Product Description

'Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird.' This book presents a lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with both compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, Atticus, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4924 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

The Word
'puts a lump in my throat and makes me want to be a better person'

From the Publisher
'No one ever forgets this book'

About the Author
Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama, a village that is still her home. She attended local schools and the University of Alabama. Before she started writing she lived in New York, where she worked in the reservations department of an international airline. She has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, two honorary degrees and various other literary awards. Her chief interests apart from writing are nineteenth-century literature and eighteenth-century music, watching politicians and cats, travelling and being alone. She was friends with Truman Capote who apparently was the inspiration for the character Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Customer Reviews

'...it's a sin to kill a mockingbird'
'To Kill A Mockingbird' was written by Harper Lee and was first published in 1960. She has won the Pulitzer Prize and has sold over 30,000,000 copies.

The story is set in the Deep South of America in the 1930's. The general theme of the book is inequality and the irrationality of adult attitudes towards race and class. The story is told by Scout Finch, a young girl whose father is a lawyer and is defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. The book deals with some very controversial, strong issues and along the way there are some interesting sub-plots but it all leads up to the hearing in court.

The book takes you on a journey with Scout Finch: the way she lived, her life as a child and how she saw things and dealt with them. Scout was unlike other girls her age. She was a tom boy and preferred playing with her older brother Jem than having tea-parties. They embark on many adventures during the story, sometimes getting into danger and you find yourself getting very attached to the characters. They have to deal with the ignorant attitudes of adults towards their father's case and the taunting of other children in the playground. Scout throughout the book cant understand why white people see black people differently to themselves.

Harper Lee has created a very enjoyable, touching book. Although it is filled with some strong issues and sad points, the story is told with such innocence and warm humour, everyone can enjoy it. There are very few weak points (if any).

'Shoot all the Blue Jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

A True Classic - an Essential for Everybody
I read To Kill A Mockingbird for my English Literature at the beginning of the 80's and was absolutely taken with the story of Jem and Scout and the way their father, Atticus, teaches them about life by example with morality and humility. I purchased this for a friend after declaring, for many years, that this is my all time favourite book - my Desert Island 'must take'.

The recipient has also declared a love for it and in my opinion this book highlights how America has dealt with race issues in many different ways over many decades. I can't recommend it highly enough and would go so far as to say that "you will definitely not be disappointed and will find it hard to put down once started."

Lovely book.
The book was an amazing read. I really enjoyed it and I can see why it is a worldwide classic. It really shows how racism can affect people, both the offenders and the victims. It shows why racism is one of the worst problems in human history. I would recommend this book to anyone. You can learn a lot from reading this beautiful piece of literature.