A review by lalala2004
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

4.0

I almost didn’t read this book, but I’m glad I did.

Go Set a Watchman destroys the god-like goodness of Atticus Finch present in To Kill a Mockingbird. This is appropriate and right. We saw him through the eyes of his young daughter, and that’s the perspective we are getting. Why should I assume Atticus was different than so many other white peoples in the south during segregation? This book actually makes more sense from a realism standpoint. That makes it hard to read, but challenges your preconceived notions in a way that makes you challenge your own biases and prejudices in your own heart. Even Scout/Jean Louise is not perfect as they both agree that Brown vs. Board violated the tenth amendment. I find this idea of the constitution as a document to protect state’s rights as opposed to individual rights very dangerous, but the book gives its characters that view, without espousing it as the truth. Racism is complicated, and this book shows that truth.