Hot off the Internet: Harper Lee's first 'Watchman' chapter

Marissa Brent-Tookey • Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Hot off the Internet: Harper Lee's first 'Watchman' chapter</h1>
                <h2><p>Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" follow-up, "Go Set a Watchman" has seen its fair share of controversy, and it hasn't even been released yet. But as of today, the Washington Post and the Guardian both have the first chapter online for</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/marissa-brent-tookey-crosscut-com/">Marissa Brent-Tookey</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" follow-up, "Go Set a Watchman" has seen its fair share of controversy, and it hasn't even been released yet. But as of today, the <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-read-the-first-chapter-1436500861?ref=avalancheghost.one">Washington Post</a> and the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2015/jul/10/go-set-a-watchman-read-the-first-chapter?ref=avalancheghost.one">Guardian</a> both have the first chapter online for anyone to read (or listen to, as narrated by Reese Witherspoon). So prepare for a flood of praise and criticism. People are already getting creative in their commentary: <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/10/opinions/harper-lee-first-chapter-review/index.html?ref=avalancheghost.one">CNN compares the release to an ABBA reunion</a>, a <a href="https://twitter.com/slaughterwrites/status/619496844096311296?ref=avalancheghost.one">Twitter user decries the chapter's lack of sharks</a>, and the <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/07/10/22524387/the-first-chapter-of-harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-is-so-fucking-good?ref=avalancheghost.one">Stranger wishes Witherspoon read with a slightly slurred Southern drawl</a>. Digressions aside, there's a lot of excitement over Lee's first published book in 55 years — on shelves July 14.</p>
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Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" follow-up, "Go Set a Watchman" has seen its fair share of controversy, and it hasn't even been released yet. But as of today, the Washington Post and the Guardian both have the first chapter online for anyone to read (or listen to, as narrated by Reese Witherspoon). So prepare for a flood of praise and criticism. People are already getting creative in their commentary: CNN compares the release to an ABBA reunion, a Twitter user decries the chapter's lack of sharks, and the Stranger wishes Witherspoon read with a slightly slurred Southern drawl. Digressions aside, there's a lot of excitement over Lee's first published book in 55 years — on shelves July 14.

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By Marissa Brent-Tookey

Marissa Brent-Tookey is an editorial intern at Crosscut. She holds a B.A. in French from Seattle University and now studies film production at Shoreline Community College. In addition to crewing a doz