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The new Peter Parker has a new Aunt May.

According to Variety, Marisa Tomei is reportedly playing Aunt May in Sony and Marvel's upcoming "Spider-Man" installment. The 50-year-old's casting may come as a surprise, though, since the character has previously been played by older actresses.

Rosemary Harris was 74 years old when she played Aunt May on the big screen in Sam Raimi's first "Spider-Man" film in 2002. And Sally Field, who played Aunt May in Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man" in 2012, was 65 years old when the reboot hit theaters. It makes sense why the studios would look to cast a younger Aunt May though, since their new Peter Parker, Tom Holland, is currently 19 years old.

Before you see Tomei on the big screen though, you'll see her guest star on Fox's "Empire." The actress will play new character Mimi Whiteman, a lesbian billionare.

Sony and Marvel had no comment on the "Spider-Man" report.

For more, head to Variety.

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The star of "Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man," Internet personality Michael Buckley is making the leap from YouTube to the New York stage. Although this may seem like an ambitious foray, the 40-year-old comedian sees his off-Broadway turn as a full-circle moment of sorts. 

"I am really grateful for the opportunity to be on stage again," the self-professed "theater geek," whose quick-witted, zany pop culture observations have made his YouTube videos must-see weekly viewing, told The Huffington Post. "I never wanted to say it out loud, because, in a way, I was too nervous to put it out to the universe." 

In the three-character comedy, which is based on the book of the same name, a gay man (played by Buckley) shares lovemaking tips with a hapless straight woman ("That's So Raven" star Anneliese van der Pol). Adding additional titillation to the audience-participatory act is a hunky, Eastern European stage assistant (Mat Leonard). 

Now in the middle of his four-night New York run, Buckley took time off from his performance schedule to chat with The Huffington Post about his off-Broadway debut, an opening night wardrobe malfunction and, of course, sex tips.

What's the best sex advice you've personally ever given a straight woman?

I tell all my married friends; you just have to do it. The more sex you have, the more sex you want. And if he/she is not getting it from you, he/she is likely getting it from someone else, or is wildly addicted to pornography. I never understand when people say they have not had sex with their spouse in years! If you are both asexual, by all means enjoy that, but most people want sex! People often say they don’t feel connected to their partner so they do not want to have sex. They need to realize having sex is a great way to connect. I know people love spontaneous sex, but it does not hurt to put it on the To-Do list sometimes!

When it came to making your off-Broadway stage debut, why did "Sex Tips" feel like a good match? 

I am playing a gay man and the setting is a book club. I am not doing Shakespeare, so I thought this was a good way to tip my toe back into the theater without freaking myself out. I read the script and thought it was funny and trusted that I could be funny in the role.

It seems like someone with your following would be offered other stage roles. Has acting been something you've been want to do for a while? 

Being a YouTuber kinda derails you from many of your previous dreams and you have to make sure you go back and remember all the other things you wanted to do too! I would love to do more theater and have one man shows I have been working on for years that I would love to do in New York!

For fans of your Internet persona, how much of the "Buck Hollywood" they know and love makes its way into your character in the show?

(laughs) I kept asking the director and writer if they wanted me to be "gayer." I feel they definitely gave me permission to bring as much of myself to the role as I wanted. The character of Dan reminds me of me in that he is very joy-filled and really wants to make people’s lives better -- in his case, by offering sex tips. But yes, it is plenty of me, certainly camped up for the stage!

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“If you ask me if I am fluent in Spanish, I will tell you that my Spanish is an itchy phantom limb; it is reaching for words and only finding air.”

These words are the beginning of Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s slam poem, “My Spanish.” The 22-year-old spoken word artist delivered her performance during the Women of the World Poetry Slam 2015 showcase in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 21. But a video of her at the event was posted online on Monday by Button Poetry’s YouTube channel.

 In the poem, Lozada-Oliva expresses the fleeting nature of the language in her life and connects it to her own life memories.

She continues: “My Spanish is my third birthday party, half of it is memory the other half is that photograph on the fridge; is what my family has told me.”

The Boston-based artist also compares her memory of Spanish to how she remembers her parent’s divorce: “chaotic, broken, something I have to choose to remember correctly.”

“At first, I wanted to write a poem about how my parents met in an ESL class,” Lozada-Oliva told The Huffington Post via e-mail. “My mom is from Guatemala and my dad is from Colombia and they never would have met without their common need to learn English in Boston.”

“In a lot of ways I think it reflects my whole life and identity,” she continued. “I'm fascinated by the fact that English and their dreams of this country brought them together and in some ways, tore them apart. But there was still love there, you know? I wanted to investigate that love.”

She said the poem was also a way to find an answer to the question she often gets: “Are you fluent in Spanish?"

“Small talk questions about one’s identity usually have nothing to do with them as a person,” Lozada-Oliva said. “I feel that the answers people are looking for are a party trick or skillset. I wanted to write a poem that combated that.”

 While the artist understands that her poem is based on her personal experiences and connection the language, she hopes the words in her poem will resonate with others in her community.

“I just hope my pocket of experience will help other Latinos and Latinas understand that their story is valuable and also needs to be told,” Lozada-Oliva concluded.

Watch the full performance in the video above.

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Just like Jon Snow, Kit Harington knows nothing, at least when it comes to his tennis player, Charles Poole.

In a new clip from HBO's upcoming sports mockumentary, "7 Days In Hell," Harington's Poole proves to be quite the dimwit. When an interviewer asks Poole how he continues to be the No. 2 tennis player in the world, Poole responds with a thorough, step-by-step explanation of how to play tennis. Oh, sweet, blockheaded, beardless Harington.

"7 Days In Hell" follows Harington's Poole and Andy Samberg's Aaron Williams during a (fictional) epic weeklong Wimbledon match. Watch the two tennis rivals duke it out on the court when the mockumentary airs on HBO on July 11.

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Here's a photo of Kim Kardashian wearing a weird nude bodysuit while posing on a pile of dirt for System Magazine.

Styled by her husband Kanye West and shot by Juergen Teller in the French countryside earlier this year when Kim was still in her platinum-phase, we imagine the reality star thinks the whole photo shoot, which also featured her posing on top of hay, was really "edgy." 

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What the hell kind of feral beasts are you becoming, America? Last night, Patti LuPone had to confiscate a woman's phone when she was texting in the front row of Lincoln Center Theater, and you know what? Patti LuPone is a goddamned American hero. 

Enough is enough. It was just last week some other feral person jumped on stage at a Broadway show to charge his phone. At a Broadway goddamned show. First of all, your phone does not need to be charged, because it should be off. Second of all, IT'S A BROADWAY GODDAMNED SHOW. 

Have some self-respect. Y'all are acting like you were raised by wolves. Self-involved wolves with opposable thumbs whose highly evolved nature has led you to stare constantly at your phones. But wolves nonetheless.

The theater used to be a place of elegance and high culture. There used to be a certain dress code, an inherent level of respect required walking in the door. Now, half of the audience shows up in flip flops, looking like they are about to tailgate a Little League game. 

But fine, whatever, dress like a slob with no respect. Patti LuPone can't make you have dignity. Patti LuPone can't force you to refer to it as "intermission" and not "halftime." But Patti LuPone can, 100 percent, definitely tell you to put your phone away. She can and she will, people.

Honestly, what are you even doing on your phone in the first place? Are you updating your Facebook status with "seeing patti lupone -- feeling cultural"? Taking some selfies with Patti LuPone on stage in the background? Tweeting at Patti LuPone to tell her she's doing a good job?

Next time you think the world wants to hear your every waking thought, check in with this quick, self-administered questionnaire:

-- Am I Barack Obama? Y/N.

-- Am I Malala Yousafzai? Y/N.

-- Am I Beyoncé? Y/N.

If the answer to any of those questions is "yes," then, fine, continuing being a thought leader during the two hours you should be relaxing and watching the show. Otherwise, do not be texting. Do not be tryna hop on stage to charge your phone. Honestly, even Beyoncé shouldn't be allowed to get away with sh-t like that. But she never would because she is an elegant goddess and paragon of grace, so it's a non-issue.

In conclusion: stop it. If you have any questions, please throw them in the trash with your goddamned phones. 

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As if to taunt the Southern California wasteland and its lack of natural precipitation, the wildly popular "Rain Room" is coming to the Los Angeles Museum of Art. As experienced by those willing to stand in line outside MoMA for eight hours in 2013, the installation promises all the staggering visuals of standing amidst an eternally torrential downpour, without ever getting wet. 

The "Rain Room," conceived of by London-based art collective rAndom International, hits that money-making sweet spot at the nexus of cultural outing, enchanting entertainment and unmissable Instagram opportunity. During its 11-week run in New York City, an average of 1,000 people a day visited the installation, according to The LA Times.

The artwork takes the shape of a 2,500 square-foot room, equipped with body-mapping cameras and nine controllable spouts. Around 2,500 liters of water fall from the ceiling at 1,000 liters per minute, and are then filtered and cycled back for another journey. The sensors allow visitors -- five to seven at a time, to be exact -- to move freely through the space unsoaked, like Moses, or the opposite of Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show."

"The work was created to heighten awareness of people's own presence in space," the artist collective explained of the work. "'Rain Room' physically represents personal space and casts a light on the different behaviors this space elicits." (Selfies.) 

Regarding the decision to simulate a never-ending rainstorm amidst California's three-year dry spell, we're a little stumped. However, a museum spokeswoman ensured The LA Times that the installation was environmentally sensitive, recycling its water through a closed-loop system with minimal evaporation and replenishment, and all water is sourced from the museum's clean water supply.

Another surprising detail: the exhibition will be co-presented by RH Contemporary Art, a division of furniture company Restoration Hardware, who also commissioned the original MoMA piece.

If you've got eight hours and $15 to spare (on top of the price of standard LACMA admission price) head on over to the museum between November 1, 2015 and March 3, 2016 for what's sure to be an enchanting experience ... and potential new profile picture. Bring snacks for the line.

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What do Muslims in America have to laugh about?

Quite a lot, say the organizers of New York City’s -- and possibly America’s -- first-ever Muslim stand-up comedy festival.

The Muslim Funny Fest, slated to take place between July 21 and 23, will bring 14 Muslim entertainers together for a bit of comic relief. 

Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid, the two comedians co-producing the event, have been putting together the New York Arab American Comedy Festival for the past 11 years. But this year, they felt it was important to rally around the shared experience of growing up Muslim in America, and use comedy to process that experience.

"Even though all the comedians are Muslims, we all have very different experiences, whether it is the culture we grew up in or the extent to which we practice our faith," Zayid told The Huffington Post. "The common link that, sadly, brings us together is the bigotry and hatred we are currently experiencing as American Muslims, and I am hoping that the Muslim Funny Fest will do something to dilute that hate." 

American attitudes toward Muslims have taken a turn for the worse in recent years.

In 2010, close to half of Muslim-Americans said they’d experienced some form of personal racial or religious discrimination. And Muslims are viewed more coldly than any other major religious group in the country, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center poll.

"The United States is scared of two things: black people and Muslims," comedian Preacher Moss says in a trailer for the fest. "I've got the best of both worlds." 

The festival will feature stars like Negin Farsad, a producer, actor and social justice activist, "Mo" Amer, who was part of the comedy tour "Allah Made Me Funny," and Azhar Usman, a former attorney who has performed stand-up on five continents.

Obeidallah said that one of his biggest hopes for the festival is that the audience is diverse and that it includes non-Muslims of many faiths and backgrounds. 

"We felt really strongly the need to show people that Muslims can be funny, that we have a sense of humor, and most importantly, that we can laugh at ourselves," he said.  

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Clearly the film industry has run out of any and all good, original ideas. Sadly, the unstoppable remake machine is about to touch a cinematic classic.

On Thursday, AMBI Group announced plans to remake Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita." The company has reached an agreement with the Italian director's family and estate to make a modern retelling of the 1960 film. The filmmaker's niece, Francesca Fellini, said in a statement that while the family has been approached about remakes and sequels before, AMBI Group's Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi changed their minds.

The original "La Dolce Vita" follows Marcello Mastroianni's gossip journalist over a week traveling through Rome. In a statement, Iervolino said that the contemporary remake of the film will be "every bit as commercial, iconic and award-worthy as the original." We can't help but wonder one thing, though: Why?

With nearly every movie being remade, adapted into a musical, reworked for a sequel, revamped for a modern interpretation or rebooted for the small screen, nothing is safe these days. Nope, not even a Palme d'Or-winning, influential Fellini classic. While there are some noteworthy and partially original recreations in the works, like Paul Feig's all-female "Ghostbusters" and Netflix's clever take on a "Wet Hot American Summer" prequel -- it takes us back to the first day of Camp Firewood -- the majority of other remakes are simply unnecessary.

What's next, a "Citizen Kane" remake? Hey, why don't we turn Ingmar Bergman's filmography into a musical web series? What about a reboot of Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot "Psycho" remake? Brilliant!

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"Kimono Wednesdays" sounds more like an ill-advised sorority ritual than sanctioned museum programming. And yet, this month, at the MFA Boston, museumgoers lined up to touch and try on kimonos in front of Claude Monet's "La Japonaise."

It wasn't long before protestors spoke out both on social media and on the museum grounds, dubbing the initiative to be culturally insensitive and racist. Critics pointed out that, even worse, the garments on display were actually uchikake, not kimonos. Insert forehead slap.

As a result of the outrage, the MFA swiftly canceled "Kimono Wednesdays," which was scheduled to continue until July 29.

Originally imagined to accompany Monet's "La Japonaise," a painting of the artist's wife Camille Doncieux posing with a fan and kimono, the program encouraged visitors to "channel your inner Camille Monet" by posing in similar garb. 

What's strange is that Monet's piece is often interpreted as a satirical response to the absurd, fetishistic craze of the Japanese aesthetic sweeping Paris around 1876, at the time of the work's creation. Instead of sparking a dialogue around the problematic Orientalism of the time, it seems the MFA engaged in a little fetishism of its own. 

In an extensive tumblr post from "Stand Against Yellow Face," protestors elaborated on the many supremacist aspects of the work's presentation. "What is the value of inviting the public to then dress up and participate in the very thing Monet was critiquing? Why not choose a print from the Hokusai exhibit to highlight the experience of Japanese women? Or why not provide a discussion on the historical context and criticality about the 1870’s obsession?"

Protestors who gathered in person held signs reading messages such as: "It's not racist if you look cute & exotic in it besides the MFA supports this!"

"There is no education on the garment’s origin, history, uses, or importance in Japanese society at the time," Stand Against Yellow Face explained on Facebook. "The act of non-Japanese museum staff throwing these kimonos on visitors as a 'costume' event is an insult not only to our identities, experiences, and histories as Asian-Americans in America, but affects how society as a whole continues to typecast and deny our voices today … A willingness to engage thoughtfully with museum employees and visitors on the bullshit of this white supremacist ‘costume’ event are [sic] welcome.”

Stand Against Yellow Face's tumblr memorandum also elaborates on why the choice to exhibit traditional Japanese dress in this way, even if not meant to be offensive, is damaging and hurtful. "Orientalism exoticizes (read: others, demeans and obscures) many cultures including South Asian, East Asian and Middle Eastern traditions, and resulting aggressive attitudes (both micro and macro) towards Orientalized peoples persist to this day."

On July 7, the MFA released a statement announcing a shift in programming, where visitors will be allowed to touch with and interact with the historically accurate kimonos on display, but not try them on. 

As Katie Getchell, deputy director of the museum, told the Observer, the MFA thought "Kimono Wednesdays" would be a success in part due to the popularity of similar programs in Japanese museums including the Setagaya in Tokyo, The Kyoto Municipal Museum, and The Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, when "La Japonaise" was on loan.

In its July 7 statement, the museum apologized for offending any visitors. Despite this, protestor Aparna "Pampi" Das told the BBC that despite the MFA's statement, protests will continue until the museum issues a formal apology and opens a panel including protestors to discuss the incident in public.

The MFA wrote in an email to the Huffington Post that the museum is not making any statements in relation to the protestor's new demands.

See more Twitter reactions to the controversy as well as the full list of FAQs from Standing Against Yellow-Face below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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Female viewers flocked to the theaters to watch "Magic Mike XXL" when the flick hit the big screen last week. And many of its fans have praised the film for its feminism.

The sequel, which follows Channing Tatum and his band of male entertainers as they make their way to their final performance at a stripper convention, has been applauded for its progressive depiction of women of various ages, body types and races, its  powerful female characters and its positive embrace of female sexuality. As the Washington Post's Soraya Nadia McDonald noted, "Magic Mike XXL" even passed the Bechdel test.

As entertainment writer for Cosmopolitan.com Patti Greco told HuffPost Live, the film's writers may have intended to make buddy comedy, but the end result was completely different.

"Ultimately, what came out of it was a movie that centered on the idea that women's pleasure really mattered very much," Greco told host Caroline Modaressy-Tehrani. "[There were] a bunch of great female characters who actually helped write their parts. Jada Pinkett-Smith, [who was] a revelation in this and arguably was the most empowering and feminist part of the movie, really brought that role to the table, same with Andie MacDowell."

Greco also applauded the character development of the film's male stars and responded to the critique that "Magic Mike XXL" objectifies men and promotes unrealistic body standards.

"If these guys were just chiseled lunks, nobody would be that attracted to them. They actually have personality," she said. "They actually have sensitivity and so they are feminine in some ways and it plays with the idea that you can't just be a hunk of meat. You also have to be sensitive to satisfy a woman."

Still the movie had its flaws, Deadspin senior culture editor Puja Patel noted.

"There are times where the film is clearly pandering a little bit," she said. "These women kind of become a prop to tell the males character development or the story that these men are healers in some way."

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation about the feminist themes in "Magic Mike XXL" here.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live’s morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before.

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“I get a lot of questions from strangers who think that because my wheelchair puts me at a lower height, the walls surrounding my personal life must be lower too.” 

So begins Kelsey Warren’s riveting spoken word poem called "My Body." As a disabled woman, Warren discusses the rude stares and even ruder questions she constantly receives. Although she says these run-of-the-mill intrusions don't bother her any longer, she points out one question she recently received that really got under her skin: 

“So do you like let your partner have a side relationship so they can have normal sex every once in awhile?” 

“Honey,” she replies to the question in her performance. “If they’re with me, they’re not looking for normal and I don’t mean because I’m crippled.” 

Warren goes on to explain that her sex is exciting and comfortable and sensual -- really anything but "normal" and that's why it's so good. “Sex with me is never normal," she tells the crowd. "Cripple copulation may be slightly more complicated, but it is always climactic. Not once has someone that I had sex wit said my sex was less than.”

She proudly proclaims her body is beautiful. "This body wasn’t made to meet your definition of desirable," Warren says. "This body doesn’t exist to be taken or left. This body is broken but it is beautiful."

With her powerful delivery, Warren nears the end of the poem with a truth all women can heed: "My body will not be denied its worth. My body will keep the job of being my body, perfectly."

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One woman is depicting female sexuality in its most honest, natural state.

Lauren Crow, a photographer based out of Portland, Oregon, photographed women while they were masturbating to show what female pleasure really looks like. Instead of depicting the common cultural assumption that women's pleasure is solely for the consumption of men -- so often seen in movies and porn -- Crow is illustrating real women having real orgasms. 

"In a patriarchal society, women are flooded with information on how to be and how to look in order to please others, namely men," Crow wrote on her website. "In terms of female pleasure, we are rarely shown what it really looks like." 

Far too often, popular representations of sex hide female sexuality, either by highlighting only male pleasure or illustrating flawed depictions of female orgasms. These depictions can lead to a distorted perception of female pleasure, for women themselves and their partners. Crow hopes to change that by revealing messy, sweaty and honest images of women climaxing. 

"I think honest depictions of female sexuality and pleasure is important because every female-identified person has enough issues with media telling her she is wrong or not good enough," Crow said.  

Crow wants to empower all women to understand that pleasure is pleasure -- and you don't need to look gorgeous to feel it. "We need more media telling us we are beautiful, unique and wonderful and that there is no wrong way to look while enjoying yourself," Crow told The Huffington Post.   

Scroll below to see 14 images of the beautiful, disheveled and real depictions of women orgasming. 

Head over to Crow's website to see more of her work.  

 H/T Refinery29

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In 1957, when she was 31 years old, Harper Lee submitted her first attempt at a novel to the publisher J.B. Lippincott.

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In 1941, the comic-book world was introduced to a confident if slightly dweeby redhead named Archie Andrews. He stood smugly on top of a bicycle seat near a caption dubbing him “America’s boyfriend.” The feat was an attempt to impress his neighbor, a coquettish blonde looking on coyly. “You’re awful clever,” she marvels, flipping her blond tresses to and fro. She stands with her knees capped and her chest puffed out -- like a child, but with womanly curves.

Thankfully, times have changed in the past 75 years, and this sort of representation of women -- as wide-eyed, ego-boosting props -- wouldn’t fly today. But, until recently, the "Archie" series was woefully behind the times. Sure, there've been a few perplexing attempts to keep the franchise fresh; In "Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty" our freckled hero dies, and in "Afterlife with Archie" he battles the undead. 

And, of course, there was the long-running "Betty and Veronica" spinoff, ostensibly bringing the series’ female protagonists to the forefront since its creation in 1950. But the  young women still served as Archie’s foils (the series is called “Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica," after all) exhibiting few interests outside of those that served the purposes of impressing him. 

This year at Comic-Con in San Diego, the first issue of an Archie remake was unveiled, and its representation of women -- and teen life in general -- is a much-needed improvement. Created by comic book artist Fiona Staples (who shaped the style of the popular “Saga” series) and writer Mark Waid (who’s spoken openly about gender roles and comics), its first issue features a slightly familiar-looking, denim jacket-donning redhead who’s coping with his first big breakup.

The installment still has the decidedly wholesome tone the comic’s creators have always backed, but it’s got an edge and an honesty that the series has long lacked. By the second panel, students of color are represented laughing alongside Archie, and not a single unrealistically long-limbed blonde is in sight.

When we do meet Betty, Archie muses, “she smells like flowers and motor oil.” She’s got a bit of the Gillian Flynn-trademarked “Cool Girl” air -- a messy updo and the chops to repair cars -- but in the first installment alone, she has agency. She isn’t going out of her way to make amends with her ex-beau, and her casual look isn’t angled to impress. Her outfits are only occasionally form-fitting, and she even has (gasp!) a muscular frame.

Compare this with a four-issue series released earlier this year -- “Farewell Betty and Veronica” -- and the differences in how the heroine speaks and dresses are clear. On the cover of “Farewell,” Bettie’s lips are unrealistically full, her hair implausibly shiny. Her hot pink T-shirt is as ridiculous as rocking a scrunchie in 2015 -- which she’s also doing, rather earnestly. She’s pitted against her frenemy Veronica, who’s long been characterized as silly, high-maintenance and more forthright about her romantic pursuits. (Waid and Staples's rethinking of Veronica's character will be revealed in the reboot's second issue, when the Lodges move to Riverdale.)

That the pair’s narratives have always been presented in direct opposition is about as old-fashioned and offensive as allowing two women to duke it out for the title of “The Bachelorette,” yet that’s been the trend in the series since its inception.

Thumbing through issues as a kid in the '90s and early '00s, I felt a sense of dread when faced with what at the time seemed like an existential question akin to Hogwarts house placement. Was I a Betty, or was I a Veronica? The former was boring, like playing house; the latter was frightening -- Veronica was always stirring up trouble. I remember deciding, ultimately, that I’d rather be the rebellious one, but wondered with each page whether Veronica would ever win over Archie’s heart for good, or whether her rowdy tendencies would cost her the romantic happiness she pursued. 

Obviously, this is a horrible dichotomy to present to young girls. Worse even than Bella’s waffling between a rowdy wolf and a thoughtful vampire. At least with Twilight, the heroine is choosing who to be with, not who to be. Her personality wavers little in the face of lovesickness, whereas Betty and Veronica, from the ‘40s till now, have prioritized approval.

But, if the tone of this first foray back to Riverdale continues throughout the reboot, we can wave goodbye to the one-dimensional sterility that’s come to define the world of Archie. The idealized suburb, where there's nothing better to do but quibble over boys, may seem pleasant to some, but at the cost of a flat representation of most, not least of all Betty and Veronica.

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Amidst the building anticipation for Harper Lee’s novel Go Set a Watchman, which releases in full on Tuesday, July 14, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian have published excerpts of the book’s first chapter. 

The latter publication dressed up the text with illustrations and an audio recording by Reese Witherspoon, whose smooth voice accompanies the chapter perfectly. The former took a no-frills approach, allowing readers to interpret the text as they please.

The novel begins with a grown-up Scout, known now as Jean Louise Finch, taking a regular visit back home, riding a train from New York to Maycomb rather than her preferred route, by air. The story’s told in third person; we learn that Jean Louise, like Scout, “was a person who, when confronted with an easy way out, always took the hard way.”

Enthusiasm, along with criticism, is already rolling in. Some readers are celebrating further insight into Scout’s adult lives, while others are lamenting the quality of the writing.

Below, Twitter’s responses to the first chapter of Go Set a Watchman:

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