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Search - To Kill a Mockingbird
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To Kill a Mockingbird Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Paperback, Paperback, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged)
Book Description:
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.
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.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Tracy T. (
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
My absolute favorite book. I read it for the first time this year and quite honestly fell in love. Great story with great characters.
Audrey S. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
Jocelyn E. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
Nichole N. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Not much more can be said about this classic than to say it's one every person should read. With a sleepy southern town as its backdrop, this story brings to light the reality of prejudice in our not so distant past. Highly recommended read for both boys and girls.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
One of those books I could pick up and reread and love every time. A classic for every generation, I highly recommend if it isn't required reading for your school it should be.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very memorable (why do kids not want to read this when they are in school??)story of a trial in a small town and the racism that comes up in its wake. What I liked best is that the message of tolerance exemplified by the main family was subtleand simplistic, and therefore very well done
Terri E. (
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Okay don't crucify me--but I found this story difficult to read. It is slow and takes forever to get to the real story. The main story is heartbreaking and must have been shocking when this was first released. I endured the long background with Scout and her brother because I know this is a classic and I wanted to read it all the way through. I prefer the movie with Gregory Peck. (I was told by a writing instructor that most of the classics probably wouldn't be published in today's market because they are considered too slow.) Still, it is a classic and as such--I think everyone should read it once.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I just read this for the first time, and I have to say, it's a phenomenal childrens book. Being an adult while reading a kids book gives you an interesting insight, and To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with lines and concepts that are striking. If you know a child who you think should be a lawyer or already wants to be one, give him/her this book. Lee may embellish the legal system a bit (as much as say, law and order) but she gives a thorough explanation of every tough concept (prejudice of many kinds, revenge, growing up) that comes a long. It is written perfectly for a child and if you're reading it as an adult for the first time, you have to keep that in mind. The writing will seem over-simplistic and the events sometimes drawn out, but you have to understand that children's novels must explain everything as if it's being seen for the first time, and there is almost an art in that itself.
Supberb read, I'm not surprised it's a classic, definitely recommend it to any child aged 8-12 (depending on reading competence), or pick it up yourself for a quick read.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is my all-time favorite book. I read it in high school and have wanted to read it again. A timeless classic!
Please Rate these Book Reviews
Tracy S. (If you've never read this book, read it. If you haven't read this book in years, read it again. To have written one book of such timeless relevancy is a life's work well done. Thank you Harper Lee!
Jill F. (Timeless! An absolute MUST, everyone should read this book at least once.
Lynn P. (I did enjoy this book. I read it when I was in high school and wanted to read it again. It's a great classic
(love this book.
always a great read. I have read it twice and have found new and innovative ideas each and every time.
Kristen J. (I have read this book three times now, each time a few years apart. Perhaps I'm getting older (and wiser) but I appreciate the literature more each time I read it. I love the style of writing. This is historical fiction at its finest, and it is a must read for everyone, in my opinion. A true classic. I am quite sure that I will read it, again!
Mary W. One of the best. Great teaching tool for Civil Rights Era.
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Atticus Finch (Primary Character)
Boo Radley (Major Character)
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