Search - To Kill a Mockingbird

The first time I read this book, I had to be ten years old. The message still holds true today: the color of one's skin does not proclaim the content of one's character. I knew even as a kid that what was happening was so unjust and cruel. Perhaps that is what makes this book so memorable, that it stays in your head. Overall, To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my absolute favorite books and one I would recommend to anyone of any age group. Harper Lee truly created a classic.

Required reading at the high school where I teach, and rightly so. Yes, the story starts slowly and never has the cymbal crashing climax that we expect these days, but it is still there, albeit more quiet and therefore more impactful.

This book is told through the eyes of Scout as an adult, reflecting on what happened when she was 8. Living in a small southern town during the Depression, Scout sees the injustice, prejudices, and triumphs that occur during the trial of a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

More than the trial, though, Scout sees her father, Atticus (one of the literary characters that I have a HUGE crush on!), in a new light as he not only defends the man in court, but also shows Scout his human side. More than a father to Scout, he becomes a hero.

If you only read the first chapter and the last, you may get a picture of the whole book, but you'll miss out on the delicious description of life during the 1930s in Alabama, from Scout's fights on the playground to the wonderful telling of summers in Maycomb.

Read it. You won't regret it.

My absolute favorite book. I read it for the first time this year and quite honestly fell in love. Great story with great characters.

I especially rejoyed reading about how the children grew up and how they came to understand what happened to their neighbor. It was good that they were able to see their father defend the black man who had done no harm. it gave them much insite into the black and white relationships of their time.

Amazing. History. Life. Innocence. Heartwarming. Heartwrenching. A must read.

Written many years ago, but still applicable today. Great read.