Summary Of The Book 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

On April 13, 2014 I was preparing to go on for the final performance of a stage adaptation of your book To Kill a Mockingbird at The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City. As I was getting my costume on, I heard loud noises coming from the parking lot. We all headed toward the door, but we were stopped and told that under any circumstances we were not to leave the building. We waited for what seemed like an eternity as sirens wailed outside. Later that day, the cast was informed that just beyond the wall I was leaning on, two people had been shot and killed. My heart dropped into my stomach. I looked on the table and saw a copy of your book. I picked it up and flipped to the first page as I had many times before. As my eyes moved from beautiful word to beautiful word, they were opened to what had truly happened just feet away from where I now stood. It was the same thing that happened when Bob Ewell attacked Jem and Scout. It was the same thing that had happened when Tom Robinson had been killed in prison. It was a hate crime. The words sent shivers down my spine like when cold air slips silently through your window on a cold winter night.

It was while I was knee deep in the trial scene that I understood that hate crimes aren't always about skin color. They can involve religion, political parties, beliefs , and anything else that makes one person different from another. Scout, much like me, was dumbfounded why people would possibly commit such heinous acts. She went to her father for help. I came to you to guide me through the maze of my thoughts. When Atticus spoke to Scout, I felt as if it was you talking to me. "There are a lot of ugly things in this world Scout. I'm not going to lie to you. But there are good things too, great things. Find that little glimmer of good in all the bad, and you'll live a happy