Lee's hometown celebrates release of 'Watchman'

MONROEVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Author Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville buzzed with excitement Tuesday over the release of her novel "Go Set a Watchman," which was actually the first draft of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Both books are set in the fictitious town of Maycomb, which was modeled after Monroeville. A full day of celebrations unfolded in the small Alabama town with parties, readings and tours.

Amid the hoopla, there also was trepidation and disbelief that the character Atticus Finch, the model of integrity who defended a black man wrongly accused of rape in the 1930s in "Mockingbird," is portrayed as a racist 20 years later in "Watchman."

Here are some scenes from Monroeville.

HOW WERE THE READINGS RECEIVED?

Throughout the day, volunteers took turns reading from "Watchman" inside the high-ceilinged courtroom of the old Monroe County Courthouse.

Ann-Michael Winstead, of North Carolina, read part of the book where Atticus Finch defends segregation in a verbal showdown with daughter Jean Louise.

"Do you want your children going to a school that's been dragged down to accommodate Negro children," Finch asks his daughter.

After the reading, Winstead wiped tears from her eyes.

"It was tough. You grow up with this book. ... You think of him as the perfect gentleman, colorblind," the 20-year-old Winstead said.

People came and went in the courtroom throughout the day, with as many as 20 people listening at a time.

Winstead read one passage that included a racial slur. She said while it was uncomfortable, she wasn't going to change Lee's words.

WHERE IS LEE?

Lee, also known as Nelle, is expected to spend the day as she usually does at the 15-person assisted-living facility where she is closely guarded and only a short list of pre-approved visitors are allowed to see her.

Wayne Flynt, a historian and author, said he visited her on Monday and handed her an inch-thick stack of news articles and printouts from around the world about the release of "Watchman."

"She chortled," Flynt told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "She's absolutely delighted. I think she's a bit overwhelmed."

While Lee's day is expected to be normal, "normal means monotonous and boring, except when you just took over the media of the entire world, in which case it's a lot more exciting," he said.

Flynt said he summarized some of the reviews to Lee, who is 89 and mostly deaf and blind.

"She is processing all of this with good humor and a little bit of understanding of how over the top it is," Flynt said.

TOWN OWES IDENTITY

TO "MOCKINGBIRD'

Monroeville, the sleepy city of 6,000, has forever intertwined its identity with "Mockingbird." The rarely seen Lee, in a way, is the town's largest commodity.

"Watchman" put both back in the international spotlight.

News trucks parked beside the magnolia trees outside the old courthouse. Tourists frantically waved hand-held paper fans, emblazoned with the image of the "Watchman" book jacket as they tried to cool themselves in 98-degree heat.

"She's the town's legacy of course. The town depends on her. She's like the lifeblood of the town," said Spencer Madrie, owner of a Monroeville book store.

REMEMBERING THE PAST

For some, "Watchman" is a poignant but painful reminder of the segregation and prejudice that existed in Monroeville in the 1950s.

Mary Tucker, who is black, said she remembered going into a Monroeville dress shop and being told she could only try the dress on over her clothes, not next to her skin.

"We couldn't sit downstairs at the movies, so of course we didn't go," she said.

Tucker said the portrayal of Atticus Finch in "Watchman" - he attends White Citizens' Council meetings and defends segregation - would have been an accurate depiction of how many prominent Monroeville men felt at the time.