Harper Lee once denied Oprah an interview by comparing herself to Boo Radley

Harper Lee
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The first chapter of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman was released earlier this week, and a lot of folks were none too pleased to learn of Atticus Finch's racism. Whether or not you're keen to start the To Kill a Mockingbird precursor shrouded in controversy, Oprah Winfrey's self-told story about trying — and failing — to interview the legendary author is delightful.

The Guardian published Saturday an excerpt of Scout, Atticus & Boo where Oprah describes her encounter with Lee:

She said to me, "You know the character Boo Radley? Well, if you know Boo, then you understand why I wouldn’t be doing an interview. Because I am really Boo." I knew we were not going to bring Boo Radley out to sit on the Oprah show. [The Guardian]

Oprah also shared that as a kid reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time, she wished she were Scout. Read more of her lovely tribute to the iconic book and its author here.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.