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I remember "To Kill a Mockingbird" as one of the best books I read in Junior High School. I respect the right of the British to set their own reading lists, still, I've also seen "Mockingbird" dropped from American reading lists, and always thought it a shame when that happened. Reading lists tend to be influenced by various factors, sometimes a better book comes along and then something has to come off, and that's fine, sometimes there is an evolution of critical thought, and unfortunately, particularly in the U.S., there are political influences. When "David Copperfield" drops off a reading list, I would similarly think that people that end up not reading it as a consequence lost a little bit. Books like "Mockingbird" draw the reader in, teach them that reading can be intellectually stimulating and challenging, fun even at times, and maybe they learn a little about history, and people, how people think and should interact, find their way in world, provide them a strong and positive role model. "Mockingbird" does it through a child's eyes, so is particularly effective for children to read. When I see "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" drop off of an American reading list, which has happened a lot due to language and maybe a little bit, wanting to drop an inconvenient part of our history (same for "Mockingbird"?), I think it's a shame that a child will not experience it, learn from it. I've always looked at the British as maybe being superior to us in the USA in their appreciation and protection of great literature, kind of above this sort of thing, to see nationalism creep into the process is maybe a little disappointing, almost French-like. Still, I'd hate to see "Les Miserables" drop from a reading lists, too. Where a book is written should not matter. Quoting Harper Lee: “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” To lose "Mockingbird", I fear, is to lose, at least a little bit, reaching some number of children in terms of enjoying and wanting to read, and learning about the world and how they should behave and interact with it, to breath in it.
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