To Kill a Mockingbird

"You already know this. Lyrical writing. A child’s point of view, but done with intelligence and sensitivity, and a lesson at the end that is the only lesson you ever need to know to become a good person. So say I."

"I really don’t know what I could say about this book that hasn’t already been said. I read it in high school English class, and it was the first time I went to school and was interested in what anyone had to say. The story leaped off the page; it made me confront my own fears and prejudices. I went home and started reading and didn’t stop until the next morning. I’d never had that experience. I’d never been moved that way, felt that sort of pathos or compassion. That moment—the first time you..."

"People don’t understand the nature of racism here in our country. They don’t get how insidious it is…When you start reading [Mockingbird], you start to get an idea of just how awful it is that people just discriminate on the basis of race."

"This is my favorite book. I’ve read it many times, often aloud. I find the rhythm of the language soothing, perhaps because, like Harper Lee, I’m a southerner. It is the quintessential coming-of-age story, set in a small southern town, in which racial injustice is seen through the clear eyes of a child. But it is also about the prejudices and preconceptions we all have of those who are different from ourselves. The story of Boo Radley, of course, is the most poignant example of this. I also l..."

"I love this book. I love it for the experience of reading it and for what it stands for. The skill in which Harper Lee so lovingly blended a wonderful story with real issues that needed attention has made this one of the best books of all time."

"One of the most unforgettable novels of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird introduced the world to Atticus Finch and his precocious young daughter, Scout. Not only is this novel poignantly written, but it also offers important lessons on parenting, friendship, and morality."