To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird . Philadelphia: Lippincott.

To Kill a Mockingbird appears on the 100 Most Challenged Book List, due to the presence of racism.

Summary:

The story is told by Scout in first person point of view as she grows up in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression.  Scout, her brother Jem, and her best friend Dill spend much of their summers trying to get their eccentric neighbor, known as Boo Radley, to come out of his house, since they have never seen him.  Another part of the story focusses on Scout's father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, as he prepares to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, for a crime he obviously didn't commit.  Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell.  Despite the amount of effort Atticus puts into proving Tom's innocence, Tom is still convicted because it his word against a white person's word. 

Personal Reaction:

I love To Kill a Mockingbird.  Scout is a likeable character and an innocent narrator.  As she learns the evils of racism, the reader travels through the moral lesson with her.  Atticus is the picture of a true southern gentleman who is honest and good in every aspect.  He faithfully tries to teach his children right from wrong.  Jem is an echo of his father in many ways.  The reader can see that he will be the same type of man when he grows up, but he hasn't quite reached that point yet, as he shows when he loses his temper and destroys his neighbor's flowers.  Dill adds comic relief to the story.  Because it is set in the south, I think that many students would be able to relate to the story.  I know that I am able to connect to the story because of the setting, eventhough the time period is so long ago, because parts of it reminds me of stories my grandparents told me.  Overall, I feel it is a story that should never be challenged.  It teaches a moral lesson in an entertaining and well-written story.