I had high hopes for this book due to the glowing amazon reviews. Also I'd read and greatly enjoyed Tevis' earlier novel, "The Man Who Fell to Earth", which is indeed a classic.However, I just found the premise (of near-future illiteracy) and story too silly to enjoy. It's a "love-story" of sorts: boy love girl but later we learn it's a one-sided affair (after he's sent to prison). Later, he escapes from jail and after a long and arduous journey gets back to the girl- then she suddenly falls for him because he's now a real he-man (all tanned and buffed)! Give me a break....oh yeah, and then the robot takes a flying leap.Seriously, Mockingbird was old-fashioned the day it was published and like "Fahrenheit 451", it's not aged well at all.