Summary: Fictional work often stimulates a broader debate about politics and history. This was the case following the release of Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” in 2015. A beloved literary hero, Atticus Finch was remade into a bigoted antagonist. In today’s episode, historian and author Joseph Crespino joins Julian Zelizer to discuss the controversy that sparked following the release of “Go Set a Watchman.” Crespino, who’s written a book about Harper Lee’s writing, argues that her second book raised a number of questions about race relations and the American South.
