Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is Monroe County, Mich.,’s Big Read book for 2008.

The Big Read is a project sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, with the goal of encouraging literary reading by encouraging communities to adopt a book to read and discuss.

The Monroe Community Players kicked off the Big Read campaign with their dramatic presentation of the novel, and all of the Monroe County Library System book clubs are discussing the book during the campaign. You’ll find these events and other details listed at Monroe County Community College’s Big Read page.

The story focuses on the arrest and trial of a black man accused of rape against a white woman. The events are told through the viewpoint of the defense attorney’s grade-school daughter – who would rather scheme out mischievous pranks with her brother and a neighbor boy than wear a dress for an appearance at a ladies’ social.

Since its publication in 1960, Ms. Lee’s novel has inspired social, civil rights and legal discussions.

But the story also happens to be set in 1935, during the Great Depression, which the author saw first-hand through a young girl’s eyes.

During the worst of the Depression, according to the study guide, more than 25 percent of the labor force was unemployed. And the labor force, in those years, didn’t include many women. They were employed only in certain limited circumstances.

So one lost paycheck had much more dire ramifications for that generation than for today’s families who are more likely to have two wage earners and might be able to eke by if one job remains stable.

Given that perspective, here are financial lessons I gleaned from the book:

Families who are self-sufficient have more opportunities.

Atticus Finch came from a family whose modest cotton-growing estate was able to produce “everything required to sustain life except ice, wheat flour and articles of clothing.”

This economic stability apparently made it possible for Atticus to attend law school and work as a lawyer. The family was able to make that financial sacrifice, rather than having Atticus work in the agriculture business.

And when farmers didn’t have cash during the Great Depression, they paid their doctors and lawyers with produce and meat.

My daughter is at a four-year university and plans to have a professional career. But she also knows the value of learning homemaker and do-it-yourself “survival” skills. She might need those talents someday.

Family members help each other financially when possible.

You often read discussions in personal finance circles these days as to how much parents should contribute to a child’s education. Well, in the book, Atticus put several years of his legal earnings to helping his younger brother go to medical school.

And at one point in the story, Aunt Alexandra comes to the home to help the widowed Attitus and his housekeeper with raising the children.

These customs seem odd today. But in your own family, you might have seen free babysitting for young parents who need a night out, first-picks on hand-me-downs given to the nearest relative, and someone whose family duties include being a caregiver for someone who is ill or elderly. We still help out our family members with finances, we just do it in a different way than 70 years ago.

Charity can be embarassing for the recipient.

On the first day of school, a teacher who is new to the community notices one of her students didn’t bring a lunch.

“Here’s a quarter,” she said. “Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow.”

No, ma’am, the first-grader said.

The teacher didn’t expect that reaction. But a classmate, the lawyer’s daughter, Jean Louise “Scout”, gives the explanation: “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back – no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along with what they have.”

There is another option: Perhaps if he had the choice of earning the quarter instead of borrowing or taking it as charity, young Walter would have eaten lunch that day.

So if your family is reluctant to “accept charity,” even when you have a hard time making ends meet, make use of opportunities that aren’t officially a handout. For example, volunteer for the kitchen crew at the spaghetti dinner that raises money for your child’s school. Or find a way to pay part of the expenses even if you get approved for financial aid.

When there’s a disaster, act quickly to limit the damage.

Miss Maudie’s home caught fire one night. The neighbors jumped in with a task I wouldn’t expect anybody to do today – they started grabbing as much of her furniture as possible to haul out of the house. They were trying to limit her financial disaster.

These days, fire safety guidelines focus on getting people and pets out of the house. Property damage is expected to be covered through homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.

But you can take the “act quickly” concept and apply it to other financial disasters, such as a job loss or mortgage meltdown. Jump right in with whatever tasks need to be done immediately to mitigate the circumstances.

Treat your employees, your clients and your neighbors with respect.

Atticus Finch was appointed as the defense attorney to a case he was likely to lose. Why? Because those in the community who cared about justice knew he would treat the defendant with respect.

Readers saw that character in everyday situations such as how Atticus treated his housekeeper, and how he scolded his children for being unkind to an elderly woman and a reclusive neighbor.

At the end of the book, there’s another example: Link Deas, who gave the widowed Helen Thompson a job, found out she was being harassed on the street as she walked to work. He told the stalker in no uncertain terms to back off or face the penalty of the law.

Now, how does character relate to finances? Well, when times are tough and finances are limited, who will you choose to do business with? Which charity case will you decide to help? Who would you decide to hire?

Upon its release, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was on the hardcover best-seller list for 88 weeks. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and Universal Studios released its film adaptation in 1962.