Dr. Jennifer Garlen Presents a Celebration of Harper Lee

Dr. Jennifer Garlen presented a celebration of beloved Southern author, Harper Lee, on the eve of the publication of her second novel today. In addition to the speaker’s presentation, attendees enjoyed deliciously Southern refreshments and special access to the reserve list for Go Set a Watchman. One lucky attendee won a gift basket.

The arrival of Harper Lee's second book, Go Set a Watchman, makes the summer of 2015 an especially appropriate time to revisit her 1960 debut, To Kill a Mockingbird, which earned the Pulitzer Prize and became a beloved American classic. Reading this iconic novel is more than an exercise in nostalgia, however, since Lee's themes and problems are still very much with us today. The author's brilliant handling of such thorny issues as racial prejudice, injustice, class inequality, and even gender roles makes To Kill a Mockingbird as much a work for the present moment as it was for the 1960s.

Enjoy the photo album

Speaker Bio: Dr. Jennifer C. Garlen holds degrees in English Literature from Agnes Scott College, Georgia Southern University, and Auburn University. She teaches for LearningQuest in Huntsville, Alabama, and is the author of several books, including Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and the YA fantasy novel, Wierm's Egg.