They're trying to kill
To Kill a Mockingbird

So it seems woke culture is trying to kill To Kill a Mockingbird. As The National Post reports, teachers in Ontario are being intimidated into not including my favourite novel in the curriculum this year.

Grade Nine English class was where I first read Harper Lee's American classic. Why don't they ban Conrad's Heart of Darkness instead? Boy, was that a depressing read.

The school board is suggesting the book is white supremacist, as it depicts white people as the heroes saving victimized black people. I think they need to reread the book. While black characters were treated horrendously in the story, they certainly didn't act like victims. They held their heads high as they fought a near-impossible battle, aided by the few white people in the story who risked their lives to make that battle possible.

And, yes, while a white, straight male — Atticus Finch — is probably the central hero of the story, you know the old saying: "Behind every great man is a great woman." Is it not obvious that his African-American housekeeper, cook and nanny, Calpurnia, was a great woman that he literally couldn't live without? Atticus treated her with the same respect and position he would have treated his late wife. Calpurnia ran the household and raised his kids, giving him the freedom to do his work.

I will concede, I preferred how the stage play adaptation of the book didn't have Atticus's (evil) sister move in to help with Scout and Jem. While I assume Lee included Aunt Alexandra to further contrast and exalt Calpurnia's character, I preferred the theatrical version where Calpurnia had the exclusive matriarchal role.

As it happens, in October 2019, the last time I've been to a theatre, I saw To Kill a Mockingbird at the Stratford Festival with my wife, son and late father. It was also the last outing with my dad, who was 91 at the time...


Yep. Four white people going out to see a play about privileged people risking their lives to help oppressed people. What's the world coming to, eh?

—John C. A. Manley

PS While they are banning To Kill a Mockingbird from schools, I'm happy to say that Much Ado About Corona has been appearing in libraries across Canada and the United States. If you want to have it added to your library, head over here for instructions.

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