To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This classic book celebrated it's 50th anniversary last year! It has never been out of print since being published in 1960.
I remember my first reading experiencd with this book the summer between 5th and 6th grades. I sat on our front porch devouring the story of Scout, Jem, Dill and their unlikely "defender" Boo Radley.
I have read this book numerous times since that summer and each time I'ver read it, I've gotten something new from it.
As a child , I was entertained by Scout, Jem and Dill and didn't really pick up on the more serious themes of racism, class, courage, compassion and gender roles. I just thought it was a great story.
Our book discussion group is reading this for next month's meeting. As I started reading it-again- I wondered if I would enjoy it as much. I shouldn't have worried.
Scout's innocent narrative was as wonderful as I remembered. I loved her comment that their father, Atticus Finch, was a "satisfactory parent" -he played with them, read to them and treated them with "courteous detachment."
I found the other "stories" in the book such as "making Boo Radley come out" were still as affecting. Scout and Jem did indeed "make Boo Radley come out" but not in the manner they expected.
My only regret is that Harper Lee never wrote another book. Maybe she felt that after writing such a perfect book that she didn't feel the need to write further. After all, how do you follow up a story such as Scout and Jem's? In any event, this is still one of those books I will return to when I need to revisit the scene of Scout's childhood-and mine.