To Kill a Mocking--No!

 I never read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in school. I never read it at all, in fact, until six or seven years ago, the English department chose it one of the summer reading options for incoming ninth graders. That July, I settled down to read it for the first time.

I disliked it immensely.

Why would I dislike this much-beloved book? For the exact same reason as these teachers:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/11/03/to-kill-a-mockingbird-book-ban-removal-washington

Not only do we have the White Savior idea, we also have some poorly-written prose, an utterly inaccurate portrayal of drug addiction, and (for me) unrelatable characters. The plot, such as it is, wanders all over hell and gone. More than once, I noted in the margins, "Where the hell is this going?" I thanked many deities I only had to grade a summer reading assignment and not actually teach the book.

That said, I don't agree with the teachers who want to forbid it in the classroom. I =do= agree that TKaM shouldn't be required reading, but teachers who want to teach it (and who are willing to point out the book's many, many flaws, especially in regards to its treatment of racism) should certainly be allowed to do so.

As for me, I will happily pass my days knowing I'll never have to crack it open again.