Books : To Kill a Mockingbird

Rating: - An amazing book
Harper Lee seems to be one of those writers who writes what she likes and doesn't publish anything else, probably why this is the only book she published and it is a brilliant read, it is very close to perfect. It is a story about morals and standing up for peoples rights. This type of novel has been used quite often in an attempt to make a book individual, but a lot of them end up quite similar and don't stand out, this is one of those novels that is really individual and it is definitely my favourite of this type of genre.

The story is seen through the eyes of a child called Scout Finch, and South America is filled with prejudice and racism during the 1930s and her father, Atticus, seems to be one of the very few people able to stand up for the rights of others. There are two main plots in this book, the story of Boo Radley, and the story of a black man accused of the rape of a white woman. Boo Radley is a supposed attempted murderer who has become a prisoner in his own home, the kids enjoy pestering him and trying to see if he will come out, this part of the book has a twist and a very emotional ending.
A much more sinister side to the story is the court trial where Atticus defends a white man accused of raping a white woman, the evidence shows that he couldn't have done it, but everything doesn't go quite fairly in these times.

This is one of those books that will always stick out in your memory as one of the great classics, so I think it would be mad not to read it.

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Rating: - Poetic brilliance...
I came to Harper Lee's only novel rather late in life - having been assured by most of my peers that they studied it in school. I am sorry that I waited quite so long to read it - in just two sittings, I devoured this incredibly sad, incredibly poignant tale of America's deep South in the 1930's.
Told by Scout, an eight year old girl, it is the story of her father's defence of a black man accused of raping a white woman. The innocence of her opinions makes for heavy reading - if only life were as simple as when seen through the eyes of a child. It is entwined with her fathers struggle, as a widower, to rear his young family in a small town - alongside all the prejudice's.
A short book, it was perfectly formed and I loved every minute of it. I know Ill read it again and again..

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Rating: - Strong characters
I first read this book ten years ago and it is one I just keep coming back to. The characters of Jem and Scout are extremely memorable and it is their take on the case their lawyer father Atticus fights on behalf of Boo Radley (a black man accused of rape) that overshadows the underlying comment on the American Civil Rights movement. Boo is a likeable character and Atticus is charismatic, but Jem, Scout and their friend Dill are the stars of the show, as they look at what is going on around them with innocent eyes and try to understand all the misjuctices in the world.

I especially enjoy reading their mischeivous adventures and the way they approach Boo Radley's house with caution and curiosty - surely a metaphor for the way white children were brought up in 1950s America. This novel can easily move a reader to tears, with its emotive court case story and characters that will find a place in your heart.

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Rating: - American classic
This is the ultimate American classic piece of literature. A testament to this would be the fact that it's still a bestseller after some fifty years. The tale of two children (three, if you count Dill) in Southern Alabama, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a finely crafted time capsule concerning racism, the Great Depression, and hope for humanity. Told though the eyes of Scout, one is at once gripped by the simple telling of the tale, yet its immense complexity when it comes to dealing with social issues. Layer on top of this the child's perspective--innocent yet yearning to know, and you've got the formula for a great story. My favorite character by far in the book was Book Radley, for he is really symbolic of so many things. I would also recommend the book "Inner Voices, Inner Views" if you're interested in southern authors and how they write.

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Rating: - Still relevant 45 years later
The most amazing thing about this book is that even though it is fiction written more than forty years ago about events that took place more than seventy years ago, it is as relevant today as it was during the Civil Rights struggles of the late 1950's. One need only to read about the Jena Six to realize that we have not come as far as we might like to think.

The cover of the book says this is a story of "growing up" and "human dignity" and this is true. Harper Lee described it as a love story and this is true as well. But it is also a story of hatred and not just racial hatred. It is the story of the hatred those who are more refined feel for those below them; the hatred of those who are poor for those who are even poorer; the hatred of the poorest whites for the blacks who they feel are below them. The lowest white man in town, who is constantly drunk, lives on welfare, mistreats his children and forces them to pick through the town dump for food still expects to believed over the word of a hard-working, honest black man. And when someone refuses to believe his lies, his anger knows no bounds. It is a story of not just racial prejudice but class prejudice as well.

But beneath all this hatred is a story of love and innocence and of growing up. Growing up deep in the South during the heart of the Depression, Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill learn a lesson about the hearts of men, that although there is darkness in men's souls that there is also a brightness that can be reached.

Harper lee has written a beautiful and believable story. None of the characters are one-dimensional stereotypes, rather they all feel like real people. When Scout and Jem are welcomed at Calpurnia's church, when Atticus stands in front of the sheriff's office to protect Tom, when Jem must read to Mrs. Dubose as punishment for destroying her garden, when Scout, Jem, and Dill try to coax Boo Radley out of his house... each of these events build a complex story of childhood and innocence and losing innocence. At the end of the story, Scout says, "Atticus, he was real nice..." and Atticus replies, "most people are, Scout, when you finally see them," and that is the ultimate moral of this story.