Harper Lee wrote one of the classic novels in American history, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” was published under a cloud of controversy a few months before her death. But there was another book that Harper Lee worked on – a nonfiction story from her home state of Alabama that involved a preacher, a series of mysterious deaths, and possibly voodoo.
That story is at the center of Casey Cep’s book “Furious Hours,” which tells the story of the murder mystery and Harper Lee’s efforts to write about it. And along the way it reveals Lee as an artist who was irreparably changed – maybe even damaged – by the overwhelming success of her famous novel.
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Show notes:
- The Random House page for "Furious Hours"
- Casey Cep's original piece on Harper Lee for the New Yorker
- Cep's website, with bio and tour details
Other music in this episode courtesy of bensound.com
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SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our audience engagement manager is Joni Deutsch, and our main theme comes from Josh Turner.
