What's in the News Wednesday: Harper Lee's New (Old) Book

The literary world is abuzz with news that Harper Lee's sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird will be published this summer.  A famous recluse, Lee managed to keep the manuscript a secret for more than half a century.  Most of the buzz reflects the enthusiasm of fans and literary critics eager to read more of Scout's story.  Some critics, however, have questioned whether the release has the full consent of the author.  Referring to her declining health and earlier interviews where the author apparently communicated that she had said everything she wanted to say in To Kill a Mockingbird, the doubters wonder about the timing of this release. 

When I heard the news, it made me think of that other controversy surrounding To Kill a Mockingbird.  Specifically, the rumor that Truman Capote actually wrote the novel (see this story on NPR from 2006).  One of the main arguments for not believing Lee's authorship was she never wrote anything else for publication.  That always seemed like a flimsy argument to me, so it is good to have this manuscript answer that rumor.

If you are teaching To Kill a Mockingbird in your class, you might like to include some of these resources:

• To Kill a Mockingbird:  A Historical Perspective from the Library of Congress, which includes some primary sources and a primary source analysis tool
• Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird Profiles in Courage from the NEH.
• To Kill a Mockingbird and the Blues - a cross-curricular study from PBS.
• Harper Lee's Biography from the Encyclopedia of Alabama

If you live in Alabama, or are planning a road trip, you should add the Monroe County Museum to your list of places to visit.  They started selling tickets today to their annual production of the play, To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm adding that to my Alabama Bucket List!