To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee, H. (2010). To kill a mockingbird. New York: Harper. 

Originally published in 1960.

ISBN: 9780060935467 | paperback | 323p. | $11.95 USD

Cover image courtesy of goodreads.com

Annotation:  Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer Atticus, has just started school; but her carefree days come to an end when a black man in town is accused of raping a white woman, and her father is the only man willing to defend him.

Book Talk:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”  --Atticus Finch p. 33

Six-year-old Scout Finch is of the age when life is carefree, filled with endless games and adventures limited only by her imagination.  Her latest summer mission has but one goal—to get her reclusive neighbor Boo Radley to emerge from his house.  But as she and her older brother Jem devise schemes, their attorney father, Atticus, takes on a defense case rooted in racism and hate.  The case propels the Finch family into a world of harsh realities and turns Scout’s world upside down as she struggles to understand townspeople’s prejudices. 

My favorite thing about the book:

The theme, being courageous for social justice, and Atticus’s unwavering dedication to fairness and honesty. 

First Sentence:

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”

Favorite characters:

Atticus is number one, but I also love Scout, Jem, and of course Boo Radley

Awards/Honors:

1961 Pulitzer Prize

Learn More:

Listen to this podcast discussing the book and its author, Harper Lee.

And don’t miss the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird!  Gregory Peck stars as Atticus and won an Academy Award in 1962 for his role.  Here’s a fan trailer for the movie: