Book Summary:
This book is a biography of Nelle Harper
Lee, the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird.
It covers her life from when she was very young all the way up to the time
when the book was published. It goes into detail about her early childhood and
the parallels of her own life to her main character, Scout. Also detailed is
her education, as well as the story of how she came to write her famous book.
Her friendship with Truman Capote and her help with his book were also covered
in detail, as well as the making of the movie for To Kill a Mockingbird.
APA reference:
Shields, C. J. (2008). I am Scout: The biography of Harper Lee.
New York: Henry Holt and Co.
My Impressions:
This was an enjoyable book to read. I
enjoyed reading about how Nelle did not want to be restricted to typical gender
roles of the day, and even wore men’s clothing sometimes. Her life did seem to
have some parallels to Scout’s life, and the town she grew up in seemed similar
to her fictional town. The details of her education and how she never quite fit
in were fascinating. One thing that I did feel was lacking in this book was more
direct quotes from Nelle herself. Most of the book relies on what other people
said about her, so at the end of the book the reader does not feel as close a
connection with the subject as they might.
The author spent a lot of time
discussing Nelle’s friend, Truman Capote, and her involvement with his research
for his book In Cold Blood. I felt
like he perhaps emphasized it a bit too much. He also gave the impression of
not liking Truman Capote very much; he mentions several times in the book about
Truman’s arrogant personality and how Truman did not give Nelle any credit for
helping him with his book. The reader definitely gets the impression that the
author does not approve of Truman.
Nelle Harper Lee had a very interesting
life, and it was good to get to read about it. The book does a good job of
looking into the details of her life, and why she did things the way she did.
The writing level seems appropriate for younger readers, and I think it could
keep their interest as well.
Professional
Reviews:
Carter, B. (2008, May/June), [Review
of the book I am Scout: the biography of
Harper Lee by C. Shields]. Horn Book
Magazine 84(3), p. 340. Retrieved from http://hbook.com/
Despite the autobiographical suggestion of the title, Shields had no direct access to either Lee or her closest friends when writing this biography, abridged (not adapted) from his 2006 adult release, Mockingbird. He relies on extensive secondary source material and a few personal interviews with acquaintances to examine four topics: the parallels between Lee and Scout, the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird; the writing of that book and the production of the subsequent movie; Lee's part in researching Capote's In Cold Blood; and the puzzle of why Lee never published another book. Combining Lee's actual story with biographical similarities in To Kill a Mockingbird causes a few problems. For example, Shield at first identifies Lee's childhood friend and neighbor -- the basis for Dill in the novel -- only as Truman Streckfus Persons, waiting until page 35 to inform readers that this neighbor is Truman Capote, thus inviting confusion for the first two chapters. Still, Shields's journalistic style creates a readable ode to a headstrong, determined, unconventional woman who writes, rewrites, edits, becomes frustrated, and finally finishes an enduring novel. Extensive documentation, a complete bibliography, and an index are appended.
Library
Uses:
This book could be used in a display pairing
well-known books with biographies of their authors. Each book could be set on
the shelf next to the corresponding biography, perhaps with posters encouraging
readers to read more about their favorite authors. Many people might not be
aware that these biographies exist; bringing them out into the open by the
other book may help to raise interest in reading about the authors.
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