DeKALB | The tense and muggy Maycomb, Ala, courtroom was filled to capacity. Cameras of all kinds lined the back wall as the audience focused on the action.

The closing deliberations were presented in Tom Robinson’s assault case against Mayella Ewell.

Though the crowd had no problem showing emotion during the trial, when the final verdict was read, the audience sat in silence despite knowing the outcome long before stepping into the courtroom.

Monday’s mock trial was the inaugural event in the DeKalb Public Library’s Second Annual The Big Read. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” was chosen by the library to be the focus of the month-long celebration.

“The trial scene is one of the most powerful in the book,” said Kathy Keys, public-relations coordinator at the DeKalb Public Library. “It’s a very moving scene that is going to be a great kick-off for the event.”

Led by the event organizer, Dee Coover, the library received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The library spent the entire grant to purchase 5,000 copies of the book, which will be available for free to anyone who attends one of the numerous library sponsored events.

The mock trial was performed by volunteers of the DeKalb County Bar Association.

“It’s said lawyers are frustrated actors,” said State’s Attorney Ron Matekaitis.

He went on to say that some phrases and words from the racially charged novel may shock and surprise the audience, but they are necessary to bring their underlying issues to light.

Keys said one of the reasons the book was chosen was for its overt racial issues that are as prevalent today as they were when it was written in 1960. She said the Democratic nomination of Barack Obama for president also played a role in choosing the book.

Despite the performers’ only rehearsal taking place one hour before the performance, Coover said the trial was fabulous and perfect.

“It was an excellent community event that was a great cooperative venture,” said Maureen Josh, an organizer of the event. “I think it’s going to be a big boon for The Big Read.”

The performance was given a twist with the usage of a non-traditional casting. Men’s and women’s roles were reversed in some cases, as were black and white roles.

“It was really neat to have the lawyers taking on a persona of someone that they contradict physically,” said Nick Alberts, attorney at the Law Office of Deborah Ullrich, who was friends with some of the performers.

Coover said the decision was made to “throw the casting up in the air” to see what would happen.

“The message is in Harper Lee’s words,” she said.

Coover said readers are more than two-and-a-half times more likely to volunteer in their community than nonreaders, which makes reading an engaging activity.

“If you’re not engaged in reading,” she said, “you’re not engaged in the world.”