The Book Trotters met Monday evening at Times Ten Cellar in Lakewood to discuss the current book selection—Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

Choosing the book was club member Debbie Simurda.

“American classics have always been a favorite of mine but until now, I’ve not read Mockingbird even though it has been on my list of –must reads’ for some time,” Simurda said.

“I chose it for Book Trotters’ May selection as it is a favorite of many of our members.  As we’re fortunate to have a membership whose ages span several decades, the perspectives are always very interesting and often quite diverse,” Simurda added.  

The story, told by young Jean Louise Finch (nicknamed Scout) about growing up with her brother Jem and widowed father Atticus, in a small Southern town during the Great Depression captured the heart and soul of America when it was published in 1960. 

Passages like “Miss Jean Louise, stand up, your father’s passing,” and “Hey, Boo,’ can still bring tears to my eyes some fifty years after my first reading of the book.

Soon after publication, the novel became a major motion picture starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.  However, other than going back from time to time and re-reading the book or re-watching the movie, we never heard much more from the author, Nelle Harper Lee. 

In the interviews that she did grant, it was learned that Lee lived in New York for some time, but eventually returned to Monroville, Alabama, the small town where she grew up and the setting of the novel’s fictional town, Maycomb. It was also suggested that the character of Dill was likely fashioned after her childhood friend, Truman Capote. 

Some of that is about to change and we will be hearing from the beloved author, again. Mockingbird’s sequel,  “Go Set A Watchman” is scheduled for release on July 14, 2015 and can be pre-ordered.

The sequel opens with Scout, some 20 years later, taking the train from New York back to her hometown in Alabama.

The Book Trotters can’t wait for that train to arrive.

As far as Monday’s discussion, as Simurda said the ages of the book club members span several decades plus some of the members were not in the South during the days of segregation so the book brought up varying opinions and questions.

However, everyone agreed that the book is one that will be read and re-read again and again.  They also agreed that Simurda’s Lane cake was sinfully delicious.