Lakeland Public Library discussion

Harper Lee's new novel Go Set a Watchman releases today, and it is stirring up a great deal of controversy with its portrayal of beloved character Atticus Finch. Whether you're on the waiting list or you're planning to give the sequel a pass, here are some books for fans of To Kill a Mockingbird.
And let us know, are you planning to read Go Set a Watchman?

The Bottoms by Joe Landsdale
A young brother and sister confront myths about justice and race in their small East Texas community during the Depression when their father, a constable, tries to investigate the murder of a black woman.

Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A young girl from an abusive household sets out to find herself a new mama. Despite the ugly prejudices taught to her, she finds acceptance from her friend Starletta and her family and learns that she may not have "the hardest row to hoe."

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
There is plenty of Southern Gothic atmosphere amid the themes of class, race and social isolation in this sad story of a sensitive girl who befriends a lonely deaf man.

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
In 1940s Louisiana, a young teacher is asked to impart learning to a young black man on death row, and the two form an unlikely bond.

The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin
Eleven-year-old Florence is the child of an abusive father and an alcoholic mother. She spends most of her time at her grandmother's home, in the company of the African-American housekeeper, where she experiences the racism of 1963 rural Mississippi.

Time's Witness by Michael Malone
Street-smart and straightforward police chief Cuddy Mangum and his refined homicide detective Justin Savile V are determined to keep their town's cultural, political and racial divisions stable...even peaceful. But when a young black activist is murdered while in the process of fighting for his brother's freedom from death row, the lines keeping Hillston, North Carolina, in balance start to crumble.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Ree Dolly is a little older than Scout, but like Scout, she is determined to sort out what’s going on around her. Granted, Ree’s father, a meth cook turned government informer in the West Virginia mountains, is no Atticus, and the rival meth family down the road poses a much bigger threat to Ree than Boo Radley does to Scout, but the characters react to trouble in much the same way.

I loved the movie Winter's Bone, I had no idea it was based on a book.