Special Harper Lee event planned to toast release of ‘lost’ novel

The folks at Anderson’s Bookshops have come up with a very cool eventg to celebrate the release of Harper Lee’s new “Go Set a Watchman” novel, and provide customers with the chance to be among the very first to get their hands on the book. Written in the 1950s, the manuscript was only recently discovered.

“Go Set a Watchman” was actually penned before Lee’s iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and was the author’s first book submitted to publishers. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014. “Watchman” features many of the characters who appear in “Mockingbird,” only set 20 years later.

The book officially releases on July 14, but Anderson’s is hosting a creative event at 8 p.m. July 13 at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. The evening will include experts and educators discussing “To Kill a Mockingbird” and its ongoing significance. Performers will share scenes from the book as well. That will be followed by a screening of the Oscar-winning 1962 film, starring Gregory Peck. All of this will lead up to the stroke of midnight, when ticket holders will be given their copies of “Go Set a Watchman” — becoming among the first in the country to own the book.

Tickets to the event at $36 and include a copy of “Go Set a Watchman.” Because of the recent tragedy in Charleston, S.C., a portion of ticket sales to the July 13 event will go to the memorial fund established to honor Charleston librarian Cynthia Graham Hurd, killed in the shooting at the Mother Emanuel Church. The donation is appropriate, given Lee’s books reflect the nation’s ongoing struggle with racial issues.

Tickets to the event will be sold at both Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville and Downers Grove, or online at andersonsbookshop.com