Mockingbird still in full voice
June 19, 2010 -

IN SANTA Cruz, California, volunteers will re-enact every word and movement in the famous courtroom scene. In Monroeville, Alabama, residents dressed in 1930s garb will read aloud from memorable passages. In Rhinebeck, New York state, Oblong Books will host a party with Mocktails and a performance by indie band the Boo Radleys.

To Kill a Mockingbird will be relived through at least 50 events around the United States, in honour of the 50th anniversary (on July 11) of the publication of a book that became a cultural touchstone and an enduring staple of high school reading programs.

Its publisher, HarperCollins, is trying to tap into what appears to be a near-endless reserve of affection for the book by helping organise parties, movie screenings and scholarly discussions.
The publisher has recruited television journalist Tom Brokaw and other authors to take part by reading from the novel — which tells the story of small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, who defends a black man accused of rape, and his family — in their home towns.
HarperCollins plans to issue four new editions of the novel , each with a different cover and all to be placed on special Mockingbird-themed floor displays in bookstores.
More at The Age.