By Mary Whitfill, editor-in-chief

There is hardly an American student alive who hasn’t read, or at least been assigned, Harper Lee’s 1960 critically-acclaimed novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The coming-of-age story featuring the Finch family touched on a number of issues still prevalent today, and its 1962 film adaptation staring Gregory Peck was loved by critics everywhere.

Now, over half a century later, readers will have a chance to return to Maycomb, Ala. through the announcement of Lee’s  second novel “Go Set a Watchman.” The novel will hit shelves July 14. Although the new work was finished prior to her claim to fame, “Go Set a Watchman” is essentially a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” according to The Associated Press.

The 304-page book has an initial printing of 2 million copies planned for this summer from HarperCollins Publishers.

“It features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort,” Lee said in a press release issued by HarperCollins. “My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout’s childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (what became ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’) from the point of view of the young Scout.”

The novel, which Lee was unaware still existed, was recently re-discovered by her lawyer. Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher of HarperCollins, calls the work a “remarkable literary event.”

Since the publication of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Lee has been awarded numerous literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

According to the publisher, the book will be released as she first wrote it, with no revisions.

“Go Set a Watchman” is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Photo courtesy Kristen, Creative Commons.