But will she speak?

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On Monday, Harper Lee, the author of the 1960 novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony. The medal, America’s highest civilian honor, will be presented to her by President Bush.

Also being honored at the ceremony will be 1992 Nobel economics prize winner Gary Becker; Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project; civil rights leader Benjamin Hooks; and former congressman Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) and others. A fuller list is available from the White House.

I wonder--does the medal require any sort of acceptance speech? If it does, will we hear more than just a phrase or two from the reclusive writer? Or will Lee continue to deprive the public of any personal insights into a book that continues to stir and inspire people 47 years later?

Nick Owchar