In case you've been on a holiday to Mars for the past six months, I'll inform you that Harper Lee is this week releasing a sequel to her international bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird.
Everybody is talking about Watchman, especially after the opening chapter was released online last Friday. Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms have been engulfed in excitement and anticipation, with countless tweets and Facebook posts being written about Lee's new book every minute.
So what will 89-year-old Harper Lee make of the online storm her book is causing? How will she feel that millions will be able to access the full plot of her book (in a summary) through blogs and social media within hours of the title being released?
Lee wrote in a letter to Oprah in 2006 that:
"Instant information is not for me"adding:
"I prefer to search library stacks because when I work to learn something, I remember it".
I believe these are very wise words, especially in our fast-paced, instant communication filled society.
Let's hope people sit down, take time to read and enjoy the book, spend time reflecting on what they have read and make space in their day to really think about the issues and themes raised in the new book.
Maybe then you can log online and condense Harper Lee's masterpiece into 140-words and hashtags...
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