i wanted badly to enjoy this novel but i can’t seem to find the enjoyment in it. i find Scout to be very charming and i adore her sibling relationship with her older brother Jem, but other than that, i don’t see a reason to keep reading. over half of the book explores their childhood day-to-day endeavors complete with kid fears and whinings and play sessions and schooling and learning of new words and experiences. we follow their complicated relationship with their father, Atticus as he struggles to raise his kids right, while also dealing with society and his sister’s insights on the proper way to raise them. Atticus is a lawyer and is defending a black man on a sexual assault case and is receiving a lot of backlash for it. this book is told from Scout’s perspective so we aren’t getting the full picture and i feel like the story isn’t being developed enough with the entire first half not connected to the court case. i can’t see how the themes of equality and racism could possibly be explored fully in such a short amount of time. i enjoy the writing style a lot but found myself getting annoyed at every older character through the read. there wasn’t really anyone the kids can look up to and small things seemed insignificant to the plot like the scene with the kids reading to an elderly lady. i think it’s meant to show the kids learning empathy and respect and Atticus’ teachings but it didn’t land well enough. i’m bored and don’t think my rating will change as i go on, so i’m leaving it here.