My mom chose Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as our family book club's March book. I flipped through, saw the number of pages, and thought, "Boring!" Later that night, I read the first page and discovered that the main character's brother was about my age and wanted to play football and own an air rifle. Then, a few days later, I continued reading and even though I found the writing a little "fancy," I was finally able to find the beauty of Lee's book - it's a pretty "grown-up" story, but it's seen through the eyes of kids like me. That makes hard subjects easier to understand, which makes the book so much more interesting.

The novel is told from a young girl's perspective. Because the theme of racism, the subject of rape, and the idea of injustice are a little "over the top" - even for bright readers -Lee chose a young narrator to tell the story of a black man falsely accused of raping a young white woman and one man's fight to free him. If the story had been told by an adult, readers would have to suffer through the unnecessary chit-chat, opinions, and worries of that perspective. Seeing Maycomb County through Scout's innocent eyes, however, prevents this "masterpiece of American literature" from being an "I-had-to-read-it" sort of book.

Scout, her brother Jem, and their father form one of many families of Maycomb County, Alabama. In that southern state during the Great Depression, "[t]here was no hurry for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." As the novel begins, Scout is six and about to start school, where she will be criticized for coming to class already knowing how to read and write. Her young teacher scolds Scout: "Now you tell your father not to teach you anymore. It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage." (p. 17) Jem, a fifth-grader, allows his sister to join him in many of his adventures, including his plans with Dill to make Boo Radley come out. But he thinks Scout "is getting more like a girl every day." (p. 52) The children's father, Atticus Finch, is a state legislator and one of the county's leading lawyers. He is selected to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of rape.

Racism still exists today, but the problems don't compare to those described in To Kill a Mocking Bird. The main problem seems to be that Negroes are considered the least human of four kinds of people. As Jem tells Scout, "There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes." (p. 226) To make the point about Negroes being somehow less important than other folks, the author tells Tom's story. He is a Negro whose left arm is stripped of muscle from a childhood accident. He stops to help nineteen-year-old Mayella Ewell with several chores because, as Tom admits at his trial, "I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of `em" - referring to her family, who gathers their supplies from the nearby dump and whose father is a drunkard who beats them. When Bob Ewell catches his daughter hugging the black man, he accuses Tom of raping Mayella to save their family from disgrace. "And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to `feel sorry' for a white woman has had to put his word against two white people's." (p. 204) Atticus Finch does his best to make Tom a free man. His efforts, though, only buy more time from the jury, which still returns a guilty verdict. Unlike her brother, Scout believes that "there's just one kind of folks. Folks." But Tom still ends up dead - shot as he tries to escape from punishment for a crime he did not (could not) commit. To Kill a Mockingbird could be a pretty "heavy" book for young readers if it only concentrated on racism, rape, and Atticus Finch's unsuccessful attempt to free an innocent man. So Lee combines the story of Tom Robinson with the mythology surrounding the inscrutable Mr. Arthur Radley, whom Jem, Scout, and their summertime friend Dill call Boo Radley. One story about Boo is that he stabbed his father with scissors while cutting newspapers for his scrapbook. Another story has Boo scratching neighbors' door screens. Yet another says that he eats squirrels. Kids love creepy stories, and the antics of the three friends as they try to make Boo come out of his house give the novel light and humor.

Although I had a rough time "getting into" To Kill a Mockingbird, when I finally did I was surprised by how good it was. By the way, the book has such a cool title. I didn't understand it at all when I began the book. Then, in chapter 10, I realized where the title came from. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (p. 90) But not until Scout says to her father, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" (p. 270), did I realize who the book's mockingbirds were. I will read this book with my children someday and hope they will with theirs.


I'll say whatever you want me to - just stop the torture!!   April 29, 2001
 23 out of 73 found this review helpful

In my Junior English class this year I was forced to read this Pulitzer Prize - winning novel. First, what was the PP committee thinking? Yes it was 1961, yes it was the Civil Rights Movement, yes a lot of people used WAY too much pot, but none of those arguments can explain why this obvious, saccharine mockery of a novel won anything, including publication rights. I kept thinking that "it has to get better", but it DOESN'T! The characters are flat and cariacatured - everyone does exactly what a Disney-style movie would like them to do. Because of this, there is no real definition to the characters and you can't care about them - believe me, I tried - under threat of death by English teacher. Also the symbolism is blatant beyond belief. She actually tells you directly what the symbols are and what they mean - defeating the whole purpose. As bad as the first 28 or so chapters are, they are no comparison with the last 3. I have seen and read many bad endings, but this made me throw the book across the room in anger. If you've ever watched any of the ... movies or most any other kids movie (see the unending series of sports animal ones), you will have a rough idea of the sappiness and predictability of this conclusion. For a high school kid, I consider myself pretty well read, and this novel hits a new low in any genre. Kids, if your teacher pushes this on you, just remember what they taught you in DARE - "Just Say No"! If you (any age) are considering this book, consider yourself warned - I couldn't be paid to read even one chapter again. But if you REALLY like those dopey kids' movies your 3-year-old watches, this is the book for you. Immerse yourself in the sugar of it all.


One Of The Best Books I've Ever Read   November 29, 2002
 22 out of 24 found this review helpful

This book is absolutely brilliant. I've read the book three times in my life, at ages 13, 18, and 22. With each reading I gain a better appreciation for the storyline, the author, and the moral beliefs that are challenged within these pages. There are few books that increase in complexity the more they are read, and this happens to be one of them. Harper Lee seems to speak to readers of all ages, and no matter how many times this novel is read, the reader will never cease to feel compelled by the message that it delivers.

The story is narrated by Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch, a criminal defense attorney in the Deep South who is assigned to defend a black man in his trial for raping a white girl. The novel tells the story of how Scout and her family endure the threatening ridicule from their community for Atticus' loyalty to this man. While Harper Lee delivers the message that black people were discriminated against in the Deep South, the more notable message was the struggle that whites endured when they chose to side with the blacks. There are some extremely comical moments in this book involving Scout and her brother. Therre are also several other interesting sub-plots that help describe the morals, beliefs, and problems in the Deep South during that period of time. Though, my favorite part was Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial. His monologue constitutes some of the best pages of literature I've ever read.

This was the only novel that Harper Lee ever wrote. Maybe it is best that she never published again. There's no way that she could have ever topped this novel. Not many authors can. This novel will always remain a permanent member of my book collection, and I'm sure I'll be reading it a few more times in my life and gaining something new ever time. Everyone should read this book.


One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read!   August 5, 2000
 21 out of 23 found this review helpful

Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a wonderful and touching book that offers a beautiful theme that you discover early on in the book. The book is narrated by eight year old Scout and she tells of the adventures that she faced while trying to figure the identity of Boo Radley. Her brother, Jem, and her friend, Dill, join in on the fun. Scout's father, Atticus, is a respected lawyer in the tiny town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus is working on a case involving the rape of a young white woman. The defendant is a black man. The two storylines tie together in the end and reveals the universal theme of the entire book. Harper Lee does a meticulous job of developing characters and plot. The book is so enthralling, I found myself reading the whole book, cover to cover, in three hours! I recommended the book to my family and friends and they all thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall, the book takes readers to the roots of human behavior, and uncovers a message that all should keep in mind. This book is certainly a literary masterpiece and all should read it.


No wonder why it's a classic   November 19, 2001
 20 out of 23 found this review helpful

With 700 plus reviews, I will keep this one short. I must confess I have read this book either in high school or junior high, but I barely remember it. After reading it again the second time, I have to say, that it is one of those books that every time you read it, it leaves with a greater impact on your soul. I plan to read this book again in 10 or 20 years just to see what new insights I can glean from this book.

The story is told from a young girl's eyes, as she witnesses some doings in Maycomb. Scout and her brother Jem are the town's lawyer's children. While growing up, they begin to discover why their father is really a gentleman, especially when he defends a black man accused of rape. That trial is not only felt throughout the town, but it affected Jem and Scout too in coloring their viewpoints of the world around them.

This is not your typical coming-of-age book. This is a book meant to provoke people to think and ponder on some of the issues she deals with in this book. It is a book I think every one should read ~~ regardless of their values and beliefs. I know that it is one book I plan to have my children to read as well as the nieces and nephews in my family. It is a book designed to get people to think and act ~~ not to live life passively.

It's a book for the classics. One for the ages ahead to read as well as those in the present too.