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6.0 stars. I know I am risking a serious “FILM AT 11” moment and a club upside the head from Captain Obvious for voicing this, but nabbit dog I still think it needs to be said…TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is one of the BEST and MOST IMPORTANT American novels ever written. Okay, I said it, and I will wait patiently while you get your DUHs and DERs out of the way and hang your “no shit” signs outside for Inspector Holmes.

Okay, now given the gruntload of reviews/ratings this book has I know I’m not the first person to wag my chin about how amazing it is. Still, I am going to chance coming off like that annoying dingleberry at the tail end of a huge porcelain party because I truly have a pile of love for this book. …(Sorry for taking the metanalogy there just now, but I promise no more poop references for the rest of the review)... So if my review can bring a few more people into the Atticus Finch Fan Club, I will be just flush with happy.

On one level, this book is a fairly straight-forward coming of age story about life in a small Alabama town during the Great Depression. It has a very slice of lifesaver warmth and simplicity to it that I think resonates with a lot of readers. It certainly does with me and I think the adjective “charm” may have been invented to describe the novel.

Despite how easing flowing the narrative is, this book is both extremely and deceptively powerful in its discussion of race, tolerance and human decency. Most importantly, this book shows us by example the courage to stand all up in the grill of injustice and say “Not today, Asshole! Not on my watch.”

That is a lesson that I think we can never be reminded of too often. When bad people do bad things to good people, the rest of us good people need to sack up and be counted regardless of how scary it might be. Easier said then done, I know. But at least that should be the standard to which we strive.

Atticus Fitch is the epitome of that standard. He is the role model to end all role models and what is most impressive is that he comes across as such a REAL person. There is no John Wayne/Jack Bauer/Dirty Harry cavalry charging BSD machismo about him. Just a direct, unflinching, unrelenting willingness to always do what he thinks is right. As Atticus’ daughter Scout puts it so well:

n  It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.n

I was to make something crystal before going on because it is an important part of my love of this story. Notwithstanding this book's powerful, powerful moral message, it never once…ever…comes off as preachy or heavy handed. There is no lecture to be given here. The only sermon we are privy to is the example of Atticus Finch and the simple yet unwavering strength and quiet decency of the man. Even when asked by his daughter about the horrendous racism being displayed by the majority of the townsfolk during a critical point in the story, Atticus responds with conviction but without:

n   "They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."n

This is a special story. Oh, and as a huge bonus…it is also an absolute joy to read. Lee’s prose is silky smooth and as cool as the other side of the pillow. Read this book. Read it with your children, read it with your spouse, read it by yourself….read it the bigoted assclown that you work with or see around the neighborhood…Just make sure you read it. It is a timeless classic and one of the books that I consider a “life changer.” 6.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!!!

BONUS QUOTE: This is Scout talking to Atticus after getting to know someone she had previously be afraid of:

“ ‘When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . .’ His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. ‘Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.’ He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.”(Emphasis added)

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a fantastic, touching read with many funny giggle moments also with plenty of frustration and heart ache.
I read this 20 years ago when I was 14 and I'm kind of sad it's took so long to pick it up again I really do believe we're meant to read this a few times in a lifetime.
For the age of the book and the fact it's told from a child's point of view I think it hits hard where it's supposed to and make us sit up think.
Yes I think there are a few more up to date books which cover the Same racist and coming of age hardships but there is something a little special about this book and I believe if you read I think you will find it.
I highly recommend this and think everyone should read it.

Gosh, this is one of my new all time favorite books! It's just a shame that I will never be able to fully express how and why it affected me as much as it did. But I can try my best to at least write a few words to let you know what things I enjoyed (spoiler: I enjoyed every single word).

This story deals with the very important and sensitive topic of racism and is told from the point of five of a little girl. I had my doubts if this combination would work out. But somehow, Harper Lee was able to create an incredibly compelling character, who understands and misunderstands just the right amounts to be realistic, and to get all the major points the novel is trying to make across. It would have been easy to write from the perspective of Atticus, the 'hero' of the story. But I think this wouldn't have been the right thing to do; it would have seemed far too self-indulgent and conceited.

The characters themselves are all incredibly lovely. They just warmed up my heart. I'd love to give those three little kids, Scout and Jem and Dill, a giant hug. I'd like to shake the hand of Atticus and pay him my respects. I would go to Church with Calpurnia and find out more about her life. I would smile at Boo, to let him know that I accept him just the way he is, and while a simple smile might seem like a typical interaction to others, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Boo.
So yeah, all of those characters have found a place in my heart, and I know that they will definitely stay in my mind for a long time to come as well.

It surprised me how easy to read I found the writing style. It's hard to believe this was written in the 60's! I think the fact the topic is (unfortunately) a timeless one plays a part in that.
I'm currently still in a bit of a reading slump, but this book grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me smiling and laughing and crying. No wonder it's such a well-loved classic! I definitely agree that it's one of those books everyone should read at least once. Personally, I already know that I will read it many more times in the future.

English (To Kill a Mockingbird) / Italiano

«When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow»

Alabama. Early 1930s. The Great Depression. Maycomb, an imaginary town. Tom Robinson (black), falsely accused rapist. Atticus (white), lawyer instructed to represent him. Scout and Jem (white), sons of Atticus. Dill (white), friend of Jem and Scout. Calpurnia (black), maid from Atticus house. Arthur "Boo" Radley (white), mysterious neighbour. Mayella Ewell (white), victim of a sexual assault. Bob Ewell (white), father of Mayella. Take all the elements listed above, add racism, ignorance, humanity, mix them up and you get the masterpiece of Harper Lee.

Sponsored even by the former president of USA Barack Obama, the message of the novel gets loud and clear: do the right thing, bravely, at all costs.

Vote: 9

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«Jem, mio fratello, aveva quasi tredici anni all’epoca in cui si ruppe malamente il gomito sinistro»

Alabama. Inizio anni 30. Grande depressione. Maycomb, cittadina immaginaria. Tom Robinson, nero, accusato ingiustamente di stupro. Atticus, bianco, avvocato incaricato di difenderlo. Scout e Jem, bianchi, figli di Atticus. Dill, bianco, amico di Jem e Scout. Calpurnia, nera, domestica al servizio di Atticus. Arthur "Boo" Radley, misterioso vicino di casa. Mayella Ewell, bianca, vittima di stupro. Bob Ewell, bianco, padre di Mayella. Prendete tutti gli elementi elencati, aggiungete il razzismo di alcuni, l'ignoranza di altri, l'umanità di altri ancora, mescolate tutto ed otterrete il capolavoro di Harper Lee.

Sponsorizzato finanche dall' ex-presidente degli USA Barack Obama, il messaggio del romanzo arriva forte e chiaro: fai la cosa giusta, a qualunque costo, con coraggio.

Voto: 9

I’m not going to do my usual thing where I’d try to explain what I liked about this book. Normally, I would try to convince you why you should read it. I would speak about how important this book is and what message it could impart to its readers around the world. I would even say how it affected me personally. Today I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I will simply say that I loved this book. I loved its characters. I loved its plot. And I loved the eloquent way in which Harper Lee wrote it. It made me laugh and it made me cry. Her words are real and her story is truth.

This book is one of the wisest, most finely crafted, pieces of prose fiction I have ever read.

I didn’t want it to ever end.

While the plot was very gripping and well-written, the book didn't actually instruct me on how to kill a mockingbird. I bought this book intending to do away with this obnoxious bird that's always sitting in my backyard and making distracting noises. I had hoped this book would shed some light on how to humanely dispose of the bird, but unfortunately it was this story about a lawyer and a falsely-accused criminal. As I said, the plot is great but nowhere in the book does it say exactly how to kill a mockingbird.

Audible Edition of Towering American Novel
Read by Sissy Spacek, audio aphrodite



What more really can I say about a timeless tale 99% of us have read?

That it's as good the 2d or 3d time but even better when listening to it as an audiobook read by Academy Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek (with that sapphire Southern accent and her transfixing acting talent)?

That Ms. Spacek gives Scout extra spark to the nth-power and sweeps you off your feet by bestowing a kiss-the-sky feel upon this very American story of racism and hatred, fears of those unlike "us," of evil and goodness, and of a little girl and her daddy?

Whether you've read To Kill a Mockingbird one time or twenty, seen Gregory Peck in black and white as Atticus Finch on VCR, DVD and Netflix, have 1 copy or 3 of the paperback bought for your kids' classes, in addition to your dog-eared copy from grade school; yet, all of that is irrelevant to the question at hand. Should you get the Audible version?

Why, yes ma'am/sir, you certainly should so you may experience anew, in a divine medium, the wonders of how great literature (this heart-juddering novel) can transport you back to a time and a place and a people (good, bad and between), and stoke your emotions and pleasure in literature in such a strong and soulful way that n  you're glad to be alive!n

Sissy Spacek n  ISn Scout. She was made to play that role.

tTo Kill a Mockingbird is the worst kind of book. It is a perfect example of a white-guilt fantasy. It attempts anti-racism and only accomplishes the opposite. No, I’m not talking about the heavy usage of the word “nigger.” Most people fail to understand the issue; I have even heard it implied that talking about race in such a manner is racist because we should be color-blind in a post-racist utopian world. No, I am talking about the plot and the characters themselves. Calpurnia perpetuates the inherently racist mammy archetype and is the only black in the book portrayed as intelligent. The rest are not only uneducated, but they are explicitly written to be stupid. Yes, the sole intelligent black is the one serving the white folk. This is what Harper Lee is trying to tell you. The good blacks are the subservient ones.
tThe book compares blacks to mockingbirds. They are portrayed are harmless animals that should be treated accordingly. Animals. Subhuman. You would not treat an animal needlessly cruelly, and therefore you should not do the same to blacks. This echoes the sentiment of many early abolitionist groups who still believed blacks to be inferior, but just thought they deserved more rights than objects and they still believed in segregation. That was just barely praiseworthy back then and it was an abhorrent belief by the time this book came out. The book removes the idea of black resistance and depicts the blacks as passive creatures who are simply waiting for the White Man’s rescue. Atticus Finch is a complete and blatant white-guilt self-insert. It simultaneously never dares to put blacks in an aggressive position for fear of coming off as “racist. Again, Harper Lee completely misses the point.

tThe worst part of all this is that most whites completely miss the point. They might publish an edition with the word “nigger” removed, thinking that the usage of the word in a novel shows inherent racism. Their nostalgia and racism blinds them from the fact that the book itself has racist messages at its core. It was written to make white people feel better about themselves, and is an anti-racism attempt as awkward as somebody saying “my favorite slaves are niggers.” It is demeaning to black students and it should not be taught in classrooms. The very fact that this book is touted as a literary masterpiece (mostly for the supposed anti-racism rather than any exceptional prose or complexity) is just another piece of evidence that racism is still alive and well.

tJust to avoid any straw man arguments about me: I believe the works of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston to be worthless, not due to racism, but due to being poor literature. I am not very political. I don’t believe progressive social themes or anti-racism are pre-requisites for a great novel and I’m not a victim of white guilt. I’m just a reader who was disgusted by what I read and that alone gives me the right to speak on this novel and that alone is why I am speaking on it and that alone is what is relevant.

tOh yeah, and on the quality of the writing itself: all of the symbolism is contrived, the characterization is flat, and the prose fails to impress. It is simply not a very good piece of literature. You would do better to read something like Invisible Man, a book that was well-written in addition to containing impressively profound social and racial commentary.

If I could take any book off the high-school curriculum, it would be this one. Look down on me all you want, but this is not "great American literature". Why?

1. It is as trite and cliche as most "coming-of-age" stories - I think we all got sick of those long before we hit our teens. This one doesn't even tackle the confusion of identity, sexuality, spirituality that most teen books cover. Let me put it this way: there are good books about racial issues, but if that's the only subject in the book, they become a one-trick pony.

2. The characters are one-sided caricatures who manage to stay the same from beginning to end.

3. Portraying the black defendant as a naive, simple, and innocent child manipulated by a scheming white girl is racist in itself - am I the only one to notice this? Uncle Tom didn't need to be relocated into the fifties.

I had to write this review simply because I can't stand by and watch this piece of sentimental trash be voted one of the best books of all time. I would dearly love to pull this book out of the high school curriculum and replace it with Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land", which used to be taught until enough parents became afraid that their children might actually think in school.

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.

I started rereading this book, which I haven’t read since high school, to get ready to read Go Set a Watchman. Then we all learned what a travesty the publication of that rejected first draft turned out to be. So I won’t be reading the faux sequel, but I did finish rereading this book.

To Kill a Mockingbird is regularly held up as THE greatest American novel, and in this instance popular opinion is probably correct. It is every bit as good as you remember, maybe better. Wonderfully paced, beautifully written, it’s still a remarkable book. As a father and lawyer, Atticus Finch remains as inspiring as ever. Scout is a great narrator of the story, and her lack of experience and cynicism enhances the experience. Well worth rereading, and if you somehow never read it, it’s a must read for any age.

I looked up Harper Lee online this is her only published book. However, she did write a few articles that one can find and read online:
Love in other Words - Vogue
Christmas to me - McCalls
When Children Discover America
Romance and High Adventure

Her full name is Nellie Harper Lee - I bet she dropped the Nellie part so publishers would mistakenly think she was a man and read her material. She is also still alive and living in Monroeville, Alabama. And once you read about her and her family, you will know that she is not the only amazing person in that family (guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).

I was able to tell in the beginning that the book started in the 30's once Dill mentioned that he saw Dracula in the theaters. Dracula was in theaters in 1931-32 (don't ask how I know that), and they mentioned that they were in the Depression which started in 1929 (1927-28 for the farmers) and went on through out the 30's. Since they were openly drinking, Prohibition must have ended (1933). And, towards the end of the book, they were mentioning Hitler and what he was doing in Germany which took place in the late 30's. My history teachers would be so impressed that I retained all of that information. Too bad my head is so full of that information, I have to look up my own phone number.

I loved Scout. In fact, I get dibs on that name for a little girl- or did Bruce Willis and Demi Moore beat me to it? I loved that she wanted to be a person first and then a girl. And she supports the fact that little kids know the meaning of life and forget it as they get older. She had a great relationship with her brother and father and they encouraged her to be true to herself and not follow the stereotypes of ladies of that time. I loved her way of thinking especially how she drew the conclusion that if she starting swearing her dad would assume she picked up the bad habits from school and pull her out. And when she wanted to write a letter to Dill in invisible ink just to drive him crazy, I almost ruined the book because I was drinking a Diet Pepsi at the time.

I have a feeling that Harper Lee was just like Scout and have you noticed that all early 1900 female authors are tomboys? Louisa Mae Alcott was Jo in Little Women, Laura Wilder wrote about herself. It just goes to show you that the truly creative women were those that went against the stereotypes of the time.

I'm not sure I like the fact that Atticus allowed them to call him by his first name and not Dad, but aside from that he was the perfect role model. He talked to them, not at them, and he always listened. He firmly believed that it was important for his children to respect him and by NOT following the creed "Do as I say, not as I do", Scout and Jem would be able to look up to him. He wanted his children to look beyond the color of one's skin, therefore he did. He treated everyone as equal despite their race, family background, age or education and if more people did that, there wouldn't be as many problems today. His teaching methods worked. You can tell how much the children loved and looked up to him. Nothing hurt them more then having their father be ashamed of them. They didn't keep things from him because they thought he wouldn't understand. They kept things from him because they didn't want him to get hurt. And they always listened, because to disobey would hurt Atticus.

Atticus's brother was another one of my favorite characters even though he wasn't mentioned a lot. When he realized his error after punishing Scout for beating up her cousin and tried to make it right, it showed that he also strived to earn their respect just like Atticus. Nothing irates me more then when someone tells me I have to respect them because they are older than me. Whatever. Does that mean I have to respect Bob Ewall because he is older?

It's easy to see with all of the problems in the world why Boo Radley feels safer hiding from away from it. It takes a special person to admit defeat to the cliché "if you can't beat them join them" and turn his back on things he doesn't understand. I think everyone has a little bit of Boo in us, when we shut out the problems of the outside. Of course, we all have a little of Scout in us to especially when I come out fighting if anyone tries to hurt my family.

The court case. Wow, the sad thing is, is I can see that happening even today (i.e. the Rodney King trial). When I moved here the first time, just before the LA riots, there was a huge ordeal about a Korean, store-owner who shot and killed a 17-19 black, teenager girl, she claimed was stealing and attacking her. The security camera shows the tiff and it shows the teen putting down the item and walking towards the exit. The store owner shot her in the back and was found not-guilty, by reason of self-defense. When the book was published in 1960, discrimination was still a big problem. I did like how Harper Lee brought up Hitler's actions against the Jews. It was obvious that what was going on in America with African Americans was no different in her eyes than what Hitler was doing. I agree, we were just more discreet about it. Perhaps because deep inside, Americans knew it was wrong to treat African Americans as third class citizens so we tried to hide it more. Hitler was right out in the open with his actions.

I listed a few links that I discovered about To Kill A Mocking Bird:
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS... The Student Survivor Guide. - This is amazing it has definitions of the harder words and references to the "Allusions and Idioms" that are used.

http://mockingbird.chebucto.org/ - This talks more about the author and her family.

Alabama in U.S.A., 1935 during the crippling bleak, Great Depression, Atticus Finch a widower, struggling lawyer and ultimate believer in justice for everybody, (a gentleman, if ever there was one) is raising two small children Scout, (Jean Louise) and Jem, (Jeremy) a typical American boy, he likes to have fun in the fictitious mostly quiet , small southern town of Maycomb. The siblings are unusually close, the father is absent often being a politician in the legislature, in Montgomery, the state capital. Calpurina their black servant, takes good care of them and they all love, is the real parent of the kids, and of course, considered a member of the family. Mr. Finch is a rather remote uncomfortable father, the children call him by his first name of Atticus. Scout age eight, a tomboy, Jem who's four years older than his precocious sister and friend Dill, (Charles Baker Harris) a year older than Scout but not as big, and is frequently bullied, are always together. Dill from Meridian, Mississippi, spends the warm summers at his Aunt Rachel's house in town and is gratefully left alone. Next door to the Finch's live the Radley family, a strange people that keep to themselves, particularly Boo, (Arthur) a legendary creepy, mysterious man , who is never seen, weird stories abound about him by the curious, neighborhood kids, they test their bravery, by how close they can come to Boo's house. The gentle, Mr.Finch shocks Scout and Jem when he shoots a mad dog at the sheriff's request, Mr. Tate, knows Atticus's skill, but curiously he doesn't even have a gun at home, never seen with one either. This sleepy town awakens when Bob Ewell a lazy, notorious drunk, accuses a black man Tom Robinson of raping his flirtatious daughter, Mayella. The honorable Judge Taylor appoints Atticus, as Robinson's lawyer, an impossible task in that era. The trial brings people from all over Maycomb County , to the courthouse , Atticus Finch shines, but can he free an innocent man ? This story implies every human, should be treated with dignity, no matter what the color of their skin, and after so many years have gone by , is still the best novel in urging equality for all, what a concept...