WASHINGTON 鈥� Charles Shields didn鈥檛 get much sleep as Monday turned into Tuesday. The author of 鈥淢ockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee,鈥� Shields spent the night reading 鈥淕o Set a Watchman,鈥� Lee鈥檚 second novel, released at midnight Tuesday, 55 years after her immortal 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird.鈥�
So what did he think?
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 know where to put it on the bookshelf if I were a bookstore owner,鈥� Shields tells 草莓传媒 about the novel, set 20 years after the events of 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird.鈥�
He says it straddles the line between young adult and adult fiction, told as it is from the viewpoint of a recently grown-up Scout Finch.
鈥淕o Set a Watchman鈥� was written before 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� and in fact 鈥淢ockingbird鈥� was composed of childhood scenes excised from 鈥淲atchman.鈥�
Shields calls it 鈥渉ighly autobiographical, as many first novels are. It almost has the flavor of a memoir about it,鈥� adding that includes historically accurate facts in its setting.
鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� was told through the first-person narration of Scout Finch, while 鈥淲atchman鈥� is in third-person, but still carries Jean Louise鈥檚 (Scout鈥檚 birth name, which she uses in the later book) worldview.
Shields says that her path to adulthood was a rough one.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 remember seeing so much talk in a work of fiction about puberty, and loss of all the privileges that come with being a young prepubescent girl.鈥�
Of course, the aspect of 鈥淕o Set a Watchman鈥� that鈥檚 attracted the most attention is the fact that crusading lawyer Atticus Finch himself holds racist views. Shields says that鈥檚 what makes the new novel a must-read.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a portrait of where we have been and where we still are as a nation,鈥� Shields says. 鈥淭he casualness of racism in this book is very upsetting.鈥�
For example, he says, the saddest remark in the book comes from Calpurnia, the black housemaid, who says to Jem and Scout, 鈥淒on鈥檛 drink coffee too early, or you鈥檒l become black like me.鈥�
鈥溾�� What that says about the cruelty of racism speaks volumes,鈥� Shields says.
And asked whether it鈥檚 possible for readers to simply ignore the new book and hold on to the other Atticus Finch they knew, Shields replied bluntly, 鈥淣o, it isn鈥檛.”
鈥溾�楾o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� gives white Americans an easy pass. It makes us all sleep easier at night. Atticus is a man of such moral certitude that he walks like a Solomon through the pages of [鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥漖, and we can all rest assured that there are people like Atticus out there who are doing the right thing.鈥�
He says the racism expressed by Atticus Finch gives the events of 鈥淭o Kill a Mockingbird鈥� added depth.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a man with prejudices 鈥� but he鈥檚 deeply conflicted about the treatment of black people, as all people of conscience would be. How he reconciles that, I don鈥檛 know. But that鈥檚 part of the dichotomy of racism.鈥�
