Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

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‘Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.’

A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

Harper Lee is probably one of the most famous authors of all time. Born in Alabama and the youngest of four children, Harper Lee’s father was a lawyer who served on the state legislature from 1926 to 1938. As a child, Harper Lee was a tomboy and enjoyed the friendship of her schoolmate and neighbour, the young Truman Capote, an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, playwright, and actor.

in 1956, Harper Lee located an agent and received gift of a year’s wages with a note: “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” 

Within a year, Harper Lee had a first draft. Working with J. B. Lippincott & Co. editor Tay Hohoff, she completed To Kill a Mockingbird in the summer of 1959. Published July 11, 1960, the novel was an immediate bestseller and won great critical acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It remains a bestseller with more than 30 million copies in print. In 1999, it was voted “Best Novel of the Century” in a poll by the Library Journal. (Source)

To Kill a Mockingbird is dubbed one of fictions greatest books of all time. This is one of the main reasons why I was so keen to read it. Perhaps because of this, I had my sights set quite high. Maybe, a little too high. While the book is an enjoyable read, I found it quite slow going at times with some scenes that I thought unnecessary.

The first half was really slow and it took a while, in my opinion, for it to really get going. I do understand why as it’s setting the scene of the life of Jean Louise, her brother Jem, their father, Atticus, their chef, Calpurnia and the times in which they’re growing up in, but I just felt it was a little too slow going.

Ultimately the story is an important one as it tells the story of a black man accused of raping a 19 year old white woman, and the discrimination and prejudice facing the accused at the time.

Atticus Finch, Jean-Louise and Jem’s father, is responsible for defending the black man. Atticus has very high morals which he does his best to pass onto his children so when they ask why he’s defending a black man, Atticus does his best to inform this children of why. Unfortunately in the times they’re living in, when a black man is up against a white man, the white man always wins, but Atticus is sure to teach his children that this isn’t right.

It’s about the idea of doing what’s right, even if you know the odds are stacked against you.

I’m really glad I read this book as the story is an important one, but I just found a bit slow. However, I am looking forward to watching the film now that I’ve read the book. Perhaps that’ll give me a greater insight and maybe persuade me to read the book again with a new perspective.

Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

You can buy To Kill a Mockingbird online from Amazon here.