Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Matar un ruiseñor

I found it very interesting, though a slower read. Probably didn’t help that I read it a little at a time over several months as I was busy. However, it is impactful and seen through the eyes of the young Scout really conveys how ridiculous prejudice is and how we often make mountains out of molehills.

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kbeucler's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the third time I’ve read this book (all three times for a class), and I think I got the most out of it this time. Before a backdrop of 1930s Alabama, six-year-old Scout comes of age and learns empathy. Her father Atticus is the lawyer defending a Black man against accusations of raping a white woman, the implications of which will shake the town and challenge Scout’s worldview. It is really well crafted and all of the pieces fit together really nicely to create a pretty nuanced depiction of racism in the south and childhood as one learns empathy. Reading it today it’s easy to look at it like a white savior narrative, and it does have elements of that, for sure, but it did have a profound impact on the way white people perceived race in the 1960s.

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lmconway_ak's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Knowing the subject is often triggering, I was prepared and really enjoyed this read. I also really enjoyed this as an audiobook read by Sissy Spacek. The characters are the thing that carry this book, and the writing really brings you into the south of the 1930s. My one dissappointment was the way the sub-plots jumped around, although they make sense in the end and with the POV.

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emilyjamison14's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I thought this was a great book, but I definitely had to manage my expectations and take it at face value: a story about a girl growing up, and losing some naïveté as she realizes the state of the world, that was also written over 60 years ago.

I was aware of the white savior dialogue prior to reading this, and while I don’t disagree, some of the veneration of Atticus Finch really stems from the POV character being his very young, impressionable daughter. There is a very strong message of integrity and doing what is right regardless of the circumstances, that is so important. It’s important to remember that this is the not the end all be all book on racism, and my personal take is that everyone should read books from diverse perspectives and authors.

I found the pacing of the story strange at times,

the timing of Tom’s death was especially jarring (which is maybe the point). Lee also really rushes into the Halloween segment and the book ends really fast. This is pretty appropriate for the tone of the book however, as a long exposition wouldn’t make sense, as the largest problem faced in the novel (prejudice) will not resolve itself entirely anyway.

Ultimately, I do know I will be thinking about this book regularly for a long time and would recommend it.

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geekykiki's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book is a classic most schools have their students read. Why? Because it is an amazing book. I have read through it possibly 4 times by now and it never gets old. Truly a masterful story!

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