One of favorite novels of all time, next to A CLOCK WORK ORANGE is TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee. I read by accident in high school. At the time I was reading a book on self publishing and one of the things that stuck with me was the section on dedication. They wrote that THE POST MAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE was rejected 29 times before publishing and that Lee's book was rejected 21 before being published. I read after that and was enamored with the girl in the story, Scout and her father Atticus.The setting was the 1930's in Alabama. It is ironic to me that today, the same Alabama small town, Monroeville has a real life scenario playing in that community that is what the subject of the book was about - racial injustice. Parents of several African American middle school students students have filled a law suit alleging discrimination purporting that African American students are being called racial slurs, being the recipients of more harsher punishment and being denied the privilege of taking advanced placement and honor classes.
Strange thing is that it is the only middle school in the county and that 78% of the students are African American.
Students have been punished for small dress code violations that are not even listed as violations such as having a shirt with missing buttons. When one student was allegedly refered to by a white student as a "black monkey", she told her teacher who in essence responded saying just sit down because you do look like a black monkey.
Again, Ironic aint it. Seem the more we progress as human beings, the more we stay the same. It appears that human nature cannot obviate that spirit that sides with evil that desires to hold folks back, or be envious or would rather focus on differences more than likeness. And of all places, in the city that was made famous by one book. One would suspect that such a place would have an added bonus to absolve such an historical past. And I know one should never kill a mocking bird, but maybe, mocking birds never die.
