To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird was the only novel published by Harper Lee during her lifetime, and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. This celebrated novel depicts the racism she observed as a child in her hometown in Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird was first published in November 1960. Subsequently an early 1957 version was published in 2015 under the title Go Set A Watchman.
Recommendations from our site
“It’s dated in many ways; it’s extremely sentimental. But it’s beautifully done – you can’t take a thing away from it.” Read more...
Scott Turow, Thriller and Crime Writer
“The case is about racism, but it’s also about white sexual fear of the black man, and the failed effort of white America to stop intermixing. I think the notion of the scary black man still permeates the American justice system today. I don’t think To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever, but it is a very good window into the ingrained sexual fear that permeated at least the southern American justice system.” Read more...
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Eric Berkowitz, Journalist
“The book touches on so many issues and deals with so many prejudices – prejudices towards the mentally ill, racial stuff. It’s a book that was way ahead of its time in many ways. It’s also a wonderfully written book – a joy to read.” Read more...
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Clive Stafford Smith, Lawyer
“Even though I know we’ve made great strides in America, and have come from the reality of Maycomb, we still suffer today from the lingering effects of the bigotry of that era. At the same time, it’s a lesson in standing tall in the face of tremendously hostile circumstances.” Read more...
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Antonio Villaraigosa, Politician
“I am sure that amongst my friends, and lawyers in particular, if they were asked to pick a book that’s had a profound influence on them it would be this. The genius of it is the fact that you can read it when you’re relatively young and that it can still convey some very difficult and complex messages.” Read more...
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Shami Chakrabarti, Lawyer
We highly recommend the audiobook of To Kill a Mockingbird, read by Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek. Performed in her southern accent (Spacek is from Texas), she gives a warm and emotionally nuanced reading of this poignant American classic.
