book, however, when Jean Louise happens upon a meeting of the Citizen’s Council of Maycomb, the worm turns, and the story takes flight. Witnessing her father and her friend Hank participating in a meeting with the desire to restrict the rights of Negroes, she finds that she is horrified. What she later learns about her father’s participation in certain organizations completely unnerves her. Jean Louise had been completely devoted to her “perfect” dad and this news destroys her, inspiring a temper tantrum resembling that of a child. Jean Louise has never truly grown up or looked at the real world through her own eyes, but rather she identified completely with her father’s interpretation in all things, and now to discover that he was blind and indifferent to the very ideas that troubled her the most, she is ashamed beyond belief.
Atticus is not only on the Council, but he is a board member. She also discovers he once even joined the Ku Klux Klan. He tells her that he joined to find out who lived behind the sheets so he would know who he was dealing with all the time. She did not believe that his reason was valid or truthful. She loses her temper with both her father and Hank and tries to distance herself from them. When Calpurnia’s nephew was arrested for the murder of a white man who wandered in front of his car completely inebriated, Hank does not want to defend him. Atticus insists that they defend him, but for all the wrong reasons, as far as Jean Louise is concerned. Calpurnia has worked for and been devoted to them for so many years, she believes that her father should give her nephew the best defense possible and not just defend him to prevent the NAACP from coming down and creating a scandal. If it wasn’t his fault, he should not be convicted, even if the town demands it because of the current environment. She decides that when he had defended Tom Robinson, many years before, he only did it because he believed in the letter of the law, not his right to equal justice under the law. Jean Louise understands the issues the community is facing but doesn’t look at them realistically, rather she is thinking idealistically, about solutions and not consequences. Still, she adamantly disagrees with her father, although she does agree with him that there are also white people who need as much help as the Negroes, and they should not be neglected in the effort to foster equality for all.
The white community believes they have treated the Negroes fairly, maybe even better than fairly. They are angry and resentful because of what they believe are arrogant demands to have equal access to voting booths and driver’s licenses. Negative stereotypes and prejudices rise to the surface and shock Jean Louise, especially when these negative views are voiced by those she loves. Her aunt is a believer in class and does not even approve of Henry, who was not of a background she deemed respectable. At this point, one has to pause and wonder if Jean Louise was living under a rock some place, to be so unaware of the racial divide that existed in the country. Even in the northeast, there were racial problems. On the opposite pole, the Negroes and their organizations, of course, believed that it was the white people that were behaving arrogantly, and if the scales were viewed honestly, one would have to say that they were probably right. The scales of justice were most definitely weighted heavily in the favor of the white society because generation after generation, hate had continued to be inbred. Although things appeared much better between the races on the surface, underneath prejudice seethed. Perhaps it is much the same today.
I believe that the author was either incredibly prescient or the book was updated and edited before publication, because, currently, even under the administration of the first black president, it seems the effort to get out the vote to make sure one or another political party wins, seems paramount, regardless of whether or not they can even legally vote or are actual citizens of this country. The legal qualifications of the voter no longer seem to matter, simply winning and pushing an agenda takes precedence. I thought this appeared to be the issue that motivated Atticus Finch against the equal rights movement, not racism. He believed the right to vote should not be taken lightly. He believed the voter should understand what, in fact, he was voting for or against. As we read the novel, we learn that “go set a watchman” possibly means to some, find your conscience and then act accordingly. Each person must do just that, when reading this book. Decide if Atticus was racist or a realist. Of course, if the issue is whether or not a black person can vote, then there can be only one conclusion. Every legal citizen of the country has and should have always had the right to vote, regardless of color or creed. If, however, it is based on whether or not you believe a voter should be aware of what he/she is voting for, you may come to an altogether different conclusion, but it should not be based on race. Keep an open mind while reading and determine if Finch is a racist or a realist. He lived in a different time and in a different place than we are now, but his thoughts may have foreshadowed future problems.
The book has caused quite a stir in the publishing world, which is largely progressive and/or liberal in their beliefs, and therefore tends to respond in the manner of the “politically correct”. Almost in a knee jerk reaction, many reviewers have decided that Atticus Finch, the hero of “To Kill A Mockingbird”, has clay feet and they are outraged. The former perfect human being is actually just a human being with personal opinions and feelings. However he had behaved before, regarding matters of race, has been erased, and he is now painted with the broad brush of his daughter, Jean Louise, who is furious with him. Although he claims to be doing what he has to do to survive in Maycomb, and he believes that he is trying to also discover who is the enemy and who is not, since he believes he needs to figure out who will work with him within the system to bring about change that is doable, rather than idealistic, headed for success rather than doomed to failure, he is just being judged on the basis of this one moment in time and on his feelings about the letter of the law and the right of anyone to vote who is neither educated nor prepared for what he considers a great privilege.
I wondered if perhaps there was another side to Atticus that we had not met, the Atticus that wanted to make sure that the Negroes would be provided with a better education to prepare them for the vote. Perhaps he didn’t, but that idea would have to be better developed in another book, because I don’t think they were developed well enough in this one. The main issue appeared to be Jean Louise’s decidedly immature reaction to his being on the board of what she considered to be a racist council, committed to limiting the rights of the Negroes in Maycomb. I thought the issue would come down to the problem of discrimination, but that issue seemed to drift to the background, for me, as her fury took the center stage.
The writing style of the book is pretty much the same as in “To Kill A Mockingbird”. It is straight forward and easy to read. There are, therefore, no mysteries to decipher in the narrative.

I must admit that after 100 pages I was still waiting for a story to begin. I felt the author was giving nothing but flashbacks of Scout\'s childhood and the history of the town and people of Maycomb. For me it took more than half of the book for the real story to evolve and it was at that point that I gathered the validity and value of the stories in the first 150 pages. Most people will only give a book 50 or 75 pages (at most) to draw them in or else they will shelve it. I\'m glad I\'m not one of those people or I would have missed a good story. Even though I failed to see the relevance of some of the childhood memories, I was thoroughly enjoying being taken back to a time in history when life seemed simple and uncomplicated -- when kids enjoyed playing outside all day and could spend afternoons entertained with nothing but their imaginations.

The guts of Go Set A Watchman revolves around Scout, who at age 26 is now living in New York, comes home to Maycomb to visit her father, Atticus Finch - an aging attorney severely plagued with arthritis. While Scout enjoys her job and life in New York, she always seem to feel like a fish out of water and her times spent in Maycomb make her feel like she is \"home\"

It is this reader\'s opinion that Scout is dealing with similar issues that many of today\'s youth (and some not-so-youth) deal with -- that of never truly growing up, maturing with both your heart and eyes, living realistically and not idealistically. Scouts youth was, to her, a time of having a pure heart where you assume all are honest, compassionate and equal. What a shock to the system when you discover that once blinders are removed, the world has taken on certain shadows and a fog that represents the evil that has lurked in our world since Adam and Eve took their first bite of an apple. So for Scout, Maycomb feels like her safe haven because of what it represents in her mind. When confronted with the fact that perhaps her perceptions could be somewhat distorted or prejudiced, it is a source of great anger and confusion. Scout is forced to see what HER eyes are seeing and not judging the world through the eyes of her father.

I think this story would make a great discussion book but be prepared because the discussion could be controversial and personal.

The "real" story of Scout being disillusioned by hearing Atticus say racist things comes too far at the end of the book. That's basically the entire emphasis of the story. Also, the age of the reader, in my opinion, will determine how the message is perceived.

the book is poorly written and very slow moving. Stick with the classic, this will never be one.

Book should have stayed in the safe where Alice Lee left it all those years.

the language was difficult at times, but it showed a great side to how the world was changing back then.

Too much unsaid! The dialect was difficult!

It did start slow - but I loved it! A coming-home story about childhood memories through the eyes of an adult. What it\'s like to look up to someone for so long and then see them through the eyes of an adult. Don\'t compare it, just enjoy it. A story for the ages.

Originally, I was so disappointed that this novel was written by Harper Lee. I felt like the author was trying desperately to explain a southern mentality to anyone who had never lived in that particular time and environment. However, after having time to contemplate the story more, I now see that it doesn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t really excuse the behavior of Maycombe, it just points out that when Scout was away from the town, she was able to come back with a view that was not shared by those she knew and loved. I imagine it is like being a smoker. You don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t really understand the smell until you are no longer a smoker. Then you think how can others not smell the cigarette when they smoke? It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s all perspective to where you are in your journey.

Our book club was split 50/50 on this book. Some of us liked it as a stand alone book and didn't compare it To Kill A Mockingbird. Others had a hard time separating the two books and felt it ended quickly and untidy.

The book was not well received by our group in general.
One person out of 12 liked it.

The book, if written before To Kill A Mockingbird, shows an older Scout returning home after time away to a different world than the one she grew up. She sees her family through a different lens and is not pleased with the changes, especially with her father. She struggles to try to understand how her family and town is reacting to the early civil rights movement, especially in the changes she experiences when trying to reconnect with the black woman who raised her. It was a much different book than To Kill A Mockingbird. But you do hear the same voice of Harper Lee in the narrative.

I reccommend reading or re-reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" it is so much better. The main characters and the story are much more likable. I would suggest this book only to authors wanting to publish a book purely to see how much change occurs before a story is actually published.

This book humanizes Atticus Finch by showing him as a southerner who is very annoyed by the Federalist approach to fix segregation, while the south is not ready for the social change. While the novel is brilliant in making a convincing argument for segregation and even a more convincing argument for why segregation is not the solution through Scout..... It fails to explain the \\\"change\\\" in Atticus\\\'s outlook who always believed in justice and equal rights for all.

The book was not even close to the standards of To Kill a Mockingbird but it provides a great discussion.

I really enjoyed this book, especially after I didn't expect to enjoy it. It was great to understand Jean Louise's frustration with her small town, and reflect upon what Atticus taught her.

Our group enjoyed the book overall- we disagreed with the critics reviews.

Great discussion as compared to "To Kill a Mockingbird." Since our group had also read "Mockingbird" we compared all three.

It made for interesting conversation as it was equally liked and disliked!

Only 1 out of 10 liked the book.
We fjound it slow reading and not up to the standards of To Kill a Mockingbird..

This book did not stand alone as a work of any merit. If taken as an extension of the story and lives of the characters in "To Kill a Mockingbird" it only tarnished the quality of this classic.

After reading this book, I felt like I was robbed to buy it as a best seller. I truly wonder if the author's hands were completely tied whenever she resisted having the book published.

Our club did not like it. I found reading it to be stressful, too racial. None of our group cared for it.

This provided us many issues to discuss. it also connected well with the problems going on today related to "Black Lives Matter."

This was the most disjointed, boring, pointless, over rated, poorly written book I have read in a very long while. Our entire book club was extremely disappointed in this clearly awful book. A total waste of my time and my money.

I don't believe it was written by Harper Lee. It was completely boring and a waste of time to read. I am shocked it is on the bestseller list. Could that be political too?

What a beautiful story. Atticus was not the perfect person Scout thought he was and how she deals with it. Wonderful!

Nice follow up of To Kill A Mockingbird. Different type of book though. The ending was a great conclusion.

My understanding is that this book was essentially an early draft of To Kill a Mockingbird, and was never edited or finished by the author. That history shows in the book, as some parts are very confusing and the book doesn't always flow well. It was still fun to read the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, and the racial issues were very thought-provoking and somewhat disturbing. Although not a great read just for enjoyment, it made for a very good book club discussion.

Classical writing style not loved by all but topics of race, women, equality resonate today. Great discussion over how time and place shape views both then and today.

The drama surrounding Harper Lee's portrayal of our beloved Atticus does not prove to be as shocking as many of the initial reviews. It's a believable character development, so believable, in fact, that it's not a particularly gripping storyline.

GSaW - is it REALLY the first or the second book of Harper Lee? SO autobiographical - SO rich for discussion based on civil rights times, geographics, demographics and the ever-amazing character of Scout/Jean Louise Finch, her sage-wise father and her amazingly to-the-point uncle. it was a compelling read and our group ran longer than usual with many comments & contributions

Harper Lee didn't want this book published for a reason, it wasn't good. No real story line to it. Confusing in places.

am glad i read this book and was interesting to see other reviews. Most people either loved it or didn't like it at all. hard to describe. I personally don't think its another TKAM, and the characters are different. I did have a hard time remembering that this book was written first and that did make it confusing as I read. I would also love to know what changed in Harper Lee's mind t change some things as she then wrote TKAM. There are some good points in this book and some redeeming qualities to make it a worthwhile read.

While it wasn't the greatest book, it was interesting to see how the characters in To Kill A Mockingbird were 20 years later.

Harper Lee

I enjoyed this book so much! It is said that Harper Lee wrote "Go Set A Watchman" before penning "To Kill A Mockingbird." Her writing style did evolve with experience, but I enjoyed "Watchman" for what it is as a story. I think it rings true to many themes humans see in life: disappointment, racism, love, etc.

Having read To Kill A Mockingbird, made this book all the more interesting. To see the change in Mayhem over the 20 years was very insightful. Our book club had a very interesting and lively discussion.

I felt that this book provided a perspective to Harper Lee's writing and thought process and how they combined to help create To Kill a Mockingbird.

You need to read the above mentioned book in order to understand Watchman. I didn't finish the book as I found it confusing.

This book was obviously published to make money. Not worth a dime.

Go Set a Watchman, written prior to To Kill a Mockingbird, details the events of southern living during the 1960’s as Jean Louise returns to Maycomb to discover her community has transformed. We are taken through her personal coming of age experience as she discovers her own identity and begins to open her eyes to the changes her home town has made. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, as a similar topic regarding race persists within this novel. Memories from Jean Louise’s childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. “Go Set a Watchman" perfectly captures the feelings of a young woman, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past. Although I found the novel to be slow going and have a slightly unstructured plot, you are taken through a journey that can be guised only by one’s conscience.