To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Advanced Historical Fiction

This classic Pulitzer Prize winner is a must read for all mature audiences.  This book is about racism and abuse in the Deep South.  The story is told by Scout Finch, an intelligent and feisty young girl.  In the novel, Scout's father (Atticus Finch) is a lawyer and asked to defend an African-American who is accused of a crime he did not commit.  I remember reading this book in high school and it deal with many delicate issues under the eye of a scrutinizing jury.  Atticus is deemed a hero, in this story, and I love the book because of the emotional attachment the reader feels for the characters.  Lee does a wonderful job of painting a picture for the audience.  It is a powerful story that loosely represents real events from history and portrays a message of courage for the audience.  I also personally love the quotes in the book, too!  This famous piece of literature has also been interpreted into a film.

Response questions...
1.  Why is Boo Radley related to a mockingbird, at the end of the story?
2.  Do you think the story would have unfolded differently if Scout's mother was alive?

NOTE:  THIS BOOK DEALS WITH ADULT THEMES AND SHOULD ONLY BE READ BY MATURE AUDIENCES.  TEACHERS MUST BE AWARE OF THIS WHEN INTRODUCING IT TO STUDENTS.

Atticus Finch

In the classroom...

1.  Have students choose a personal hero, and write a letter to him/her explaining what qualities they value in him or her.

2.  Students can develop a collage, while collaborating in a group, and it must depict scenes from the novel, as the students see it.

About the author...

This is the first and only novel that Harper Lee has written, but is still as much of a success today, as it was when it was first published.  An interesting fact about Lee is that she is a descendant of the General, Robert E. Lee!

References:

Lee, Harper. (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: JB Lippincott & Co.

http://www.harperlee.com/bio.htm
http://en.wikepedia.org/wiki/To_kill_a_Mockingbird