I Am Scout

I enjoyed learning more about (Nelle) Harper Lee. I did not know that she was friends with Truman Capote. Learning of her home life in Monroeville, Alabama, the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird, was a revealing glimpse at some of the characters in the book. The writing flowed well and made me want to turn the pages. Nelle remained a nonconformist throughout her life in her manner of dress and language. Her overwhelming success with her first, and only published, novel accounts for her reluctance to put any other work out that would not live up to the first. Her love was writing and she had much of it, which she destroyed. Her desire for perfection and self-critism is our lose. One of the letters she recieved and her desired response was hilarious,
"Most of the letters lauded the book, but a few were angry, "In this day of mass rape of white women who are not morons, why is it that you young Jewish authors seek to whitewash the situation?" complained a reader. Nelle was tempted to reply, "Dear Sir of Madam, somebody is using your name to write dirty letters. You should notify the F.B.I." And she planned to sign it, "Harper Levy."

It was also interesting, to me, about the amount of research she compiled for Truman Capote's nonfiction novel In Cold Blood. He never gave her credit for her involvement in making people for comfortable enough to talk to him, or the copious notes and suggestions about the manuscript. You get a good feel for the reason he behaved this way from references throughout the book.

She had these words of advice: "Regarding people who were difficult to accept or respect, Nelle said, "Our response to these people represents our earthly test. And I think, that these pople enrich the wonder of our lives. It is they who most need our kindness, because they seem less deserving. Agter all, anyone can love people who are lovely."
Nelle Harper Lee is annoyed by those who seek to profit by her work and gets down right annoyed by autography hounds and those who want to license her work for selling trinkets. She reminds me of the comic genius, Bill Watterson, who created Calvin and Hobbes. You see stuff with Calvin and Hobbes, mostly Calvin urinating on something, and may not realize that NOTHING is licensed out by Bill Watterson. Everything is thus a copyright infringement. These authors want their characters to remain in their worlds, suspended in time, unsullied by our commercialism and crass whims. I think they have the right idea.
If you are a fan of the book and want to learn more about the life of Harper Lee this book is a great way to do just that. I found myself quite amazed by her sister, Alice, as well.

I'm off to the zoo. Later, gators!