To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Book Review

About.com Rating 5 Star Rating

User Rating 4 Star Rating (7 Reviews) write a review

By Erin Collazo Miller, About.com Guide

Courtesy Harper Perennial

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The Bottom Line

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells of Scout and Jem's childhood in Alabama and how a series of events shook their innocence, shaped their character and taught them about human nature. Lee examines racism and other prejudices through a page turning story told in a wonderful, Southern voice. This is a must read American classic.

Pros

Well written
Great characters
A thoughtful, moving story

Cons

Don't have a con

Description

Two children in depression era Alabama
Several outcasts shape the way they see the world
A story about innocence, love, sympathy and human nature

Guide Review - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Book Review

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is rightly considered an American classic. Lee writes wonderfully, in the voice of a Southern child. The story is easy to read and the action is entertaining. While all these characteristics would qualify To Kill a Mockingbird as a good read, they do not necessarily indicate a classic.

What moves To Kill a Mockingbird to classic status is its morality and ability to draw sympathy out of readers as much today as when it was written in 1960. To Kill a Mockingbird deals with heavy issues--racism, oppression, injustice. Amazingly, it is able to handle these deep and sensitive areas without feeling depressing or preachy. Lee accomplishes this by making the narrator a child and allowing us to learn along with her.

Lee's writing makes it is easy to enter the world of depression era Alabama. Despite all the flaws of the town, it is also easy to love many things about the place and many of the characters. If you have not yet read To Kill a Mockingbird, you will not regret picking it up. If you read it awhile ago, it may be time to visit this world again.

Check out these [link url-http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/mockingbird_q.htm]book club discussion questions on To Kill a Mockingbird.

User Reviews

5 out of 5

The Immortal Novel, Member KaylaHendrickson

To Kill a Mockingbird is a literature mosaic. There is not a beginning, middle, or end to this story but rather a snapshot of life. Early in the book the picture of a small Alabama town in 1935 is painted for the reader. It’s a reminder that the world was once a simple place as it eases the reader into the mind of an 8-year-old girl. They make friends with her big brother, Jem and find comfort in the arms of her father, Atticus. They’re haunted by her fears and teased by her curiosities of the Radley’s house. But soon the silky, calm pond of childhood is shattered by the impact of racism and the ripples of lessons learned courses through the water. Internal battles occupy their minds as they watch the external battles play out in there once-so-peaceful town. Overall, this book deserves a perfect, 5 star rating. This is a must-read classic. To Kill a Mockingbird is timeless and captivating from the first word to the last.

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