July 2021 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

So here we are in July. The summer is officially underway, but it also looks like the U.S's Pacific Northwest is getting a big heat wave as well, so I guess my advice is to enjoy the weather when you can but stay safe when necessary and make sure to take all precautions.

My reading has been off and on recently, so I have no real speculative titles to recommend this month, but I do have something on hand from history - something that's special to me and perhaps even relevant in today's cultural climate. I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Reading: To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee

An all-time modern classic, Harper Lee's legendary Southern Gothic Bildungsroman has never been out of print since publication and is arguably the most beloved book in American literature. The story is one of childhood from the perspective of young Scout Finch as she grows up in Depression-era Alabama with her brother Jem under the watch of her noble father Atticus, a lawyer who is soon put to the test when he is called to defend an African-American man accused of beating and raping a white woman. While heavily nostalgic, the book is also focused on moral character, exemplified by Atticus Finch - one of the most respected fictional characters ever created - and the ugliness of racism. Many of you are probably familiar with it from high school, as it is a staple of the curriculum, but whether you're encountering it for the first time or the fifteenth, it's still an amazing treasure worth enjoying whenever possible.

Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird&qid=1625176876&sr=8-1
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harperperennial-Modern-Classics-ebook/dp/B00K0OI42W/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1625176876&sr=8-1



Viewing: To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)

Just as well known as the book is the film adaptation, also a classic, anchored by the Oscar-winning performance of legendary actor Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, as well as the child actors such as Mary Badham as Scout Finch. The transfer from film to screen is near total, with only minor details omitted; the result is one of the best films of the 1960s as well as one of the finest adaptations of a novel ever made. A deeply human film, it's a pleasure to watch, and it comes highly recommended for all ages as an important talking point regarding deeply troubling issues.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-50th-Anniversary/dp/B006FE83UE/ref=sr_1_2?crid=TA6G5VUDG2DI&dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird+dvd&qid=1625176953&sprefix=to+kill+a+mockingbird+d%2Caps%2C-1&sr=8-2
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Blu-ray-Gregory-Peck/dp/B07G1ZHWFS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird+blu+ray&qid=1625176989&sr=8-1
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Gregory-Peck/dp/B009CGCWHM/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird&qid=1625176876&sr=8-2



So that's all for now. Again, I hope you get as much pleasure out of them as I have. I think it's something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Well, I'll see you all next month!