To kill a mockingbird was written by Harper Lee an American author. Harper Lee was born in 1927 in Monroeville Alabama where her father practiced law. Whilst she was growing up, she would sit up in the balcony of the local courthouse and watch her father work.

The novel was published in 1960 and was an instant success. It is one of the most-assigned novels in America for high schools and middle schools. In 1961 it also won a Pulitzer Prize.

 The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee’s family, her neighbours, and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville Alabama in 1936 when she was ten.

The story takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression. The lead character in the book is Jean Louise Finch who was also called “Scout”. She was raised along with her brother Jeremy Atticus, “Jem” by their father Atticus Finch, who was a widow. Calpurnia, a black woman was the cook and housekeeper who raised Scout and Jem from they were babies.

The novel highlights the issue surrounding race and prejudice at that time, which was magnified when Tom Robinson a black man was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus agreed to defend Tom despite threats from the community. Throughout the case, Atticus presented a defence that Mayella was attacked by her father, Bob Ewell. Ultimately Tom was convicted and was later killed whilst trying to escape custody.

The novel gets its name from the conversation between Atticus and Scout, where Atticus states “it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” as they simply sing their song and never hurt anyone. Mr. Underwood, owner, writer, and editor of the Maycomb Tribune also compares Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds.

To Kill a Mockingbird has become a classic of modern American Literature, The story gives the reader lots to think about and also lessons to take away.