July 14, 2015

The world had waited for the unveiling of world famous author Harper Lee’s “Go Set A Watchman,” and on this day in 2015 it was released. The announcement and release of the new book sent the world into a social-media frenzy that continued for many months. Due to racial violence happening at the time of publication in places like Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; and Charleston, South Carolina; the worlds that “Go Set A Watchman” and Lee’s first novel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning “To Kill A Mockingbird,” were released into had similar social climates. Readers once again found themselves following the story of familiar characters, such as Jean Louise and Atticus Finch, in a time set 20 years after the end of the previous novel. While readers’ reactions to “Go Set A Watchman” varied greatly, many people were still captivated by the tales of rural Alabama set in a time not that long ago.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Nelle Harper Lee (1926-2016) is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” one of the most celebrated novels by an American author. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Birmingham News)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.