A personal favorite of mine.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic tale of innocence, prejudice, and courage. The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama and centers around a young girl named Scout who is naive of the injustices happening around her,but becomes exposed to the issues of the world as her father, a lawyer, takes on a case defending a black man who is accused of beating and raping a white woman. As the trial progresses, it is made apparently clear by Scout's father that the black man in question could not have beaten or raped the woman. However, the man is still found guilty and is later shot and killed when attempting to escape his unjust fate.
* For a more detailed summary follow this link - http://www.wikisummaries.org/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird was first challenged and banned in 1997 in Eden Valley, Minnesota for using the terms "damn" and "whore." It was challenged again in 1981 in Township schools of Warren, Indiana by three black parents who stated that the book does "psychological damage to the positive integration process" and "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature." The book has faced many challenges in the time between then and now, the most recent being in 2007 when it was retained in the English curriculum by the Cherry Hill, New Jersey Board of Education because the residents feared that the book would upset any black children reading it.
* For more information on the challenges/bannings of To Kill a Mockingbird - http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned
What do you think about the issues these people had with To Kill a Mockingbird? Do you think their issues were valid? Do you agree or disagree with them? Would you want To Kill a Mockingbird allowed to be read in your school?
* 5 points extra credit
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