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  "This novel recites an exciting adventure along with the values of life and the issues of racism. It teaches not to judge a book by its cover and take a look deeper."

To Kill A Mockingbird
//  By Harper Lee //

"To me this book gives excellent details about like in the 30's. It has an even deeper meaning, since it is seen through through the eyes of a young girl. She learns about prejudice and how unjust life is. She learns to help people and to care more. I like the fact that this book teaches a good lesson and the values of life. Scout relates that all humans should be treated equally and even the blacks. She understands this at such a young age, and there are many adults during this time that can't even understand that, which makes this story even more touching. Through the Tom Robinson court case, Scout learns to be just to the blacks and realizes that they are just humans also."

**//Summary://**
This story is told in the first person from "Scout". Back in the 1930's Scout Finch lives an exciting adventure along with her brother "Jem" and Dill, whom is their neighbor in the summers because he stays with his aunt. Scout is at age 6 and Jem is 10 at this time. Their widowed father, Atticus Finch, is a powerful attorney in their town of Maycomb, Alabama. He takes on a case in defending a black man, Tom Robinson, since he was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. He isn't able to prove him guilty, but Atticus already knew that the case would end in that decision, when he took the case. The children and Atticus were all turned against on the town, for siding with Robinson. He was eventually shot for supposedly trying to escape from prison. After that the harrassment was over except for an enemy they proclaimed from this case, Bob Ewell. He tried going after Jem and Scout one night to get his revenge but he was stabbed by Boo Radley, the local "ghost", and Jem and Scout were fascinated. Among the Robinson case, the three childrens' curiosity with Boo Radley is another important element of this novel. During their time, the children try over and over to get Boo Radley to come out of his house, and he never did, until the night he saved Jem and Scout. After that he never came out again. The children realized they shouldn't have harrassed Boo because he is human just like everyone else. They learned that everyone should be treated equal and racism should not be tolerated. Prejudice and racism play the roles in making this stories theme.

//Author Bio:// Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama on April 28, 1926 to Amasa Cole Lee and Frances Finch Lee, whom was a lawyer. She was the youngest of four. She was friends with Truman Capote, whom also became an author and wrote //Breakfast at Tiffany's// and //In Cold Blood.// She attended college at Huntingdon for a year and then studied law for for years at the University of Alabama from 1945-49. After that she continued at Oxford for a year. Lee then became associated with the airlines in the 50's and was a reservation clerk for Eastern Airlines in NYC. She then gave up her job to focus on writing. While writing her father became ill and so she traveled between Monroeville and NYC often. Lee submitted her writing to J. B. Lippincott Company in 1957. After submitting, they told her that it was a series of short stories strung together so she worked on it for two anda half more years, until it was completed. In 1960 the book was finally published, and it was the only book written by Harper. //To Kill a Mockingbird// was on the best-selling list for over 80 weeks. It also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 and //Bestsellers'// paperback of the year in 1962.