The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story [Paperback]

Matt Litton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2010

The Mockingbird Parables takes readers on an inspiring and engaging journey through Harper Lee’s beloved 1960 literary masterpiece, introducing each character through the lens of faith. The enigmatic Boo Radley as an allegorical representation of God, “the divine, mysterious neighbor” who watches over, protects, and longs to know his children personally. The hero, Atticus Finch, as a model of faith, integrity, and even parenting. The main character, Scout Finch, and what she might teach us about the role of women in church and society.
The Mockingbird Parables compels us to ask the often-ignored questions: Do we truly love our neighbors? Are we building community? Are we influencing society for the better? By illuminating the parallels between Christian faith and Lee’s masterpiece, The Mockingbird Parables reaffirms the magnitude of a novel perhaps more relevant today than ever before.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Matt Litton’s story-laced and deeply insightful reflections call us to be as wise and courageous in putting our own values into action as do the characters in Harper Lee’s timeless novel. (Daniel Taylor, English Professor, Bethel University )

From the Back Cover

For many of us, To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book to evoke a moral and spiritual stirring. Perhaps we read it for a high school English class or at the urging of a friend, never imagining how powerful a story could be. By the end, we were left wondering whether we had even a shred of Atticus Finch’s courage, Scout’s faith in goodness, or Dill’s innocence.
In The Mockingbird Parables, Matt Litton journeys through Harper Lee’s beloved 1960 literary masterpiece, introducing each character through the lens of faith. The enigmatic Boo Radley as an allegorical representation of God, “the divine, mysterious neighbor” who watches over, protects, and longs to know his children personally. The hero, Atticus Finch, as a model of faith, integrity, and even parenting. The main character, Scout Finch, and what she might teach us about the role of women in church and society.
The Mockingbird Parables compels us to ask these often-ignored questions: Do we truly love our neighbors? Are we building community? Are we influencing society for the better? By illuminating the parallels between Christian faith and Lee’s masterpiece, Litton reaffirms the magnitude of a novel perhaps more relevant today than ever before.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (August 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414348347
• ISBN-13: 978-1414348346
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #766,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matt Litton is a writer, educator, and speaker. He is the author of The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives Through the Power of Story. He has written about faith and culture for a number of national publications. Matt completed his undergraduate work in English and Religious Studies and holds a Master of Arts in Education from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee. You can read more of Matt's writing by visiting www.mattlitton.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember Maycomb County?, September 10, 2010

By 

Allison Bush - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story (Paperback)

I am currently reading this book as my own personal devotional and I have found it to be exactly what I needed to hear! This book challenges its readers to seek closer community, and it is a call to love our neighbors, and many other valuable spiritual and life lessons gleaned from the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. It asks us to recall the story of the family, the people, and the town that the world fell in love with 50 years ago; and then reminds us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. Henry David Thoreau said "What I began by reading, I must finish by acting." Reading is not something that is done merely for entertainment purposes. We read to learn; and in learning, we in turn change how we think and how we act. No one can deny the value and impact that Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" has had in the literary world and beyond. How can you read a book like this and not be changed? Not be moved into action? Matt Litton reminds us on this 50 year anniversary of "To Kill a Mockingbird" to emulate what this novel has ignited within us. To remember this great American classic that changed the world, and act on it, by being an element of change within the world. Harper Lee has been quoted as saying "The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think. No book in the world equals the Bible for that." I believe the spiritual parallels in To Kill a Mockingbird are definitely not accidental or happenstance, and to have someone so gently, simply, and eloquently reveal those parallels to you, is truly a gift. I will be eagerly awaiting Mr. Litton's next book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Read, October 6, 2010

By 

Seth Caddell - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story (Paperback)

I actually picked up with book with a hint of hesitation. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, but I've never read a great book about a great book. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Matt Litton does an excellent job of drawing various lessons and parables out of Lee Harper's classic novel. He breaks down everything from racism to environmental care to poverty. The book was incredible. It offered excellent insights and showed that the author really did have a strong grasp on the book. You could tell through the reading that Litton is passionate about the novel. I've gained new respect for the character of Atticus Finch and this book made me want to go re-read the book. I would highly recommend you go read this book if you're a fan of the original or if you want some excellent Christian examples in classic literature.

Also, according to the law I'm supposed to let you know that I received this book for free to review. However, in no way has that impacted my review, I wrote honestly and openly about what I thought of the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Needed Call to Living in Community, September 10, 2010

By 

Ruth M. Cook "Ruth McDow" (Jonesborough, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mockingbird Parables: Transforming Lives through the Power of Story (Paperback)

In anticipation of reading this book, I had reread To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time in several decades. As I got to know Scout and Jem and Atticus again, I saw for myself the lessons taught by their simple but costly choices to live in community with ALL of their neighbors. Matt Litton has done an outstanding job of pointing his readers back to what should be an obvious truth: the Christian life is more about loving one's neighbor than carrying signs and shouting at sinners. His simple tales of his own family's life and the bonds between him and his siblings lays a lovely groundwork for his chapters on responsibility to reach out next door or across the world. I especially enjoyed and applauded his chapter dealing with the role of women in faith. Alluding to a particular denomination's belief that women cannot play a role in pastoral leadership, he points out that "this doctrine is ironic, first, because the divine qualities of women equip them magnificently for leadership, and because the early church actually pioneered social, racial, and gender equality unlike any movement in history." This statement, among several others, calls the 21st Century church to rethink the validity of our message.

Also, thought-provoking for me as a follower of Jesus for six decades is the afterword chapter that insists that the time has come to abandon the lip-service that many Christians settle for and to ACT out the compassion/caring that we say we feel. His image of winter in Ohio (the dry leaves, the dead lawns) is especially poignant as it defines the isolation that is the reality of our frenetic lives. As he concludes his "message," pointing his readers to "the invasion of light that occured two thousand years ago," I believe that he has successfully closed the case for a rebirth of the "good neighbor." I work with college aged young people. I will be giving this book to a number of them before the first of the year, hoping that they will be convinced to follow its provocative and timeless message.