Saturday Reading

I picked up the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" from the library yesterday. As a result, today my host family (and their two cats) discovered what happens when I get lost in a book. I think they found it mildly amusing to be utterly unintentionally ignored. Mr. Tom, the ornery cat who often as not will dig his claws through my shirt, finally decided to curl up between my sweater and t-shirt. It took me a few minutes to notice his cheeky locale. When he proceeded to lick my face I merely altered the angle at which I held the book. He seemed satisfied with the compromise.

As the cat can attest, I was thoroughly involved in the novel. It is a well-written, powerful tale of fear, integrity, and fighting battles that can't be won-- at least not yet. I know most folks read this book (or the synopsis-- definitely not the same thing) in high school and considering that many individuals stop reading when assignments are no longer being doled out, maybe that is the only way thebook would be read. Depressing thought albeit unlikely. This however is not children's literature or even adolescent. Not due to the subject matter, but entirely because of how well it captures childlike curiosity and understanding. It is unquestionably written for adults, framed by a child to challenge the attitudes of an older generation.

I ought not to generalize. All I mean to say, is that there is a certain level of emotional understanding, maturity even, that this novel inescapably requires. To be honest, I might yet have been too young... it felt that way. Stories of innocence lost and of innocence regained are heady plains. The world will shift ever so slightly, ever so subtly. Rather unsettling.

As I finished the last line, I gently moved the cat off my lap and realized that I needed to reread Last of the Mohicans.