To Kill a Mockingbird

Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.

Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber

This story is intriguing on many levels from the history of the area to the stereotyping of people. Most of all every turn was a surprise as told in the first person from the view of Scout Finch. And instead of telling the story in a six year old vocabulary she uses an exceptionally large repertoire to describe the people and events. This story is not as slow passed as one may guess from first glance as every remark and every action will be needed for a future action.

A major controversial part of the story is the trial of Tom Robinson. Hoverer this is just a catalyst to help Scout understand the nature of people including her father Atticus and you will find that as important as it is it is just a part of the story with other major characters such as Arthur "Boo" Radley.

Even thought it appears that Scout is the recipient of the insights, I believe we the reader is the real recipient.

I can truly say that this book has changed my outlook in life.


Deservedly considered an American classic   Juillet 23, 2001
Konstantin Lissianski (Russia)
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An extraordinary novel that shows us the South that existed several decades ago through the eyes of a child. Scout Finch's world is full of wonder and mystery. When her father, the lawyer Atticus Finch, takes the case of a black man who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman, she begins to see and understand both the ugliness that exists in the world and the meaning of true heroism. Harper Lee's novel must be one of the most perceptive narratives from the viewpoint of a child ever written.


To Kill A Mockingbird,   Juillet 23, 2001
Konstantin Lissianski (Russia)
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BRILLIANT! That's what I thought when I finished this book. The depiction of small town bigotry, coupled with the "myth" of Arthur (Boo) Radley made for a spectacular and eye-opening read. It couples several themes, as well. Love and Hate, Innocense and Experience, Right and Wrong. All come together for a spectacular finale which the movie fails completely to display at it's utmost meaning. Don't just sell out and watch the movie. If you have not read this masterpiece yet, I strongly suggest that you do. You won't be sorry.


n American Treasure   Juillet 23, 2001
Konstantin Lissianski (Russia)
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What can be said about a book that covers so many bases? To Kill a Mockingbird is the tale of two children, Jem and Scout growing up in a rural Georgia town. Their father, Atticus Finch, is a kind, just socially responsible man who takes on a case in which a black man is accused of raping a poor white girl. Since the book is set in the south in the 1930's, the defending of a black man against a white woman is unheard of, but Atticus takes the case pro bono because of every man's unalienable rights, and because of the fact that his defendant is not guilty, a fact which is hushed up and covered over by bigotry and hate in this small southern town. The novel makes a stand on basic human rights while covering so much other territory. The antics of Jem and Scout perfectly capture what it is like to be a child during the summer, despite the fact that these summers take place in the charged atmosphere of a racist southern town where both Jem and Scout are forced to do some growing up. The mysterious character of Boo Radley points out once again that a person's appearance and reputation mean nothing when it comes to their character. There is so much packed into this one little novel that it the one-hundredth reading would still be a fresh as the first. Every scene, from Scout's first day at school to the night outside the city jail where a lynch mob threatens Atticus and his client are drawn with amazing skill and beauty. This book is an American treasure and Atticus Finch is one of the greatest characters ever to appear in literature. The only real question this book leaves you with is why didn't Harper Lee ever take up his pen to create another novel?