The Biggest Shock In Harper Lee’s New Novel: Atticus Finch, Unrepentant Racist

“Atticus Finch — the crusading lawyer of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ whose principled fight against racism and inequality inspired generations of readers — is depicted in ‘Watchman’ as an aging racist who has attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting, holds negative views about African-Americans and denounces desegregation efforts.”