‘Go Set A Watchman’ Update: Harper Lee’s new book drops on July; Can it surpass the success of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’?

By Staff Writer

Updated: Nov 30 -0001, 00:00 AM LMT

Harper Lee's new book titled, "Go Set A Watchman" will hit bookstores on July 14. Dubbed as "To Kill A Mockingbird" sequel, can her second book meet the expectations of her loyal fans?

The book, "Go Set A Watchman" will drop this summer more than 50 years after the release of Harper Lee's famous debut novel "To Kill A Mockingbird." Although it was considered as the sequel to her first book, Lee actually wrote "Go Set A Watchman" in mid-1950s, years before the release of her acclaimed story of a young Scout Finch.

According Al Jazeera America, there were references about the second book in the letters between Harper Lee and her agent, Annie Laurie Williams around 1955 to '56. When Lee started writing "To Kill A Mockingbird," the manuscript of "Go Set A Watchman" was buried under and was thought to be lost until Lee's lawyer, Tonja Carter found it.

The 88-year-old Harper Lee said that she was surprised when she found out that the original book had survived after all these years. Nevertheless, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author decided to share her first book to the public, as per The Star's report.

"After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years," said Lee.

"Go Set A Watchman" follows the life of Scout Finch, 20 years after the events in "To Kill A Mockingbird." It will feature a lot of characters from Harper's first published book as Jean Louise Finch struggles with personal and political issues.

However, there were some controversies surrounding the release of "Go Set A Watchman," as per BBC News' report. Some claim that Harper Lee does not have full control over the release of her new book while some say that she fully doesn't have any idea about what's happening given her condition.

Even so, Harper Lee's new book is already set to drop on bookstores more than 50 years after the release of her first novel, "To Kill A Mockingbird." It will follow the life of an adult Scout Finch who deals with both personal and political issues.

"Go Set A Watchman" hits bookstores on July 14, 2015.