I first read this book in high school as an assignment. I also vaguely remember seeing the movie at some point. I decided it was time to revisit it because all I could remember was the trial and unjust verdict, but not much else. Now that I have fully experienced this book as an adult, I can honestly say it is one of my favorites. I think as a high school student I was overly focused on the trial. Now reading it as an adult with more life experience, I can relate to and better understand the story as a whole and the numerous themes that are addressed. I can better absorb the small nuances of growing up in a Southern town in the 1930s and the broader goal of the story. In my mind, I always thought the trial was the whole book. I thought starting from page one it was all about the trial. However, the trial is not even mentioned until almost halfway through the book. This is more a story about basic human kindness than anything else. Atticus Finch is now one of my all-time favorite fiction characters. Sometimes I re-visit a book from high school and think "why the heck is this considered a classic???". With this book, there is no doubt in my mind that this book most certainly belongs in the "classic" category.
