Book Lovers Ready For Midnight Release Of Second Book By 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Author Harper Lee
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Harper Lee's second novel to her classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" goes on sale at 12 a.m. Tuesday.
But "Go Set a Watchman" is already causing controversy for its different view of Atticus Finch.
CBS2's Louisa Hodge spoke with fans at Monday's Harper Lee read-a-thon at The Grove.
For avid reader Judy Diamond, Tuesday's release of the novel is beyond exciting.
"I think they're going to be lined up outside very early in the morning to pick up their books," she said.
She couldn't miss this celebration of Harper Lee in an all-day read-a-thon of "To Kill a Mockingbird" at Barnes & Noble.
Lee wrote watchman in the 1950s, years before "To Kill a Mockingbird," a book that won a Pulitzer Prize and sold more than 40 million copies.
No one will be allowed to read "Go Set a Watchman" until the release. Until then, the books remain secured in boxes and plastic.
"What I've heard, little snippets about what happens in the new one, was very shocking," Diamond said.
In "Go Set a Watchman," Scout Finch discovers her 72-year old father Atticus Finch has attended Klu Klux Klan meetings and advocates for segregation. Atticus asks Scout: "You realize that our negro population is backwards, don't you?"
"It upsets a lot of people. They would prefer to have Atticus Finch fixed in the way they know him. But this, like all key pieces of important literature, asks us key questions about ourselves," one man said.
"To have something that is a property that was unknown about for such a long time to be released is so huge and the interest surrounding this is just phenomenal," Lita Weissman said.
Book lovers believe the new release will give them a glimpse into the past while making a mark on the future of literature.
"It's a piece of history, it really is. It's a very small piece of literary history that I think more people should appreciate," Diamond said.
Harper Lee hasn't given a full interview in more than 50 years, so we'll likely never know why she wrote the characters this way.
Pre-order sales for the new book are the biggest ever on Amazon.