As many of you may be aware, the recent publication of Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” has caused quite the controversy. I remember months ago hearing the news that the renowned author’s secret book was finally coming to light, and being filled with excitement at the thought of reading another Harper Lee work. Not to mention it would be following the same characters that America has grown so attached to in “To Kill a Mockingbird." However, in case some of you aren’t sure what the big deal is about, there have been many accusations against those responsible for bringing “Go Set a Watchman” to light.

To keep the story brief, Harper Lee wrote “Go Set a Watchman” beforewriting “To Kill a Mockingbird”, yet after she finished it, she decided to discard it and write a new story with the same characters. She vowed to never release “Go Set a Watchman” or any other book to the public. Yet, now, at the age of 89 and with failing health, people believe that she’s been taken advantage of by her caretaker in an effort to squeeze more money out of Harper Lee’s fame. For a more in-depth look into the backstory, feel free to visit here. In response, there are thousands of people refusing to purchase “Go Set a Watchman” because of the belief that it was against Lee’s wishes for it to be read. I, unfortunately, am not one of the stronger willed people, and I pre-ordered the book. So whether you’re boycotting the release of “Go Set a Watchman” or you just aren’t sure you have the time to read it, hopefully I’ll be able to provide insight.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

The book is almost like a sequel for “To Kill a Mockingbird” since it takes place when Jean Louise (Scout) returns to Maycomb as a 26-year-old woman to pay a visit to her family, including the now 72 year-old Atticus. In this book we are introduced to Atticus’ siblings who were not mentioned in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” His traditional but caring sister, Alexandra, and his babbling yet genius brother, Jack. Atticus is cared for by Alexandra due do his severe arthritis, although he never complains about his pains. A shocking realization to the reader occurs when Jean Louise mentions that her brother, Jem, died several years prior due to heart failure, a genetic flaw that their mother is said to have died from as well.

For the first 100 pages or so, Jean Louise mostly muses about the tiffs she gets into with Alexandra, or how different Maycomb is from her new home in New York. She even has a love interest in one of her and Jem’s oldest friends, Henry, who was never mentioned in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Once I’d gotten to this point in the book I started to remember what all the spoilers had been referencing: Atticus is supposed to be racist. I hoped that since I was over a third of the way finished this couldn’t be true. Unfortunately, it is. Jean Louise sneaks into the courthouse to find Atticus and Henry leading a county meeting meant to encourage “traditional” southern ways and keep segregation alive due to the “inferiority” of African Americans. While Atticus and Henry are not the ones outright saying the racist remarks, it’s clear that they are doing nothing to stop them.

A majority of the book after this moment is Jean Louise becoming physically ill due to the horror of her realization. She begins to see Maycomb in a new light as those she interacts with become intolerable. In an effort to find some sanity, she travels to Calpurnia’s home. Calpurnia was known in “To Kill a Mockingbird” as the colored housekeeper for the Finch household who felt almost like a mother to Jem and Scout. Yet, in “Go Set a Watchman,” the racial division becomes visible when Jean Louise tries to speak to the aged Calpurnia and finds that she no longer considers her like a child, but instead like another white person she must obey. The heartbreaking scene leaves Jean Louise more hurt than ever as she leaves Calpurnia’s home.

There are flashbacks to Jean Louise’s childhood that we never witnessed in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” more related to growing up than childish games. Jean Louise thinks back to when she discovered what sex was, or sharing her first kiss with Henry during his senior dance. Although Jem and Calpurnia are characters that Harper Lee managed to sever from Jean Louise’s present life, she manages to stress their existence in the flashbacks to tell the reader how impactful they were.

Finally, the confrontation between Atticus and Jean Louise occurs. Atticus admits that he believes African Americans must not excel any further in their aspirations in order to keep traditional Southern values from being attacked. After Jean Louise pleads with him to reconsider, and of course he does not budge, she claims she never wants to see Atticus or Maycomb ever again, to which he replies, “as you wish.” Usually, I only get emotional when reading books if a character dies, yet the divide between Jean Louise and Atticus in these moments makes a harsh impact on the reader that I certainly wasn’t expecting. Ju

st when it seems as though Jean Louise is prepared to leave Maycomb forever, her uncle Jack appears and slaps her back to reality (literally). He admits to Jean Louise that him and Atticus have been concerned by her worship of her father for years. They had been waiting for the issue to arise that would shred apart their mindsets and turn them into two different people, and that issue turned out to be civil rights. Jean Louise learns to accept the fact that Atticus is his own person and cannot be the idol she has always viewed him as. The book ends with Jean Louise deciding that she will need to break things off with Henry, but that she still loves her father despite his flaws.

While the book confirms that Atticus Finch was a racist, I don’t buy it for one minute. In my opinion, due to the controversy and Harper Lee’s initial refusal to publish, I believe that this book can be taken in many ways. If the reader wants to believe that Jem died young, Calpurnia disowned the Finches, and Atticus is not the hero he was portrayed as before, they can do that. However, I choose to live in denial and ignore any of the events that occurred in “Go Set a Watchman.” While the book is still the beautifully written emotional tale of a child growing up to realize that her perfect world is anything but perfect, I’m just going to let this one slip under the radar. After all, if these things were actually supposed to happen then Harper Lee would’ve published this, rather than “To Kill a Mockingbird.”