Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee wrote the award-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in the 1960s. This was a time when her home state of Alabama was embroiled in many civil rights activities to counteract the inconceivable practice of segregation. It is so fascinating that Lee placed the setting of her book in the 1930s during The Great Depression. The story is narrated by a young girl named Scout Finch who lives with her father Atticus, her brother Jem, and their black housekeeper named Calpurnia. She uses these characters and many others to weave together a coming-of-age story and a story of racism. Scout witnesses the biased treatment of African- Americans when her father defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of beating and raping a white woman. Atticus teaches Scout and Jem so many lessons about prejudice, compassion, and tolerance. My favorite quote in the book is: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I highly recommend this book as its lessons will never be outdated.