To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

Author:

Harper Lee

Genre: 

Courtroom Drama/Dramatic Fiction

Appeals to:

Anyone

What it is about:
Lee’s novel entails the story of widower Atticus Finch, who lives in the United States in the 1930s. The lawyer soon fights in a court-case for a coloured man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape. Meanwhile, his two children are investigating the mystery of “Boo” Radley, who never came out of the house ever since he reportedly stabbed his father with a scissors, while in a quest to understand the people around them and how they behave.

Why read it?:

Lee’s only work is an extremely beautiful novel. The novel is good for a variety of reasons. First, the novel is narrated by the tomboyish Jean Louise “Scout”, and her innocent ways provides the novel with a character that is easy to relate with young children. For example, she goes to school and dislikes her teachers, a problem that some kids have today.

Second, the novel is a good example of an array of values, like justice, courage, etc. How Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, and it is hard to reveal other examples without actually giving spoilers. Atticus portrayal in the novel makes him like an idol and a role model, and the fact that his wife has died makes him feel even more pitiful. He became the voice of moral conscious in the age that the book was written (the time when people like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks fought for equality) and Atticus clearly represented the ideals and hopes of the liberal and discriminated classes who hoped to see the end of racism in the United States.

Third, it has a very powerful driving message. The work discusses the pain everyone feels during the Great Depression, and that feeling of loss and unhappiness. A clear case would be Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, who, despite insulting Atticus and his children, is still thought by the lawyer to have her pains.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a must have for any collection.

Notes: 

In order to understand this novel a little better, it would be helpful to look through American history before reading. There are mentions of historical events, like Ku Klux Klan, slavery, and most of all the Great Depression and racism.  

Other books like this: 

Being Lee’s only novel, there isn’t really any other book like this. Perhaps John Steinback’s “The Grapes of Wrath” is pretty similar on the historical basis.