Like many other schools in the United States, English One is reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Despite its status as an American classic, this book isn’t for everyone. Due to the controversial topic of segregation and racism, the book was not well regarded when it was first released in 1960, yet it is still read today in many school across the nation.

“I think it’s a good book to read,” teacher Chad Doty said. “I think it introduces students to a lot of controversial issues that they may not know much about so it opens up or starts conversations about some of those controversial issues. I think because the book isn’t simple in its message and that its complex, it allows for a lot of interesting conversations and new perspectives about issues that students see as controversial. I think for one thing it’s really well written and reading well written literature is always going to help students improve their ability to think critically and I think increase their level of analysis.”

Students who read the book last year think that addressing these issues reveals some of the topics often avoided by many people.

“Racism is definitely evident throughout the novel,” sophomore Kirsten Mallari said. “Usually, the unfair treatment to black men was the main way racism was shown. Especially in the trial case involving Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell, it showed how an innocent life was accused of a crime because of the color of their skin. My favorite thing about To Kill A Mockingbird is the hidden metaphor and how it showed how society is sometimes blinded by race and prejudice.”

The historic features in the book also help show the ideas behind racism according to some students.

“To Kill A Mockingbird shows the true horror of segregation and its a good book because people are able to learn about both sides of racism,” freshman Tiffany Zhang said. “It also helps students learn more about history and it expands our knowledge on the topic of racism.”