To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ★★☆☆☆

“Let the dead bury the dead.  

Let the dead bury the dead.”

That was an exhausting journey through ugliness.  

More than half of the book was the boring daily grind of childhood in small town Alabama.  

I thought the payoff would be the trial - nope.  It was mostly a he said/she said trial, as are many rape cases.  The defense argued for more physical evidence but the alleged victim could never have afforded a doctor under any circumstances.  While much was made of handedness, victims of violence can have muddled memories.

As the reader you know they are lying, but there is no amazing Grisham moment,  “Now imagine she’s white.” 

Things don’t improve after the trial.  Everyone losses.  

There is some effort made to show that the most educated people in positions of power quietly tried for a better outcome to no avail.  

The whole thing was just depressing.  Why is it the great American classic?  Why are depressing books so lauded?  

My vote for the Great American Classic: Lonesome Dove