I did not love To Kill A Mockingbird.

I know that I'll probably offend devout readers of this book, but as a reader, I found its language quite dated and on the cliched side of coming of-age tales set in the American South. I prefer Carson McCullers's The Member of the Wedding or The Heart is a Lonely Hunter when reading about the racial tensions and the coming-of age tales of young girls in the American South. Mick Kelley is a more appropriate and sensitive character than Scout Finch in my opinion. However, as a book for teenagers, To Kill a Mockingbird is indeed rich in symbolism, imagery, and relevant themes such as coming of age, growing up, and discovering what, in the words of Atticus Finch states, "What courage is." For me and my own pleasure reading, this book is pretty preachy and borderline melodramatic, but for teens discovering literature in our huge canon, it's quite a pleasure. As a fifteen year old, I'd definitely love this novel if it were my first exposure to Southern American coming-of age fiction.