Author - Harper Lee
This book was published in 1960 and won the 1961 Pulitzer prize. As soon as you get into the story, you comprehend that this is not just a fiction story; its much more than that. It's infact a sort of semi-autobiography. It was Harper Lee's only novel published way back in 1960 and yet it seems as relevant today as ever. These sort of books never go out of age. It positively tells a simple story of racial prejudice and discrimination from the eye of a young child. Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the small town of Maycomb which is largely dominated by the whites and where blacks are treated as second citizens (at best).
Book
Jem and Scout are the young children through whose eyes the story unfolds. Atticus is a singular parent raising the 2 children. He is well respected in the town until he takes the case of defending a black man who is accused of raping a white women. Even though everyone is convinced of the black man's innocence, Atticus is looked down as he agrees to defend him. The attitude of the whole town changes towards Atticus; even his sister doesn't miss any opportunity to throw barbs at him.
Even though Atticus doesn't win the case, he knows that at least he brought about a change- a black man against a white would have all the time been a open and shut case but it's only because of his sincere efforts that the jury considers for long before choosing on the judgment on the case and this, Atticus, feels is the beginning of a change. In the hearts of every citizen, he's won the case. Even the blacks give him a standing ovation when he returns from the court after the verdict. In-spite of the whole town being against him, he refuses to bog down and does what is right. It's in the backdrop of this incident that Jem and Scout learn things about their father which they never knew and we, the readers also learn some foremost lessons of humanity and morality.
Since the story is being told from the eyes of Scout, it never gets heavy on the court case or the actual crime. It's very innocently described and you get positively hooked to the simple story. But what impressed me most was the way Atticus goes about imbibing life's episode in his children. There are many memorable quotes worth mentioning here-
"They're positively entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... But before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
-spoken by the character Atticus
"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."
-spoken by the character Atticus
"The one place where a man ought to get a quadrilateral deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash."
-spoken by the character Atticus
"When a child asks you something, reply him, for goodness' sake. But don't make a yield of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles 'em."
-spoken by the character Atticus
"Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they're not attracting concentration with it."
-spoken by the character Atticus
This book tells about how one event can shape your character. It can even be said that this is a study of human nature; how different people react to one situation. This book is also about awakening; awakening to a not-so-perfect world where not all happens with a suspect and life is not all the time fair. But it's time like these when your values and morals shape your character and differentiate you from the crowd.
Despite having a strong message for the readers, the book never gets into the preaching mode; in fact you wait for the parts where Atticus gives his views about life. This book is strongly recommended for all. It touches something deep inside you.
The best relate I found about this book was- "Someone very special, very noble has written this book". I thoroughly agree with it.
Book spin - To Kill a MockingbirdRecommend : Best Books
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