Customer Reviews
Great Book - By: Spaldingcrow, 26 Mar 2008 
Never read this as a school text. It was recommended to me by a drunk manin a pub. All I want to say is - HOW GOOD IS THIS BOOK? It's bloody great! Books I read immediately afterwards paled next to the resonance of this great work.
SEEN THE FILM - READ THE BOOK! - By: M. Drake, 31 Dec 2007 Like many people I had seen the classic film starring Gregory Peck, & thought I knew the plot, but nothing prepared me for the outstanding quality of this book - the quality of the writing is superb & sustained throughout - as is the suspense. The racism is treated without sentimentality - as the fact of life it unfortunately was, & the efforts of one good man come seemingly to naught, but the seeds are sownin a few hearts &in the next generation through whose eyes the story is so beautifull told. Unputdownable & unsurpassed.
Mick Drake author of the comic novel All`s Well at Wellwithoute
A Moving Reading of a Wonderful Book by Roses Prichard - By: Donald Mitchell, 18 Dec 2007 Like many youngsters, I was assigned To Kill a Mockingbird to read as a 15 year old. Unlike most, however, the assignment was for speed reading class . . . rather than American Literature.
Don't ever read this book for speed reading class.
I always intended to get back to the book for a more leisurely reading that would allow me to takein the obvious brilliance of Harper Leein more ways. I was pleased to find that my local library offered an unabridged reading by Roses Prichard (an actress with a Ph.D.in Communications from the University of Southern California) for Books on Tape.
In the first 15 seconds, I knew I had made a winning choice. Roses Prichard turns Scout (Jean Louise) Finch into a girl you'll feel like you've known all your life. Take the time to find this wonderful recording: You'll discover morein this book than you've ever thought could bein a book describing the thoughts & experiences of a five- to eight-year-old narrator.
Jem & Scout Finch are the only children of Atticus Finch, a highly principled lawyerin the small Southern town of Macomb, Alabama, whose wife died young of a heart attack. Unlike many novelists who cram their story into a few hours or days, Harper Lee showed the good sense to give us the family history & to let the children grow up over a few years before entering the heart of her tale. It's good story-telling & is great for character development.
Jem is five years older than Scout but tolerates her company as long as she doesn't start acting like a girl. That's fine with Scout who prefers overalls to dresses any day. As Jem grows older, he finds himself taking on the role of protector as well.
The children acquire a summer friend, Dill, & decide they want to meet the reclusive Arthur (Boo) Radley, a neighbor who always stays indoors. They have many adventures that will remind you of Tom Sawyer & Becky Thatcherin Injun Joe's cave.
The book is writtenin pre-Civil-Rights-era Alabama when consciousness of the bad things done to African Americans wasn't very well developed among those who weren't African Americans. The only peoplein the story who seemed to appreciate the full horror of discrimination are those who are honestly trying to live the Christian life. But even many practicing Christians proved to be blind to their African American neighbors' needs & concerns.
Harper Lee does a fine job of skewering all of those who are hypocrites on the subject of race. She even takes an appropriate shot at northerners who avoid the company of African Americans.
In a way, this book was The Uncle Tom's Cabin of the Civil Rights Movement, developing the consciousness that helped to change some attitudes towards African Americans.
The story also features lots of insights into Southern "justice" of the day -- inside the court,in the jury box,in jail, &in prison. To bring the evils of the attitudes to bear, Harper Lee tells us that it's wrong to kill a mockingbird . . . they only sing for us to enjoy & don't do any harm. By the end of the book, some of thosein Macomb begin to feel that way about harmless human beings who do good, as well.
You can learn more about Southern culture & attitudesin the early 1960s by reading this book than by studying a dozen nonfiction texts. Harper Lee got it right. One of the lightning rods for racial tensionin those days was unwarranted sexual fear of African-American males. That theme is fully developed through having an African-American be accused of raping a white woman.
But what I think makes this book timeless is its focus on what it means to be a good person . . . the story of Atticus Finch & his struggles with being both a good man & a good father.
But years from now you won't forget Scout: She's one of the great heroinesin American literature & an important prototype of what the next generation should have becomein loving other people.
Appreciate the untapped potential all around you!
Moving and beautifully written - By: Ms. H. M. Yendall, 06 Sep 2004 I hadn't read this book since I was at school but suddenly got the urge to re-read it & I was sooo glad I did! Setin the American Deep South of the 1930's, the novel is narrated by tom-boy Scout, who is just six when the story begins. Scout, her brother Jem & their widowed father Atticus (a lawyer) livein a small town where everyone knows everyone. The children & their friend Dill are fascinated by their reclusive neighbour 'Boo' Radley, who hasn't been seen for years & who, it is said, roams the streets at night, staringin through people's windows. Meanwhile, Atticus is called upon to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman, which causes the townsfolk react with prejudice, hypocrisy & violence..which leads to a stunning climax to the novel. This is not just a children's book. The characters are warm & vivid & Harper Lee takes the reader into another world. If you're not moved by this book.. well, there's something wrong with you!
enlightening eye opener of culture and race - By: , 12 Apr 2001 Having read Harper Lees Mockingbird as a school child, I re-read the book with some anticipation of remembering the dull books that were used as set texts.
What I discovered was a wonderful, sincere novel that expolres race, culture, discrimination & acceptancein the southern American states through the honest eyes & inquisitive nature of a child.
The book left me reeling with both joy & sadness at the antics of Scout, her brother & friend. Her observations & open acceptance of the issues raised by Harper Lee are a revelation.
The book reminds me of how life is rarely fair to those innocents such as Scout.
An excellent novel, recommended to adults & elder children alike.
