Photography by Penny Weaver
We were sad to learn of the death of literary giant Harper Lee this morning. Few people leave such a powerful legacy with a single book. While 2015’s release of Go Set a Watchman ignited a slew of debates about her famous characters, it is the legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird that will endure. And 66 years after its release, educators, students and a host of other readers are still finding new ways to critically read it, the society it depicts and the society we live in right now.
The book is so rich with material that it inspired our newest lesson, “Let’s Talk About Lula: Using Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird to Explore Multiple Perspectives.” Through its focus on a minor African-American character, this lesson diverts attention away from the perspectives of the white protagonists, asking students to interpret the novel’s injustices through the eyes of Maycomb’s African-American community.
And that’s just one approach to Lee’s classic, which offers so much more. It may be easy for some to cast it off as a traditional must-read with a straightforward “message,” but that would sell this work short. Consistently banned from libraries and school curricula around the country ever since its publication, Mockingbird continues to challenge and puzzle. It continues to be relevant. That’s why we’ve chosen to remember Lee by sharing with you some of the TT resources that her work inspired.
In addition to our new lesson, here’s a collection of resources that will allow you and your students to consider Lee’s masterpiece from a variety of angles—and to learn something new from it.
Readings From Perspectives for a Diverse America
How Stereotype Threat Affects Us and What We Can Do
Understanding Jim Crow
Blogs
To Kill a Mockingbird Doesn’t Shock Students Anymore
Bridging the Cultural Gaps in To Kill a Mockingbird
Using Banned Books to Address Race in Class
Magazine Feature
How can you revisit Lee’s masterwork with a fresh, critical eye?
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