Will I love To Kill a Mockingbird?

Many an idealistic young law student like me felt that jolt in our spine early on when we saw up in the balcony of that courthouse a sleepy Scout being told, “Stand up, Jean Louise. Your father’s passin’.”

The movie is as faithful to the novel as the medium would allow. The novel is told entirely from Scout’s POV and not only focuses upon the racism of the time and place, but also upon her coming of age as a tomboy and being told to act “As a little girl should.”

The book offers more to those of us for… show more.

I related to Atticus Finch.

He was the dad everyone wished they had. He was also a lot like my old high school football coach. There is authentic love and warmth when he and Scout are together. And there is honesty and spine when Atticus is in the courtroom, defending those who have been wrongly accused.

This beloved book has inspired generations of readers around the world. It is a morality tale about a rough and imperfect country, written in a way that has inspired idealists to stay the course in our fight for justice. We may be flawed, but… show more.

This book takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during 1933–1935. This time period was important in American history for two reasons: the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era.

The Great Depression is illustrated in the poverty that affects all of the residents of the fictional town. Even the Finches, who are the main characters, are better off than many others,  but are ultimately poor. The years depicted in the novel also fall within the much longer period of time that modern historians often refer to as the Jim Crow era. This term describes the time in the United States when… show more.

This book is about defending justice, using a legal system to fight something you know is wrong, and sticking to what is right at all costs. It is about knowing what’s right and what’s wrong.

My main character, too—Miss Pink sticks to what is right at all costs. This touching, powerful story shows the worst of people and the best. 

Although not specifically a spiritual/self-help book like my other picks, I just love it so much. It's like an old, trusted friend. I read it in high school and at least a dozen times since. It was a companion when I traveled in Europe and always helped me when I was feeling low or lost. It seemed to bring me back to my core.

The decency of the actions of Atticus the Father has served me as a guide to my wish to attain. "They just trust him to do right; it's that simple." Like my Father when I was… show more.

I think this novel did more to open white minds to the needless social harm of racism than any other book. It’s almost unparalleled success in reaching American readers of all ages, in my view, places it at or very near the top of the list of great American fiction.

Though not Harper Lee’s intent, her literary and commercial blockbuster remains an enduring tutorial for writers like me:  writers preoccupied with storytelling and the voices telling it. Sometimes, after a long writing session, I read a random chapter of Mockingbird to relax and to keep myself modest.

This novel by Alabama author Harper Lee is one of my favorite novels. Southern racial prejudice is exposed in the coming-of-age story of the young protagonist awakening to its ugliness and hypocrisy.

The mood is Southern Gothic as the childhood fears of Boo Radley turn out to be unfounded. I love how Lee gives us the perspective of the adult narrator while placing us fully in the world of the children. I love the evoking of childhood fears of the supernatural while learning that the world of living people is much more dangerous.

I consider it a novel that is… show more.

I am recommending this book because it is a profound novel that delves into themes of justice, empathy, and moral growth. Set in the racially charged atmosphere of a small Alabama town during the 1930s, the story is narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl whose father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer defending a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.

Through the eyes of Scout and her brother Jem, readers witness the deep-seated prejudices of their community and the moral courage it takes to stand up for what is right. I loved the book for its compelling… show more.

Of all the books I was “forced” to read in school, this was the one I most often picked back up to read on my own. There is so much in this story to unpack, from race relations in the Depression-era South to the shortcomings of the legal system.

Ultimately, this is about an innocent young person who, through a series of events beyond her control and which are much too adult for her, must learn to accept that people are not strictly good or bad but varied amalgams of both.

Perhaps the most famous Southern novel of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the pinnacle of American literature. Covering heavy themes such as racial bigotry, death in families, and the loss of childhood innocence, Lee spins a tale of Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of rape by a local white woman and her father.

The conclusion of the trial and the events following it stand as a terrible warning to this day, reminding readers of the dangers of prejudice. It’s truly a must-read novel.