To Kill A Mockingbird

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
by Harper Lee

 Award: Pulitzer Winner 1961

 Nomination: National Book Finalist 1961

 Read: September 20, 2007 & July 5, 2017

 I have actually read this novel 3 times if you include reading it in high school. Each time I read this novel, I love it more and more. It will forever be one of my favorites.

 To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of the Finch family - Atticus, Jem and Scout. Jem and Scout are kids with free reign of their neighborhood, along with their friend Dill who stays in the fictional Maycomb, Alabama each summer with his Aunt. Jem and Scout's mother has passed, leaving Atticus, a lawyer by trade, to raise these two children with the help of their maid. 

 Jem, Scout and Dill become fixated on their neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo is essentially a hermit, never leaving his home and his legend is further enshrined by the town never speaking his name. The kids soon discover he is leaving presents for them outside his house in a tree.

 Atticus, meanwhile, is assigned to the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. The town puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Atticus to not take the case, yet Atticus insists on his right to a defense as any man. 

 This novel touches on so many topics still relevant today - gender expectations, racial inequality, rape, loss of innocence, justice and class. When I first read this novel, I was captivated by Scout and focused all my attention on her. Having read it again years later, Atticus is clearly the star here, defending Tom with integrity and moral righteousness. 

 The scene that stands out the most to me is when the mob confronts Atticus, who is standing guard outside the jail to protect Tom. Atticus is steadfast in his assertion that he deserves a trial and not vigilante justice. The kids show up and, confronted by such innocence and recognition, the mob disperses. Sneaking into the trial, the kids witness Atticus destroy the accuser on the stand, proving without a doubt that she is lying, yet Tom is convicted anyway. The kid's sense of justice and right/wrong are shattered, as was mine when I read this in high school. As an adult, I realize things like this happen far too often.

 To Kill A Mockingbird is a remarkable novel for it's warmth, humor, innocence and harsh realities. Just writing this makes me want to read it again. To say that I love this novel would be an understatement. I am devoted.

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