to kill a mockingbird book review the guardian

‘The book that taught me how to read’: your stories about To Kill a Mockingbird

During the wait for Go Set a Watchman’s release, you have been sharing what To Kill a Mockingbird means to you. From life-changing teaching experiences, to cake-baking and visits to Boo Radley’s Tavern, here is a selection of your stories, memories and anecdotes about Harper Lee’s timeless classic

• Read the first chapter of Go Set a Watchman
• Listen to an extract read by Reese Witherspoon
• Read the review: “More complex than To Kill a Mockingbird, but less compelling”
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What better time to revisit the lessons and impressions of To Kill a Mockingbird than while we wait for Harper Lee’s new novel, Go Set a Watchman – coming out this Tuesday , in case you missed it. Here is a selection of our readers’ memories and stories about the classic – you can see them all, and contribute your own, here .

The man on the train understood

“I was reading To Kill a Mockingbird on the train en route to a university open day. I got to the scene where Atticus walks out of the courtroom, and Scout is told to stand up along with the rest of the public gallery, and I broke down in tears. I must have looked an absolute sight, because the man in a business suit opposite me asked me if I was all right. I held up To Kill a Mockingbird. He smiled, gave me a tissue and said ‘I understand.’” By victoriaf1991

The first time I felt grown up

“To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book I can remember reading and actually comprehending. The whole time I was reading it, I just felt so grown up. The emotions it envoked in me were not what I was used to in my everyday life as a child. I was sad, and outraged. I formed actual opinions on things in this world that mattered.” By LP Maxa

Boo Radley’s Tavern

“I had been to Boo Radley’s several times but never made the connection until I found the name in the second paragraph of To Kill a Mockingbird. Funny thing, none of the servers ever mentioned it. I guess, they thought everyone knew!” By PullandKick74

My favourite novel to teach in high school English

“I first read the novel when I was preparing to teach it twenty years ago. I have since then taught it and read it about that many times, and I confess that it’s my favourite novel of all time. It’s the ONLY novel I’ve read that can truly be described as “charming” and “groundbreaking” in the same sentence. Jean Louise’s descriptions of the town of Maycomb, her childhood desire to “make Boo Radley come out,” her innocent courage in front of the court house the night before the trial, and her love of her father are all elements of the novel that continue to engage the reader on every visit to the novel. It is a beautifully written story of courage. I never tire of meeting up with Scout, Jem, Dill, Cal, Boo Radley, and, of course, one of the greatest heroes in literature, Atticus Finch. I envy anyone who is opening its pages for the first time.” By walkerk

Suddenly I started to become the person I wanted to be

I read To Kill a Mockingbird at school. It changed my life – it taught me a fundamental lesson in life (that to understand someone, you have to walk around in their skin) and it introduced me to my literary hero in Atticus Finch. Growing up with very conservative parents, suddenly a whole new world opened up to me and I started to become the person I wanted to be. The book has guided me throughout my life, teaching me compassion and kindness to all. By CornwallJo

I bawled my eyes out in class (and I was the teacher)

“I used to teach English in secondary schools, and taught To Kill a Mockingbird whenever I could. In particular, I adored Atticus – and still do – for his upholding of justice whatever the cost, but also because he is the perfect father.

The final pages of the book, where Atticus sits vigil through the night with Jem (‘He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning’), I had never been able to get through without crying. When I taught it, I made sure a pupil summarised the chapter for the class so I wouldn’t have to introduce that bit.

Then, one day when I was due to cover the final chapter with a class, the pupil who’d prepared it was ill. I did it myself, but when I reached that last paragraph I could feel myself starting to wobble. I stalled. I gritted my teeth. But in the end I just started crying.

It was mortifying – I still remember the gobsmacked faces of the students - but it was also testament to the power of literature, and the power of that book in particular – a novel you never get jaded about, a novel that never fails to move.” By grafter

The book that taught me to read

“I had always struggled in school and reading was a chore. I read the words but never understood what they meant. The freshman year of high school I was assigned To Kill a Mockingbird. Something changed as I started to be drawn into this book. The characters became friends and neighbors. I was given a certain number of pages to read and exceeded the assignment. I was for the first time in my life reading for the love of the story. To this day, reading is a part of my life I am forever grateful to have discovered through this book. I honor the book with the names of my babies, four-legged ones, and live with two dogs named Scout and Gem (change of spelling for a change in sex, she is a girl) and the newest addition of Boo, a kitten.” By Sherry Myers

My way in to grown-up literature

“Along with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , Of Mice and Men , the books of Truman Capote , Carson McCullers , William Faulkner and others, To Kill a Mockingbird introduced me to American literature, which I connected with in a way I didn’t with very much British literature. These authors (and many others that followed on from them) speak about what is universally human through ordinary lives.” By MichaelRC

Perfect prose – and my first full-on literary crush

“I first read this when I was 15, as a set text at school. As with many things at that age it consumed me, and I can still feel those pages between my fingers, the press of the wooden school chair on my legs, as our English teacher read to us. I fell in love, with Atticus of course, my first full-on literary crush, but also with the lush, evocative language which transported me so clearly to a time and place I never knew. 22 years since I first opened those pages, I still love to turn this description over in my mouth, it is just the most perfect prose:

Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.”

Miss Maudie’s Lane Cake

“To Kill a Mockingbird was my favourite book as a teenager. I used to read it every summer in the roasting Australian sun, feeling an affinity with Jem, Scout and Dill – sweating through the summer with them. But despite the heat (and unlike my sister and I, who survived each January on a diet of raspberry ice-blocks), Maycomb residents are still baking cakes.

The classic Southern Lane Cake appears a couple of times in the book, generally as a welcome, and almost certainly to allow the baker to show off their baking finesse. Miss Maudie tells Scout that Miss Stephanie, who has been after her recipe for thirty years, will never learn her secrets. Sadly, this holds true for us too, so I’ve developed my own.” By Kate Young

Teaching in Egypt

“This was a set book for a class of 13-year-old Egyptian children. They had trouble with the vocabulary at times, great fun with ‘cootie’ – one girl asked me the meaning of ‘flighty’. When I explained, she said, ‘You mean like me, Miss?’ But they definitely got the story. They empathised with most of the characters. We did the play that year too and it was a great hit. So much enthusiasm.” By chicamisr

Raised in the South, I wholeheartedly related

“Raised by parents from the South, I wholeheartedly related to the humor and idioms of this book when reading it for my English class in 8th grade. It was one of the first books that I can remember that sparked my interest in literature and that helped shape my writing style. Now, as an adult and English teacher myself, I seem to better understand its themes of perseverance, empathy, and compassion. The gritty realism of the book demonstrates the prevalent cultural norms of the time, and the steadfast fortitude of Atticus and Mrs. Maudie shows the existence of those who opposed such attitudes. There is also a great balance in Atticus’s character, and it is what makes him one of the greatest American literary heroes.” By Blake Downs

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - review

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books that almost everyone reads at some point in their lives. Whether you've been forced to read it at school, or you've had a look because everyone's been urging you to, most people have their own personal experience of reading Mockingbird.

The book is about Atticus Finch, who appears as an unconventional hero and role model due to his morality rather than his physical capabilities. The theme of morals is apparent throughout the whole novel, especially in relation to religion and perception of sin. Take Mrs Dubose, a recovering morphine addict: she vows that she'll die beholden to nothing and nobody. She's pursuing her own dream of being a free human being because she knows deep down that it's right.

To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on that gut instinct of right and wrong, and distinguishes it from just following the law. Even the titular quote: "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" is in itself an allegory for this message. Being in itself a generic message, the idea of 'doing what's right' obviously has a different meaning depending on when and where you're reading the book. If you take 1960, when the book was written, America was in a state of ethical development as social inequality was - very - gradually being overcome. Women's rights and black rights movements were beginning to emerge and some campaigned through violence. Would Atticus Finch condone this?

In the 1930s, when the book was set, America was in the midst of the Great Depression. This was a time when economic difficulties meant that the American Dream was receding further and further away. We could consider that Atticus Finch felt that his own dream of an equal, morally decent society was also heading in the wrong direction.

Without denying the constancy of the moral message, and the pure ingenuity of the book, it's still open to debate whether, as with all classics, schoolchildren should be forced to read the novel and go over it page-by-page. The beauty of literature and the reason why I love it so much is that a writer must eventually relinquish the meaning of his or her book. Therefore everyone who reads it can take something out of it which no one has before. I find that a beautiful notion myself, but it seems that looking for these life lessons has become a less and less popular exercise as the years have gone by. Let it not be forgotten that a true piece of literature, like To Kill a Mockingbird, is meaningful in every period and that today, Atticus Finch's message should be heard in the midst of all the global conflicts that we hear of on the news every night.

To think that children are suffering across the world because of a tyrannical regime or an unfair justice system is a depressing notion, and I think a modern Atticus Finch would agree. I don't think he would be comfortable knowing that innocent lives were suffering because of inequality. Atticus would now be defending issues that Harper Lee did not consider when writing the book, such as gay and lesbian rights, because what is at the heart of his character is an acceptance of who people are. That is a moral standpoint that you can hold whoever you are or wherever you are born. Atticus Finch is not xenophobic or homophobic. He's not racist or sexist. He's human and he sees everyone else in the same way. Who knows? Maybe Atticus Finch would even be an animal rights supporter.

Should it be analysed, taught in schools and pulled to pieces? I can't say, but what I will say is I'm not against anyone reading for the sake of reading. I've read many a book which I've enjoyed, put down and never thought about since. But I honestly feel that Mockingbird is a book which should be read, be it in school or in adult life (or both), without complete and utter absorption. It's a book with so many layers of meaning that you can get so much out of it. I for one know that To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that really has changed my life and that every time I go back over it, I find something new that I assimilate into my own code of ethics. Going over it, whilst being an arduous task, was in the long run worth all the time it took, and plenty more besides.

I would really advise picking up a copy of Harper Lee's magnificent novel and giving it a try. Because whatever happens, it will never stop being a good book, and it will never stop inspiring good people.

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The New York Times

Artsbeat | ‘mockingbird’ reviews from 1960, ‘mockingbird’ reviews from 1960.

Michiko Kakutani’s review of Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” comes to us 55 years (in one case, to the day) after The Times offered its opinions of Ms. Lee’s iconic debut, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Exactly 55 years ago, Frank. H. Lyell assessed “Mockingbird” in The New York Times Book Review. He wrote:

The dialogue of Miss Lee’s refreshingly varied characters is a constant delight in its authenticity and swift revelation of personality. The events connecting the Finches with the Ewell-Robinson lawsuit develop quietly and logically, unifying the plot and dramatizing the author’s level-headed plea for interracial understanding.

And he concluded, presciently: “Movie-going readers will be able to cast most of the roles very quickly, but it is no disparagement of Miss Lee’s winning book to say that it could be the basis of an excellent film.”

The following Wednesday, Herbert Mitgang reviewed the novel in The Times. He wrote: “Here is a storyteller justifying the novel as a form that transcends time and place. … Miss Lee’s original characters are people to cherish in this winning first novel by a fresh writer with something significant to say, South and North.”

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9 Reasons Why You Must Read “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

I have been fascinated by the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee since I first heard about it as a teenager. However the unavailability of the same in our school library and the local bookstores, never allowed me to read this classic until recently.

What had initially attracted me to this book was its title. I was curious to know what it meant in a larger perspective. I was inquisitive about what made this book a monumental success in the fiction genre.

I had to read it.

The final push came while reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic   where Gilbert expresses her love for the book and also her fascination why a gifted author like Harper Lee never published any other book after this masterpiece.

I finally read the celebratory edition that marks the fiftieth anniversary of this unforgettable classic.

To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee was first published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and has become a classic of modern American literature.

The plot and characters are loosely based on the author’s observations of her family and neighbours, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936 when she was 8 years old.

The blurb on the back of the book reads:

‘Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

Why should every adult read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ?

1. It’s a book set in the 1930’s yet is not obsolete: 

The plot of the book is fun, appealing yet profound and thought-provoking. The book made me laugh on several occasions, reminisce about my own childhood on the other and made my heart cringe or come close to tears at others.

The joy of reading this book lies in the fact how the parent in Atticus Finch gently rounds off every event with his wise words or moves. Set in a society that lived almost eighty years ago, the beliefs and principles followed by the Finch family are fresh, liberated and open-minded, relevant even in current times.

2. Pragmatic conversations:

  The beauty of the book lies in the easy flow, matter-of-fact conversations that at no point leave the realms of truthfulness and never come across as a pretence. I love how in the voice of Scout (an 8-year-old girl) the sincerity and innocence rises above everything.

Moments when children get involved in fist fights or utter expletives in moments of rage, the adults in the family have come around explaining firmly yet reassuringly why they should behave otherwise.

3. Quintessential characters: 

Be it the wise father in Atticus Finch or the scary neighbour in Radley(s) or the moral values indoctrinating aunt Alexandra or the motherly caretaker Calpurnia or the evil Ewell, every character is archetypal.

Every character is sketched close to reality yet inimitable that they’ll make you wish to be like them or be inspired by them.

4. It portrays phases of child growth wonderfully:

The book has three child characters ranging in ages between 8 years to 12 years. The book is an innocent, sensitive portrayal of their growing up, the emotional, physical and psychological changes they undergo as adolescence steps in, captured in a natural, closer-to-life fashion.

The joys, playfulness, pranks, curiosity and ironies of childhood generously season the entire length of the book.

5. Atticus practices what he preaches: 

Atticus Finch a lawyer by profession is a single parent who knows how to lead his children by example. Though he comes across as rather reserved, his love for reading is exemplary and how his children follow suit is something you cannot miss. His caring, gentlemanly ways, his way of letting his children go by their instincts, disciplining them (incident with Mrs Dubose) and teaching valuable life lessons like an unflappable parent are heartening.

I loved how Atticus never tried to sugarcoat facts and never hid life’s harsh realities from his children. The freedom he gifts his children while keeping his criticisms and appreciation subtle only add to the plethora of reasons why every parent must read this book.

6. Relevance to current times:

  Its heart wrenching that racism, cruelty, prejudices and discrimination talked about in the book, still exist and shockingly in the same ugly magnitude or perhaps in a more severe form.

To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the gut instinct of right and wrong. It distinguishes it wonderfully from just following the law of the land, a battle that ensues through the ages. Atticus Finch’s messages are all the more relevant in the current times as the book is meaningful in every period, including today.

7. Sensitivity: 

The plot deals with the incident of rape of a white woman by a dark man. But the sensitivity with which the trial is narrated and also the open-mindedness with which the events are discussed by Atticus with his children from time to time is comforting, stirring and commendable in one go.

A theme of morals is highlighted throughout the novel pertaining particularly to religion and the perception of sin.

8. Lucid Narration and rich vocabulary: 

Written fifty years ago and set in a period almost eighty years ago, the writing style is arguably old-fashioned yet unambiguous. The rich vocabulary, keeps the reader going back to the dictionary, more so in the first half of the book, than later.

However, the narration never loses pace, the plot is packed with surprises and most wonderful lessons to be learnt from the most (seemingly) banal situations.

9. A classic that stands the test of time:

Why the book is a classic can be best understood only after having read it. But, it is one that has been loved by my mother when she was 27 years old just as much when she’s 63 years old.

I, harbouring a completely different taste in reading from my mother, loved this book just as much.

“‘A lady?’ Jem raised his head. His face was scarlet. ‘After all those things she said about you, a lady?’ ‘She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe…Son, I told you that if you hadn’t lost your head I’d have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her. I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.'” ~  To Kill A Mocking Bird

Whether you love reading classics or not, this is a book that’ll make you fall in love with its simplicity, grace and rational approach.

I highly recommend To Kill A Mockingbird  for every adult because it is a good book that shall continue to inspire good in the people.

“‘First of all,’ he said, ‘If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-‘ ‘Sir?’ ‘-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.'” ~ To Kill A Mocking Bird

The book cover has been changed many times over the past 50 years but two things that shall stay with me from the 50th-anniversary cover is Scout (the protagonist on the swing) for her thoughtfulness and innocence and Blue Jays for their brilliant correlation in the title and the plot.

About the Book: 

• Title  –  To Kill a Mockingbird
• Curator – Harper Lee
• Publisher  – Arrow Books
• Genre  – Fiction
• Pages  – 309 pages
• Price – INR 184
• ISBN  – 978-0-09-954948-2

Have you read this book?

What are your views?

Head here for more book reviews and my policy of reviewing books on my blog.

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23 thoughts on “ 9 Reasons Why You Must Read “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee ”

I have only watched the movie This book is on my list

I am told that the movie is actually a true depiction of the book, though the book is surely going to be better than the movie as is usually the case 🙂

I have read it and loved it! Throughout the book there are so many lessons for us to take…to be a parent like Atticus Finch…to accept an innocent but rebel child like Scout….to support the innocent black man so unfairly a victim of racism…to love an elusive but caring Boo Radley….and so on. I have a copy of it and read it once in a while.

Loved your takings from the book Varsh 🙂 I am sure I’d love to re-read this book over time to revise the lessons learnt while seeing how my perspective changes over time.

I couldn’t agree more with you. Every point you make – I have made it as well. A great book, well written. It has many, many layers. Beautiful. Have you read the sequel?

No, I haven’t read the sequel as yet because many of my friends have been discouraging me to. Have you read the sequel? How did you find it?

Like Liked by 1 person

It’s one of my all time favourite books!

It’s a charmer 🙂

I have not read the book and now wish i had .. 🙂

but I have seen the movie and have it in my collection …

The movie is said to be a true representation of the book, so it must be quite a similar experience as reading the book 🙂

I absolutely loved this book! its one of my all-time favourites and even I have a copy of this 50th Anniversary edition 🙂

Wow! So glad to note you too have this celebratory edition copy 🙂 This year, besides the new releases I’m trying to catch up on reading books like these that I’ve missed reading earlier 😀

I am trying to do that since last year – catch up on reading some amazing books which I missed for some reasons rather than reading random books, life is too short and there are so many books! 🙂 🙂

Very rightly said 🙂 I have a similar plan for this year in mind 😀

good luck to both of us then! 🙂

I read this book in ’08, when I wasn’t an avid reader. I read just to pass time because I was at a place where I had no other option. And I’m glad.

This book is painfully slow in the beginning, and I would’ve given up if I could do anything else. But after a hundred pages, I couldn’t put it down. Atticus Finch was the first example of true maturity for me.

A true classic which has stood the test of time, indeed!

I agree with you on the book being slow in the start, but that lasted just the first 30 pages for me. The language used did add to the slow feel but once the story picked up, there was no looking back 🙂 Atticus Finch inspires in so many wonderful ways and how Jem follows his footsteps makes it shine all the more as a vital parenting lesson to me 😀

I agree with your thoughts. The book remains one of my favorites, for reasons you’ve mentioned and others too, though I couldn’t put it across as eloquently maybe. 😀 It’s one I recommend to friends often.

Vinay you are too kind with your words 🙂 I agree, this is one book I’d love recommending from here on.

Now that you mentioned I remember buying this book in kindle.. Sadly I haven’t read it.. I am going to read this one now. Thanks for reminding!!

Go for it Sia, I am sure it has something valuable to offer to every reader 🙂 Happy Reading!

I am not very far in,but am enjoying the read very much. Such a wonderful way to capture a book. I am planning on seeing the movie too, after I finish reading it. 🙂

Welcome to my blog Shanaya 🙂 It is a beautiful book and I have been told the movie is just as wonderful (though I haven’t seen it yet). I am glad you liked my review of this classic, would love to hear from you how did you find the book. Happy Reading!!

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, 1961

Author: Harper Lee

Publisher: J. B. Lippincott & Co.

Genre: Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction

First Publication: 1960

Language:  English

Major Characters: Scout Finch, Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, Arthur Radley, Mayella Ewell, Aunt Alexandra, Bob Ewell, Calpurnia (housekeeper), Tom Robinson, Miss Maudie Atkinson, Judge John Taylor, Dill Harris, Heck Tate, Stephanie Crawford

Setting Place: The fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression

Theme:  Community and Convention, Female Sexuality and Friendship, Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will, Science and Superstition, Justice and Judgment

Narrator:  First person

Book Summary: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.

Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

With endless books and infinitely more to be written in the future, it is rare occasion that I take the time to reread a novel. And this time it’s To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a timeless classic. The first time I read this I was much, much younger and I remember loving it then. Over fifteen years later, it still held so much for me – wonderful language and characters that I never forgot about, profound themes explored , and relevancy even so many years later. Harper Lee is one of the best female authors.

The story in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is told from the point of view of Scout (Jean-Louise Finch), a six year old girl , through various events that happen in the town of Maycomb and in particular, the court case of Tom Robinson as her father Atticus Finch acts as Tom’s defence lawyer. Tom, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, has to endure multiple racial attacks. Atticus, widely described as the “most enduring fictional image of racial heroism”, describes the events to Scout so that she sees that all people should be treated equally.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

The narrator of this story is young tomboy Jean Louise (Scout), and her observations of Maycomb and people’s behavior are simple, honest, and visually very rich. I had no problem picturing Scout, Jem and Dill’s childish efforts to draw Boo Radley out of his house, or Calpurnia taking the kids to a colored church.

But when, after 128 pages, the court case begins and the plot really becomes intriguing, you immediately feel a rise in tension and excitement. Here Jem and Atticus become the main characters instead of Scout because they are more aware of the risks and importance of the case, although Scout’s moment with the mob was heartwrenchingly beautiful in it’s innocence.

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”

The last part of the book was less tense but never dull: it was important to show the aftermath and the effects of the case on different class – and races – of people to convey the impact of Atticus’ actions. Because back in 1935 and even now, in our current political situation, standing up for what’s right while the majority is against you, is an incredible brave and difficult thing to do.

One thing especially about this story that stood out to me, are the interesting gender roles in this book. We have Atticus who isn’t only presented as an amazing father but also as a great male character, because he’s patient, courteous, clever…but not traditionally masculine. In contrast with Bob Ewell, the main antagonist, Atticus isn’t physically strong, doesn’t use strong language, and hates violence (example: he keeps his shooting skills a secret from his children).

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

His sister, aunt Alexandra, is a very traditional female figure who wants Scout to behave more ‘lady like’, and because Scout doesn’t like her (at first), we as readers dislike her too. Acting as her opposites are Calpurnia and Miss Maudie, who neither show traditional feminine characteristics like politeness and charm, but both are presented as good and right.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a well-loved book for many good reasons, but I was very surprised by its diverse male and female characters, who make this story even richer than it already is.

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To Kill a Mockingbird: Book Review, Summary & Analysis

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Introduction: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Book Review, Summary & Analysis

Book:  to kill a mockingbird.

• Author: Harper Lee
• Publisher: Harper Collins
• Publication Year: 1960
• Binding: Paperback  

About the Author: Harper Lee  

Excerpts from the original text

There is no need to say everything you know. That's not a lady-besides, people don't like people around them who know more than they do. That will annoy them. No matter how correct you are, you can't change these people. Unless they want to learn, there is no way. You either close your mouth or use their language. —— Quoted from page 153.

Short Comment

Book Summary

Book review & analysis.

"The life that has not read this book is really different from the life after reading it." 

• How to get along with others? 
• How to handle complex interpersonal relationships in an honest manner? 
• How to be a friendly but self-persistent person? 

Main Storyline

How to get along with others?

• The reason why we don't get along well with a certain person (or a certain type of person) is that we disagree with this person's behavior style, and thus produce an overall negation of this person.
• If we always look at others from our own perspective, it is difficult to understand why others have such "weird" behavior;
• "Standing from the point of view of others": It is not simply imagining yourself as the other party, and guessing based on your own experience. It is to "get into someone else's body and wander around", which means that you have to really understand the person's past background and experience. If you still use your own experience to judge what this person is doing, you will not be able to achieve true transposition.
• If you have not been able to "get into someone else's body and wander around", at least, you should have such a belief in others: "After you finally understand them, you will find that most people are good people. ". This sentence is the last sentence that Father Atticus told Scott in the book. I think it is simply a well-known saying. Before we did not understand other people, at least we can first understand that "other people's actions are justified".

How to deal with dissent?

"Even if you didn't do those pranks, I would still let you read to Mrs. Du Boss to accompany her because I want you to take a good look at her. This is the bravest person I have ever seen. What did she explain? called the real courage. courage gas on hand is not a man with a gun. courage is when you embark on the field before you know you will be Tongzou meal, but you still on the field, and no matter what happens, you Persevere till the end. Most of the time you will fail, but sometimes, you will also succeed."

How to stick to yourself?

"Sometimes, I feel that I am a failure to be a parent, but I am everything they have. When Jim looks up to others, he looks up first. It’s me, I want to live upright so that I can face him calmly..."

"You may hear some bad comments in school, but please do one thing for me: raise your head and lower your fists. No matter what others say to you, don't get angry. Try to fight with your head. Don't because We had already failed for a hundred years before that, and though we had no reason to fight for victory."

"Be sensible about despicable things, and when things pass, you can look back with sympathy and understanding, and be grateful for not disappointing people at the time. When most people think they are right and you are wrong Of course, they have the right to think so, and their views are also entitled to be fully respected. But before they can get along with others, they must first get along. There is one thing that cannot follow the principle of conformity, and that is the conscience of people."

Self-photography in the mirror

"Uh, coming out of the court that night, Miss Gates-she walked in front of us when she descended the steps, you must have not seen her-she was talking to Miss Stephenson. I heard her say: It's time to teach them. They are becoming less and less aware of their identities. Will they think that they can marry us in the next step. Jim, a man who hates Hitler so much, is so vicious to the people of his hometown when he turns his face?"

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Culture | Theatre

To Kill a Mockingbird review: all rise for this powerfully uplifting theatrical event

All rise for a magnificent Mockingbird. Sheer emotion and moral force make this Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee ’s novel about race, community and family a powerfully uplifting theatrical event.

Writer Aaron ‘West Wing’ Sorkin and director Bartlett Sher put a different spin on the story to Lee’s narrative and the beloved 1962 film with Gregory Peck, focusing on Atticus Finch rather than his young tomboy daughter Scout and teenage son Jem. The Lee estate tried to sue, but the effective approach breathes new life into a text that’s almost too familiar.

Rafe Spall brings a wry charm and vitality to the role of the upright lawyer defending a black man against a false rape charge in depression-era Alabama. The lightness with which he wears his authority makes his explosions of anger more shocking and effective. The kids, played with just the right blend of chagrin and bravado by Gwyneth Keyworth and Harry Redding, remain a powerful emblem of future hope. They’re partnered by David Moorst, who won the Emerging Talent prize at the 2015 Evening Standard awards, as the wonderfully gawky young out-of-towner, Dill.

Jude Owusu radiates stiff dignity as the accused Tom Robinson, and Pamela Nomvete a heavy fatalism as the Finches’ housekeeper Calpurnia – the only two substantial black roles. You can see why this show played so well in Trump-struck New York in 2018: it’s a white-liberal fantasy of persistence in the face of defeat by ignorance, lies and prejudice. Three punishing years later in London, with a whole lot worse having befallen the world, it’s stirring to see a play promoting goodness and justice, and one so beautifully executed.

The story is eloquently unfolded by Sher, with Miriam Buether’s cutaway rural sets melting and reforming as each scene flows into the next. The folksy, down-home atmosphere is undercut by Sorkin’s unsparing portrayal of what really happens in poor, angry, hardscrabble households, his script studded with stinging uses of the N-word. The children often narrate the story and address the audience directly, which is very effective. With strong supporting performances, and a soundtrack for bellows-organ and acoustic guitar played on stage by Candida Caldicot and Frank Dawkins, the whole enterprise is both unbearably moving and surprisingly funny.

My only quibble is with a slight lack of subtlety across the board: Atticus is too saintly, the kids too winsome and cheeky, Patrick O’Kane’s malevolent Bob Ewell too ugly in body and spirit: his shaved head is like a sweaty, clenched fist. But maybe now’s not the time for nuance and an honest, simple message is what we need. “Trying to do the right thing is the right thing,” as Scout says. Amen to that.

Gielgud Theatre, booking to Aug 13; tokillamockingbird.co.uk

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