** spoiler alert ** 
 Ok, a bit of a ramble here, simply because Facebook is a bit stupid and doesn't recognise the "mark entire review as hidden due to spoilers" bit. I must say I was really hesitant to read this due to the controversy surrounding the soundness of Ms. Lee's mind. The early review from the New York Times had me even more worried, with the major change in one of the major characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn't preorder a copy, but after reading it today, I'm currently awaiting for my copy to ship from Chapters. My fears were unfounded. If anything, I like Go Set a Watchman even more than To Kill a Mockingbird, and think it makes TKaM even more poignant. 
 First things first, let's address the whole "Erhmahgerd! Atticus Finch, the greatest hero of popular culture is racist! My dreams are totes shattered!" bit. You know what, I actually like this. I think too many people have lionised dear old Atticus because of the fantastic portrayal by Gregory Peck in the film adaptation. If anyone has been on the internets for the past 3-4 days, the outrage is astounding. So many people are boycotting this novel, claiming Lee was tricked into publishing this out of greed by her publishers and lawyer, their world is forever shattered because Lee changed Atticus from the "original" novel, and/or this was a rejected first draft of TKaM, and should have never been published. 
 The irony of this whole situation is that these non-readers of the novel are reacting in the exact same fashion Scout, now called Jean Louise, does. The major climax of the novel is Jean Louise confronting Atticus about how he could be so racist, yet staunchly defend Tom Robinson. That's the brilliance of this novel, is that while TKaM seees Atticus as a great hero through the eyes of his 6 year old daughter, we have the 26 year old version of the charcter take off her rose coloured glasses and realise that maybe her perfect father isn't so perfect afterall. Even though Atticus is racist, and it's a bitter pill for Jean Louise to swallow, she eventually realises that while flawed, she still deeply cares about her father. Her father loves her no matter what, and is actually proud of her for standing up for her convictions, and she has learned from him, despite the fact she doesn't accept the status quo of the South at this point in time. The novel shows us that our heros can be flawed, and despite their flaws, we can still learn from them, and be the best we can be. 
 Lee also demonstrates that those on the side of righteousness can also be just as bigotted as those they fight against. Jean Louise hears from her uncle that she's a bigot, because she refuses to try to see any way different from her own. She's ready to run off and completely abandon the South and her family simply because she's angry and upset that her entire world view has come crashing down about her head. I like that this is addressed, because it's still a problem very much so today. 
 To be honest, Atticus didn't upset me as much as he seems to be upsetting the internet. There's nothing in the novel version of TKaM that shows him as this great Civil Rights champion in 1930s Alabama. So to hear his views 20 years later isn't as shocking as it seems by simply reading the internet outrage. What happens between Calpurnia, the former maid of the Finches, and Jean Louise is far more heartbreaking. Arguably, Jean Louise saw Calpurnia as almost a form of a mother figure, as she was one of the dominant female figures in her formative years. In GSaW, Jean Louise visits Calpurnia after an incident concerning her grandson. Calpurnia basically rejects anything Jean Louise tries to say to her, and informs her that she never cared for the Finches at all, and they were just a means of employment for her. Unsurprisingly Jean Louise is devastated, as she feels that not only have Atticus and her boyfriend Hank (who also holds the same views on race as Atticus, being his protege in the place of Jem who died of a weak heart) betrayed her, Calpurnia has also abandoned her. This may simply be out of grief over her grandson, or it could be bitter resentment that built up over the years. We don't really know, as Lee doesn't go back to Calpurnia after this meeting. I almost wish this bit had been elaborated on more. 
 Go Set a Watchman was written prior to TKaM, but internal chronology places the novel after. I think it works quite well as a sequel, and fail to understand why people cannot see the characters of TKaM as the same ones in GSaW. They are, but they're presented in a new light. The novel is worth reading, and arguably packs a bigger punch than TKaM. The Atticus Finch of GSaW is the reason why we are where we are in regards to the present day South, and is more realistic than the one of TKaM. While TKaM is still a highly enjoyable novel, for me, GSaW has inspired me to reread and reevaluate the novel. GSaW should in no way "ruin" TKaM, like the internets claims, but should allow for a better understanding of the novel, and of the South itself.